By Steve Pendleton
The Wardensville Town Council convened in regular session on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Visitor’s Center. Present were Mayor Besty Orndoff-Sayers; Council members Greg Alderman, Charlotte Bowman, Serena Kay Cline, Mike Funkhouser, and Ed Klinovski; Erich Atkinson, Public Works Supervisor; Connie Miller, office staff.
The meeting opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Council approved minutes from the April meeting and authorized bills to be paid.
Invited Guests
Steve Pendleton with Humane Society of Hardy County addressed the Council about having a town meeting in July to discuss strategies to sterilize feral cats and a donation to support the project. He indicated that all town residents should be invited to talk about the feral population and where colonies are located.
Mr. Pendleton said that citizens are needed to trap and transport the cats to veterinarians for spay and neuter procedures. The Humane Society will provide traps and instructions on how to use them. The organization has arrangements with four veterinarians for discounts including Lost River Animal Hospital and South Branch Animal Hospital.
The rates are an average of $131.50 and $130 respectively. This includes surgery, a rabies shot and distemper vaccination. Following the procedure, cats should be released back to their habitat. While this does not immediately reduce the population, it does prevent the addition of feral cats from a particular colony.
Mr. Pendleton did not ask for a specific amount from the town but suggested that the veterinarian costs and the number of feral cats in town be considered in determining an amount that the Council feels reasonable in contributing to the project.
Mayor’s Report
The Wardensville Lion’s Club 75th Annual Quartet’s on Parade was a success. The event was held at the Methodist Church. The singing was lovely and enjoyed by those in attendance. The community remains on a Boil Water notice. We are drawing water from the new well. Our final dry water sample will be taken this week (fingers crossed). The Anderson Ridge tank is in use. Our water project is starting to wind down.
We have requested a 2-week extension from the WV Bureau of Public Health to submit our Corrective Action Plan. Seven of the nine violations concern drawing water from the old plant that is no longer used. The other two violations were repairs that have been made to the exterior piping of Well B that we are not using.
Well B is being used to collect data from monitoring water levels. The Corrective Action Plan will be submitted once we have the last dry water sample test results. We have spent around $20,000 to date on legal fees for not getting our project completed in 18 months.
The Public Service Commission has dismissed the formal complaint filed by Shanna Miller. The cost of the legal fees to the town for Shanna’s unfounded complaint was around $6,000.
Construction on the entrance permit for the demolition of the pool at the park is complete. Pool demo work is underway. The weather has impacted their work schedule slightly, as did a piece of equipment breaking down. We continue to work on obtaining concept ideas and quotes for the splash pad.
We continue to move forward with our USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Community Building Project. We have been gathering information and sharing it with our architect. We are planning space for a Type 1 Center which allows for up to 30 children to attend. We met with the Cody Foutty from the WV Fire Marshall’s Office.
The Childcare space will need a fire suppression system and an alarm system. We also asked him to look at the Community Center and make recommendations as to what would be needed for a preschool room to be located in the Community Center.
We received notification that we need to revise our ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) report for 4th quarter of 2025. It’s also been requested that an update on the project timeline in the application be provided along with the revised quarterly report. We have postponed the 2 Point Perspective Drawing Class due to low enrollment. We plan to readvertise the class later this summer. Funding for this class is from the Eastern WV Community Foundation Spring grant cycle. Core boring for Corridor H is underway on North Mountain.
Public Works Report
The Anderson Ridge water tank is up and running. The Lagoon building has been razed and foundation for the new shed is on the schedule. Mr. Atkinson has an app on his phone that allows him to view Ph levels at the lagoon without making a trip to the site. This is also available on the computer at town hall.
The Division of Highways is in the process of drilling the backup well, which is part of the agreement with the town on Corridor H construction. Drilling reached 160 feet when rock was encountered. At 180 feet the drill became stuck from rock falling on and around it. A few days later, the debris was removed and a sleeve was added to the drill to stop rocks from getting in again. DOH hopes to reach 600 a feet with a production of 500 gallons a minute. The Solar Hollow Company designated a location behind the town maintenance garage where a solar field will be located.
Unfinished Business
Town Council passed two resolutions. The first (2026-11) authorized the twentieth funding draw down (reimbursement) for the water project. The second (2026-12) was for the nineteenth reimbursement for the sewer project.
The town has submitted a new draft floor to the USDA for the community center (old school cafeteria) project. Council members and guests were given copies of the plan. LWCF (U.S. Land, Water, Conservation Fund) money was used to begin demolishing the pool and landscaping with grass seeding the topsoil at the spot. Seventy-five percent of the work has been completed including removal of all concrete.
The town may ask for an extension to complete the work. A splash pad has long been planned for installation at that location. LWCF granted $120,000 for the pad. The town received three bids from construction firms with splash pad experience. Sea Spray of Texas offered to do the work for $96,000.
A turnkey job is one that is finished, installed, and ready for use upon purchase. No additional construction or setup is necessary. The Millenium firm of Virginia submitted a quote of $160,000. Splash Pad USA of Utah came in at $120,000. Each contractor indicated that the work could be done by September 30th, meaning that the pad would not be available for public use until next spring. The town is debating whether to use natural grass or artificial turf around the area.
Paperwork for the in-town parking lot has been accepted by FEMA, which provides 80 percent of funding with Wardensville covering the remaining expense from sales tax revenue. The RK&K company has started drilling for well number 5.
New Business
Wardensville High School graduate and basketball player Dave Rudy gave a passionate plea in asking the town to donate original score keeper books to teammate Dennis Brill. He noted that Mr. Brill set the school record for single points in one game with 47 vs. Warren (Virginia) High School. He also is the leading scorer in school history.
Mr. Rudy said that having the score books would mean a great deal to Mr. Brill and bring him immense joy in reminiscing about the glory days when reading through the pages. Mr. Brill left for college and was unable to watch his younger brother Robin play the next couple of years. Robin was a good player in his own right.
Councilwoman Charlotte Bowman was concerned that if the scorebooks were donated, later if the town built a museum, they would not be available for the public to view. After discussing assorted options such as making copies for Mr. Brill, the council agreed to keep one original and give all the other scorebooks to him.
Only fourteen books remain. Mr. Brill was a physical education in Hardy County for 38 years teaching at Wardensville High School, Wardensville Junior High School, and East Hardy Early Middle School. He also served as a basketball coach for 28 seasons.
Councilman Ed Klinovski was approached by Janet Rinard of the District of Columbia about a Planter Rehabilitation project in town. Ms. Rinard is currently a Master Gardner class which requires 40 hours of community service following up with 20 hours every year afterwards.
Mayor Betsy Orndoff-Sayers plans to meet with Ms. Rinard and Fort Valley nursery in Woodstock, Virginia to determine what they can offer, including quality customer service, an important factor. She would like to start with five planters using plants that do not require a lot of work and are drought resistant. The town is willing to spend $1,500 to restore the planters.
The council entered into an executive session to discuss legal matters after which the meeting was adjourned. The next town council meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, June 8th beginning at 6:30 in the Visitors Center.
