Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter

Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter August 2012

Volume 9 Issue 8

75th Anniversary of the Appalachian Trail Harpers Ferry and Bolivar joined the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the completion of the Appalachian Trail on a fine summer weekend August 11-12.

Inside this issue: More AT photos Your Editor on the Road

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More On the Road

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Calendar Contact Info Vision Statement Cell Tower Lease Gilmore Street Leak

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Council Meeting Report Mulch Volcanoes

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SouperTuesday The Anvil in September

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NPS Music Workshop Steam Events

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Deer Management Foundation Update Turkey Vultures

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Appalachian Trail enthusiasts from around the country joined members of the community to march in a parade, listen to music, attend presentations, enjoy hot dogs prepared by the Odd Fellows, take guided hikes and more. Youngsters "hiked" a 14-state mini-trail including a climbing wall representing Katahdin (the trail's northern terminus in Maine), received a temporary tattoo, and had AT symbols painted on their faces. The festival was organized by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy with support from the towns of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar, the Friends of the AT in Harpers Ferry, the National Park Service, Friendship Fire Company, Harpers Ferry Police, River Riders, Teahorse Hostel, Harpers Ferry B&B, REI, Frontline Marketing, the Potomac AT Club, the Women’s Club of Harpers Ferry, Delaware Nature Society, and many merchants who offered discounts to participants. Submitted by Laurie Potteiger

The Town’s official website has useful information including important notices, ordinances, meeting minutes, official applications, and events calendar. Visit us at www.harpersferrywv.us

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More photos from the AT anniversary parade: Resident Barbara Humes marching in the parade celebrating the Appalachian Trail 75th anniversary which also featured a “motley assortment of environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts” including a watershed coalition: Blue Ridge Watershed Association, Jefferson County Water Advisory Commission, and Elks Run Study Committee.

Mayor Anderson

Your Newsletter Editor On the Road

From July 5 to August 14, your newsletter editor took a solo motorcycle trip around the US and a little bit of Canada on her way to and from a jazz camp in California (she carried a soprano sax). She decided that Harpers Ferry is a great place to live and here she makes her case in photos. That sign above is in Nebraska, home of the Arbor Day organization. Most towns in Nebraska are in the Tree City USA program. Well, so are we! And we have a lot more trees! Above right: Your editor posing in front of the Humptulips WA post office, just as bikers in Harpers Ferry do here. Above left: A B&B in Cambridge, Nebraska. We have great ones, too. Left: Bikers have made the town of Red Lodge, Montana, a favorite stopping point, just as East Coast bikers have made Harpers Ferry a destination town.

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More photos from the trip:

bison

Left: A view from the Quinault Lodge in the Olympic National Park (WA). Our view from Hilltop is better! Right: A bison lounging by a boiling mud pool in Yellowstone National Park. We have deer! Left: An exposed Wyoming town. We have mountains to protect us. Below left: Great landscaping and sidewalks in downtown Columbus, Indiana. We have great landscaping, and are working on getting our sidewalks improved. Below: A bike event in downtown Bend, Oregon. We had way more when BikeVirginia came here!

Below: Your editor posing in front of her 2002 Kawasaki Concours about to leave the jazz camp in Pollock Pines, California.

Below right: An artist painting at Artist’s Point in Yellowstone. We have great views from the town and of the town that beat this one!

What better way to see how your home town stacks up against other towns than to ride all over the US on back roads. You can bring back good ideas and just be thankful that you chose a great place to live here in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia!

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Town Calendar At Town Hall, unless noted otherwise:

