By Hannah Heishman
The Moorefield Town Council welcomed two presentations from Moorefield Intermediate School’s recent Social Studies fair at their meeting on Tuesday, March 17.
Madison Riggleman, Zoe Robinette and Kinsley Vetter created a project around the Moorefield Police Department, to which all three students are connected: Riggleman through her father and uncle; Robinette through her father and great-great-grandfather; and Vetter through her cousin and uncle.
The three 5th graders noted that before Moorefield had a chief of police, it had an elected Town Sergeant, and that the first documented Chief was Ted Sager in 1941.
Ziggi Feaster’s project was also personal. He studied Sanders 12-Year School, a segregated school for African-American youth in the building that’s now Hardy County Board of Education.
Sanders School opened in 1950. Feaster’s great-grandfather, Carlton Hilliard, was the school’s first graduate in 1951; he was also the only graduate that year.
Feaster also brought a guest, Robert Sterns. Sterns attended Sanders before integrating Moorefield High School in 1959. Segregation was outlawed in 1954, and Sanders closed by 1959.
Leah Hose, representing DECA at Moorefield High School, updated the Council on the group’s efforts to send 21 students to Atlanta in April for the International Career Development Conference. It will cost approximately $2000 per student.
Hose said the organization is about half-way to their $40,000 goal. The Council approved a $5000 donation.
Barb Fortner made a presentation to the Council on the Farm Workers Jobs program, through Telemon Corporation. Fortner said the program is about 25 years old, but many in the area are unaware it exists.
The program is for those 14 years old and up, students and adults. Participants must either themselves be involved in farm work, or be directly connected to someone who does, such as a parent or spouse.
She said it’s not just those who work with livestock, but also bee farms, those who work with raw chicken in poultry processing, and fish hatcheries.
The program assists with everything from establishing and working towards educational goals to emergency assistance for rent, housing and utilities.
The Council approved the 2026-2027 budget for $4.3 million.
They also approved purchasing a 26-foot Christmas tree, as Christmas decorations are on sale. They acknowledged the ongoing coordination with the Lions Club for Christmas, and plan to work out details.
The Council approved purchasing spring flower arrangements for hanging baskets and the larger ground pots downtown, not to exceed $3000.
Council member Jim Trommatter was appointed to represent the Council as a non-voting member of the Historic Landmark Commission.
The Moorefield Council meets again April 7 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. The public is invited to attend in person, via streaming on the Town’s Facebook page, or by watching the stream at their convenience.