June 2014 Volume 11 Issue 6

The Town’s official website has useful information including important no-

tices, ordinances, meeting minutes, official applications, and events calendar.

Visit us at www.harpersferrywv.us

Foundation Project: African American History of Harpers Ferry

The Foundation has a long-term goal to

preserve and enhance the story of our

African American experience. We will be

bringing together information on African

Americans in our history, including Storer

College and the schools African Americans

attended during the era of segregation, native

Harpers Ferry resident Thomas Lovett who

built the original Hilltop House hotel, and

elected officials, teachers, even farmers right here in town. If you can help us delve into this rich history of

perseverance and progress, and find ways to share the stories please join us. A meeting will be scheduled and

posted on the Foundation website soon.

The Foundation is also working on a welcome letter for new residents. If you are new to town, you may want to

tell us what you would have liked to learn!

As stated in last month's newsletter, the Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation changed its name.

Why the change? Many members are from Bolivar, and the Town of Bolivar has contributed funds to our work.

Residents of Bolivar have served on the board since the Foundation's inception. While still separate and unique,

both towns are one community and share many of the same needs and aspirations.

If you are interested in the Foundation or would like to send us information to

help on these projects, please send an email to the Foundation. Inside this issue:

Calendar

4th of July Concert

2

Public Library Event 3

New Water Rates

Vacancies 4

Events 5

Council Report

Photo’s to Enjoy 6

Landmarks Commission

Update

Planning Commission Hotel

Overlay

7

Blast from the Past

Happy 4th of July

8

Adam Craven Street Dedication, August 2

The Council recently approved the changing the name of Marion Street to

Adam Craven Street in honor of the town's first elected African American

mayor and his role as an educator in the region. A dedication ceremony is

planned for August 2 near the intersection of the new Adam Craven Street

and West Ridge Street. More information will be in the July newsletter.

Please note that Google Maps has already made the change. New street signs

are being ordered.

2 Town Calendar

All meetings at Town Hall, unless noted otherwise.

June 24 Planning Commission Work Session, 7-9 p.m.

June 25 HF Foundation Board meeting, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

June 26 Tree Committee, 7-9 p.m.

June 28 Don Redman Heritage Concert, Clarion Hotel,

Shepherdstown, 6 p.m.

June 30 Historic Landmarks Committee meeting, 7-8:30 p.m.

July 1 Planning Commission meeting, 7-9 p.m.

July 2 Municipal Court, 7-9 p.m.

July 4 Independence Day, Town Hall Closed

July 4 Annual 4th of July Concert in the Park, Noon - 4 p.m., see below

July 9 Parks & Recreation Committee meeting, 6-7 p.m.

July 14 Town Council meeting, 7-9 p.m.

July 17 Water Commission, 7-9 p.m.

July 21 Police Committee meeting, Bolivar Community Center, 8-9:30 a.m.

July 21 Trail & Town Alliance meeting, 5-7 p.m.

July 23 HF Foundation Board meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

July 26 Appalachian Trail Conservancy program, see below

July 28 Leave No Trace, see May newsletter, page 3 for details

Annual 4th of July Concert in the Park 12 Noon to 4 p.m.

On Friday, July 4, Harpers Ferry residents, guests, and tourists are all invited to celebrate Independence Day at

the Gazebo Park on Washington Street. The fun begins at noon when the Woman’s Club will be hosting an All

American family picnic with hot dogs, chips, beverage, homemade cookies and watermelon. All for just $1!

At 1pm, Mayor Greg Vaughn will welcome everyone including our

very special guests, the Rohrersville Band of Rohrersville, Maryland.

The band, organized in 1837, is Maryland’s oldest community band in

continuous existence. (It played in the gazebo when the gazebo was part

of the island amusement park in the Potomac River!) The band will play

patriotic music and other crowd-pleasing standards.

Mark your calendars and join us for a day of joyful music and

community fun as we once again come together for our time-honored

traditional Fourth of July Celebration in Historic Harpers Ferry. Bring

your chairs or blankets and sunscreen!

Wildlife on the AT!

Have you ever wanted to gaze into the eyes of an owl or interact with a reptile? This is your

chance! The Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry and the Blue Ridge Wildlife

Center of Virginia invite community members to join us in our “Wildlife on the A.T.”

educational program at 10 a.m. on July 26, 2014. The 45 minute program will take place at

the ATC Visitors Center, 799 Washington Street. It is free and open to the public.

One reptile, one mammal and one bird of prey native to the Appalachian Trail will be on-site

for children and adults to interact with and observe. Staff will discuss the history of the

animals, as well as their anatomical functions and features of adaptation in the environment.

During this event, children must be accompanied by an adult supervisor.

Photo of snake: © 2013 H. Dean Clark, Clark Fine Photography

3

Public Library Events

Summertime is just around the corner and that means cookouts, lazy days in

the sun, and of course, the Summer Reading Program! Sign-up at the

Bolivar-Harpers Ferry Public Library begins on June 16. Read as many

books as you can in six weeks, earn points for the books you read, then

trade in points for prizes.