Town Hall Hours

August 24 August 24 August 25 August 27 August 28

Budget & Finance Committee 1-3 pm Monday– 8:30-12 & 1-4:30 Stormwater Committee 7-9 pm Tuesday– 2-4:30 NPS Shout of Joy workshop, see article on page 8 Wednesday– 8:30-12 & 1-4:30 Historic Landmarks Commission 7-8:30 pm Thursday– 8:30-12 SouperTuesday dinner, Bolivar Community Center, Friday– 8:30-12 and 1-4:30 see article on page 7 September 3 Labor Day, Town Hall closed September 4 Potomac Street Project Steering Committee 1-3 pm September 4 Planning Commission 7-8:30 pm September 5 Municipal Court 7pm Town Website Click here September 6 Elks Run Study Committee 7-8 pm September 10 Town Council 7 pm September 17 Police Committee, Bolivar Community Center, 8 am September 20 Water Commission 7:30- 9 pm September 21-23 The Anvil play at County Courthouse, see article on page 7 September 22 Deer season opens in Harpers Ferry, see article on page 9 September 24 Historic Landmarks Commission 7-8:30 pm September 26 Harpers Ferry Foundation 5:30-7:30 pm September 27 Tree Committee 7-9 pm September 29 Arts Business Seminars at Steam in Lower Town, see article on page 8

Communicating with the Mayor and Council Mayor Recorder Council members

Town Hall

Joe Anderson 304-582-2377 [email protected] Kevin Carden 304-535-2206 [email protected] Betsy Bainbridge [email protected] Jerry Hutton [email protected] Dan Riss [email protected] Charlotte Thompson [email protected] Greg Vaughn [email protected] Phone: 304-535-2206

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Vision Statement Adopted At its August meeting, the Town Council adopted a vision statement for Harpers Ferry and directed the Planning Commission to begin work on updating Harpers Ferry’s Comprehensive Plan. In adopting the vision statement, the Council acknowledged the considerable time and effort of the Vision Steering Committee, chaired by David Simmons. The Steering Committee is pictured below.

Thanks!

Rebecca Harriett, Al Alsdorf, Steve Ramberg, Charlotte Thompson, Karan Townsend, David Simmons, (absent: Deborah Fleming)

The Vision Steering Committee spent the last year gathering information and data, soliciting community input, and documenting their findings. Their detailed Baseline Report inventories characteristics of the town and the status of services, infrastructure and finances. This will serve as a baseline for future updates, assist in understanding and monitoring trends, and better inform future decision making. The Statement and Report are formidable accomplishments, providing guidance and direction to the Town going forward, thank you to the Committee for this positive and useful contribution to the community! The Visioning documents can be found on the town website by clicking here. Vision Statement is on Page 10 .

Verizon Cell Tower Lease Signed A new cell tower has been approved for construction at the water tank site on Bolivar Heights. The Town retained specialized legal counsel in negotiating favorable lease terms. (Legal expenses were reimbursed by Verizon.) The new lease provides $19,200 per year in rent, 60% higher than each of the two existing cell towers and provides a 3% annual rent escalation. Existing leases provided for no escalation in rent for the first 10 years. Construction is expected to begin later this fall, pending completion of required federal reviews.

Draft Parking Policy Update A special meeting of a Planning Commission subcommittee was held on August 7 for a public discussion of a proposed revision to the town parking policy, as requested by the Council. Comments ranged from "Harpers Ferry does not have a parking problem” to safety issues. Many of the comments were block specific. The next steps will be to have the subcommittee review all the comments received and revise the draft as needed. The full Planning Commission will then review the new draft, make any changes as needed and forward the final draft to the Town Council for its review and action. Public participation is encouraged at each step of the process.

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Council Meeting Report At its August meeting, the Council: 1. Approved a building permit for 470 Fillmore Street to replace the porch columns with fiberglass columns. It was requested that the Landmarks Commission monitor the appearance using this alternative building material and report back. 2. Discussed future funding strategies for Music on the Ridge events, including consideration of staging a similar event in lower town. Wayne Bishop along with Charlotte Thompson will work with others who are interested in developing a proposal to consider for the next season of events. 3. Approved funding to update and print new tourist maps to be posted in the four town tourist information kiosks. 4. Approved a donation of $2,000 from Coal Severance funds to the Jefferson County Community Ministries to feed the hungry. 5. Directed that future AT&T cell tower lease payments to the town be reallocated from Water Works to the town’s general fund, to be implemented incrementally over four years. Other cell tower lease payments are already paid to the general fund. 6. Approved the second reading of an ordinance revision to allow a limited, managed deer hunt to address deer overpopulation and in accordance with the West Virginia program for urban deer archery. 7. Adopted a Vision Statement developed in the visioning process and referred the Statement and Visioning Steering Committee’s Baseline Report to the Planning Commission for guidance in updating the Comprehensive Plan. The formal Council packet is available on the town website. To access this information, click here and select the desired month of the Council meeting. A paper copy of each packet is kept in the Town Hall and it is available for anyone who wishes to review it in the office. The packet is put together by the close of business the Friday before the regular monthly meeting.