Tons of awesome programs, crafts, and learning activities are scheduled

June 18-July 31. Please contact the library for a full schedule of events: 304

-535-2301, or you can visit us on the web: bolivarharpersferrylibrary.com.

And be sure to check us out on Facebook!

June 26, 6:30 pm: Murphy Farm Archaeology Finds Darlene Hasler-Godwin, an archaeologist with the National Park Service, will to do a presentation on the dig

at Murphy Farm. Please reserve your seat!

June 28, 1pm: High Powered Paper Rockets Kids ages 10 and up construct and launch a paper rocket.

June 30, 10 am to 3 pm: Lego Mindstorms Robots Teens (ages 12-18) learn how to program Lego Mindstorms robots. Each team of 2 will get their own robot

to program and then test their skills in a maze tournament. Pizza and drinks will be served at 12:30 pm.

July 12, 1 pm: Build your own box kite Kids ages 10 and up build a box kite.

July 19, 1-2 pm: Maryland Science Center’s traveling science program “Fizz Boom Science Show!” The Maryland Science Center’s traveling science program is coming to the

library. Witness demonstrations of science topics including air, the human body, and chemical

reactions. Ages 4-11.

Who are the Warrior Hikers?

A group of combat veterans known as the “Warrior

Hikers” who are “walking off the war” stopped in

Harpers Ferry to enjoy some fine hospitality offered by

the community on June 10. The hikers find healing in

nature along the Appalachian Trail and their faith in

humanity restored by the kindness showed by people in

communities the trail passes through.

The Harpers Ferry Odd Fellows and District Veterans

Association fired up the grill and cooked up hot dogs

and hamburgers for the hungry hikers. Mayor Vaughn,

Warrior Hike founder Sean Gobin, Harpers Ferry and

Odd Fellows representative Doug Craze, Trail & Town Alliance Chair, Chris

Craig, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park superintendent Rebecca Harriett,

and Appalachian Trail Conservancy executive director Ron Tipton all shared

inspiring words of appreciation for the “Warrior Hikers” service to their country.

Afterwards, the community was invited to an ice cream social compliments of the

Town of Harpers Ferry. The event was coordinated by the Bolivar & Harpers

Ferry Trail & Town Alliance and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

4 New Water Rates Effective July 1

Customers of the Harpers Ferry Water Works will see an increase in their water rates beginning with the July

bill. The minimum water rate will go from $21.69 to $24.80, an increase of $3.11.

The new rates will also reduce the number of tiers from five to three. First tier customers - those using up to

2,000 gallons - will pay the minimum of $24.80 per month. Those customers in the second tier, who use up to

30,000 gallons, will pay $12.40 per 1,000 gallons. Those who use over 30,000 gallons, will pay $12.40 per

1,000 gallons for the first 30,000 gallons and $8.95 per 1,000 gallons for any amount over 30,000 gallons.

The Town Council approved the proposed water rate increase and rate structure adjustment on March 10, 2014.

These changes were subsequently approved by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia on June 13,

2014. Water service rates are based on the real costs of treating and delivering water to customers and are

regulated by the Public Service Commission.

The Water Works staff has worked diligently over the past two years to control expenses, but the cost of

maintaining our aging water mains and ensuring quality water has exceeded budgetary expectations. Of all of

your needs, water is the single most important. It is a life essential resource – you need it every day for almost

everything you do. At about a penny a gallon our water rates continue to be truly an exceptional value.

Ivy Eradication Day Report

Several Harpers Ferry residents spent two hours on a beautiful Saturday earlier this month in dealing with

the ivy crawling up our street trees. They are Shelly Cox, Paul Mayhew, Finn

Mayhew, Betsy Bainbridge, and Christy Huddle. They were joined by Katy Trupo

of the WV Division of Forestry.

The Town recently suffered an outage of electrical service. An ivy-covered tree

near the old town pump on Washington Street fell, taking out an important service

line. Ivy is extremely heavy and when it grows into the crown of the tree, makes the

tree more unstable.

The Tree Committee has Ivy Eradication Days each year to work at eliminating ivy

on the town's street trees. Residents should also assist in this effort by cutting ivy

away from tree trunks on private property. For more information, check out the ivy

brochure prepared by the Tree Committee.

Vacancies: Volunteers Needed !!!!!

Harpers Ferry currently has openings on these town organizations:

Historic Landmarks Commission: one opening

Water Commission: two openings

Tree Committee: one opening

Residents interested in serving to make Harpers Ferry a better place to live, please send an email or

letter stating your interest and any pertinent information to Leslie, our Town Clerk.

5

4-H Volunteer Hits the Road

Long time resident Jenny Eaton has been a volunteer in the

WV 4-H program for many years. She is also an avid cyclist.