Mulch Volcanoes Think you’re helping your tree by piling up the mulch? Think again. Mulch piles (“volcanoes”) damage trees in many ways. The tree’s roots will grow around the tree in the mulch and push against the trunk, girdling and killing the tree. The mulch traps excess moisture and encourages disease and decay of the trunk.

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EVENTS! SouperTuesday Dinner, August 28 Enjoy a cooling gazpacho soup at this month’s SouperTuesday dinner at the Bolivar Community Center, 60 Panama Street. Preceding the dinner will be a class on the benefits of freezing, canning and dehydrating just about everything from the garden. The speaker is Shawna DeWitt from Mountain View Farm. Music (“folksy-bluesy-rock”) will be provided by Jennifer Maghan. Tickets for the event cost $15 (free for children under 5 and $5 for children 5 to 10 years of age). Only 30 tickets will be sold. Class starts at 6 pm and dinner at 6:45 pm. On Mondays from 3 to 5 pm, a SouperMarket with local farmers is held in the Bolivar municipal parking lot on Taylor St. The communities of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar are encouraged to come by the market and purchase food from these farmers. The SouperNatural Kitchen is currently making food donations to senior citizens on fixed incomes and to families in need in the local area.

A Souper Volunteer

Buy tickets via PayPal at www.facebook.com/soupernaturalkitchen or directly at PayPal.com, using [email protected]; or Twitter: @SouperKitchen. Also available at the Canal House and Harpers Ferry Chiropractic, 1441 Washington Street in Bolivar. For more information, to volunteer or inquire about sponsorships, call Dr. Harris at Harpers Ferry Chiropractic, 304 535 3009. Email: [email protected]

The Anvil at the Jefferson County Courthouse in September The play The Anvil will be one of the highlights of the Charles Town Heritage Festival, September 21-23 with performances at 7 pm on September 21 and 22, and 2 pm on September 23. The play will be presented at the Jefferson County Courthouse, site of the original trial. Seating is limited and will require admission tickets. The play was last performed in 2009 for the 150th anniversary of the trial. Local residents Jerry and Marianne Bayer will again be producing the play and performing in the drama. Joseph Yates of Shepherdstown is the director. The play, based on the record of the trial of John Brown, is a riveting drama and a historically accurate depiction of the original trial. Many local Jefferson County residents will be featured in this year's production. Tickets can be purchased at the Anvil Restaurant, Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Library and Harpers Ferry Visitors Bureau, Charles Town Library and Museum, Charles Town Visitors Bureau, and the Dish restaurant. Prices are $15 for adults and $12 for those over 60 and under 20 years of age. The play is not recommended for very young children. For more information, please call 304 876-1825.

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Historic Music Workshop in the Park, August 25 Saturday, August 25, from 9 am to 6 pm, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park presents a 19thCentury Historic Music Workshop called "Shout of Sacred Joy: An Introduction to Shape Note Singing." The workshop is free to 30 participants. Only 10 spaces are left. For registration, contact the Living History Offices at 304-535-6063 or by emailing [email protected]. This workshop is designed to provide a background into the history, customs, and rudiments of shape note singing. Experience a uniquely American musical tradition--with historical links to 19th-century music education, camp meetings, social events, and the Civil War--that gathers people together to form a singing community where everyone’s voice is heard. For more information, click here.

Events at Steam at Harpers Ferry in September The Steam at Harpers Ferry has two new events in September. A new exhibit entitled "Steampunk Leisure" will run until November 19 at the Steam in Lower Town. On September 29, from 4 to 6 pm, the first of a four part series of arts-related business seminars will be held. Each seminar will feature guest speakers as well as promotional opportunities for artists and arts-related businesses. Speakers at the September seminar are Cynthia Gayton, owner of Steam, and Larry Gillick, a multimedia producer and former Shenandoah University digital media professor. Cost is $15 for attendees, $25 for presenting artists and arts-related businesses. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Cynthia Bayton.

Leak on Gilmore Street The leak on Gilmore Street has been corrected. It was the result of a household washer/sump hook up to an old service line that had been terminated. The fecal content in the leak was caused by animal and bird droppings, not human waste. According to the WV Department of Natural Resources, the waste water coming into the PSD plant has a fecal content count of 11,000,000 per 100 milliliters while the count for the Gilmore Street leak had a fecal count of 32,000 per 100 milliliters. Submitted by James A. Addy, Chairman, Harpers Ferry Bolivar PSD

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White Tailed Deer Management Program An ordinance to permit an urban white tailed deer management hunt in Harpers Ferry was adopted by the Town Council in August. While it is unfortunate that deer overpopulation necessitates taking such a measure, experts from the WV Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service biologist who assisted us with the study program agree that intervention is needed. Given the lack of natural predators, coupled with an ideal habitat here in town, the deer population would likely continue to grow. I want to thank all the community members who helped with the program including Christy Huddle, Roger Harris, Dale Nisbet (HFNHP), Josh Vance (DNR), Wayne Bishop, Bart Wheatley, Ray Dillow, James Woods, Dick Potteinger, Scott Bates (NPS), Jeff Woods (HFNHP), Rich Rogers (DNR), Joan Goody, David Archer, Pam Sheets and Chief Brown. We are in the process of recruiting qualified hunters to participate. The training program begins with an online safety class. If you are a hunter interested in participating or are a property owner needing help with deer overpopulation, please contact me at 304-535-2087 or [email protected]. The hunting season will begin on September 22. Submitted by Laura Clark, Master Naturalist

Harpers Ferry Foundation Update More good News for a Foundation Grant – The County Commission approved our $15,000 Community Participation grant at its last meeting. We plan to use the grant funds for visitor market analysis and planning, improve our visitors guide, and update our visitors website (www.historicharpersferrry.com) including making it smart phone friendly. Kiosk Upgrade – The kiosk and map upgrade work continues. The kiosk by the town park is completed. Tourist to the right is enjoying the new maps. The larger visitor’s maps have been printed and two are already on display. Special thanks to Dave Cummings, Town employee, for his work on this project. Harpers Ferry History Presentation – On August 15, the Foundation, working with the Jefferson County Historical Society, sponsored a history presentation by Paul Pritchard at Camp Hill Wesley Church. Paul reviewed the history of Harpers Ferry from its occupancy by Native Americans to today. Submitted by Al Alsdorf for the Board of Directors, Harpers Ferry Foundation

Turkey Vultures Over the past month, the WV Department of Natural Resources, under contract with the Town, has been working to eliminate turkey vultures roosting in the Town. Their efforts have reportedly eliminated the problem from Lower Town. They are now focusing efforts on upper town. Residents experiencing continuing problems should report them to Town Hall (304) 535-2206.

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Adopted August 13, 2012 Harpers Ferry, West Virginia:

A Statement of Vision formulated by the citizens and business owners of the Town The Town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is both circumscribed and defined by history and geography. For town residents and business owners, the natural splendor of the area and its poignant position in the history of our country are treasured assets. Melding these qualities, and the tourist-based economy they engender, with the needs and expectations of a 21st century community is a persistent challenge and an enduring vision. We envision a Town that thrives as a unique and independent jurisdiction. We envision a Town where responsive and accessible Town governance and an active and involved citizenry result in: 1. Preservation of the historic character and ambiance of a 19th century village and the safety of a small town; 2. Provision of services that address the expectations of 21st century inhabitants for: 

public infrastructure that is thoughtfully planned and maintained, including sidewalks, trails, streets, parking, bicycle lanes, public utilities, public transportation, and communications;

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partnerships among local businesses and organizations to develop a sustainable year-round economy; and

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environmental stewardship that protects wildlife, tree canopy, and air and water quality;

3. Opportunities and attractive venues for diverse cultural, historical, and recreational events for residents and visitors throughout the year; 4. Cooperative ventures that acknowledge the unique relationships between and among the Town, the Corporation of Bolivar, the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.