This month she combined both interests by participating in the

2014 Outspoken for W. Va. 4-H fund raiser, which involved

riding in 250 miles over 4 days. This year’s ride started in

Chester in the Northern Panhandle and ended at the 4-H camp

in Jackson’s Mill. This is same camp she attended as a child

and the camp her daughters Kathryn and Maddy also attended.

This is Jenny’s fourth year - bringing her mileage for just this

event to 1,000! Click the link above if you are interested in

supporting 4-H.

Rain - Rain Go Away!

This has been a very rainy spring. Many residents have found rain water in unwanted places. The best

way to keep rain water out of the house is to make sure the grade around the base of the house slopes

away from the house and water coming from the gutter downspouts is directed away from the house.

Keeping your gutters clear of leaves and other debris is also important.

Communicating with the Mayor or Council

Mayor Greg Vaughn hfmayor@frontier.com

Recorder Kevin Carden kevin.carden@harpersferrywv.us

Council Betsy Bainbridge betsybainbridge@yahoo.com

Members Jerry Hutton jerwar@frontiernet.net

Dan Riss fdrfdr@comcast.net

Charlotte Thompson charlotte.thompson@harpersferrywv.us

Helen “Hap” Becker hap.becker@harpersferrywv.us

Town Hall Phone: 304-535-2206 clerk@harpersferrywv.us

Memorial Day Service

At the Memorial Day celebration, Mayors

Hardy and Vaughn congratulate Master

Sergeants Will Poe and Stephanie Poe (not

shown) who together began the ROTC

program at Jefferson High School and are now

retiring.

Photo: Kathryn Payne

PLEASE

SLOW DOWN !!

Please watch your speed on town

roads. Lots of tourists (and

residents) are using our roads.

State law requires that

you stop for pedestrians

crossing at an

intersection, even if there

is no marked crosswalk.

6

At its June meeting the Council:

1. Approved FY2014 General Fund Budget revisions

2. Approved a proclamation recognizing July 12 2014 as Eastern Panhandle LGBTQ Pride Day

3. Approved one building permit

4. Approved the Historic District Overlay for historic preservation ordinances

5. Approved amendments to the current Water Department deferred payment plan

6. Approved expenditure of up to $2600 from police budget to purchase computers for Police

Department

7. Approved expenditure of up to $2600 from Police equipment fund to purchase computers for

Police department

8. Approved sending Ordinance 2014-03 Ordinance Compliance Officer for legal review

9. Approved notifying attorney Historic Overlay rather than COA was approved

10. Approved sending Ordinance Section 1304 for legal review

11. Approved sending Ordinance Section 1306 for legal review

12. Approved having Mayor Vaughn authorize a representative of the Planning Commission and

Historic Landmarks Commission to determine content and date for planning Commission

workshop on Section 1306 of the amended ordinances and the East Ridge Street Promontory

Overlay Boundary

Town Website Click here

Council Meeting Report

Anyone wishing to review any of the documents or information considered by the Council (the Council “packet”)

for past (or pending) meetings can find them on the town website (www.harpersferrywv.us) under “Council Docs.”

The documents are posted to the website the Friday before regular Council meetings. A paper copy is also

available in a public meeting notebook available at Town Hall.

Photos to enjoy…..

Newsletter Information:

Editor: Christy Huddle

Layout: Leslie Stout

Next deadline:

July 11, 2014

Email for submittal rules and

deadline or to be added to the

notification list.

A bus driver believed his GPS….

Got stuck on Henry Clay and had

to be towed back down.

Can anyone identify this

toadstool?

A hiker was

spotted

heading to

Harpers

Ferry.

ETA: July 4

Say hi to

Canon Man.

This is a black snake sunning himself.

Of course he used his curling iron first…...

Newborn awaiting mama’s return.

7

Historic Landmarks Commission Update

The WV State Code has two methods for handling historic preservation districts. One puts all the review

under the auspices of an historic landmarks commission. The other, handled through the Zoning

Ordinance, gives the responsibility of approving projects to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The Town

Council has chosen to implement historic preservation in Harpers Ferry through the latter process. In doing

so, it will be creating a Historic District Overlay Zone.

An overlay zone keeps the underlying zone in place and typically adds more requirements. Another

overlay zone, proposed for the East Ridge promontory, will apply only to the Hilltop House Hotel

grounds. The historic district overlay, on the other hand, includes all of incorporated part of Harpers Ferry

except for the National Park Service properties.

Under the existing ordinance, the Historic Landmarks Commission reviews applications and makes its

recommendation to the Town Council. The final decision currently rests with the Town Council. Under the

proposed change in process, the Historic Landmarks Commission will review applications and then give

its recommendation to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The Commission's recommendation will be based on

Standards and Guidelines adopted by the Town Council. The Board of Zoning Appeals then will make the

final decision. This change in authority is dictated by state code.

The Historic Landmarks Commission is currently reviewing the first draft of the Standards and Guidelines

and will make them available for public comment shortly. The new Standards and Guidelines are based on

the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.

Planning Commission Work Session on Hotel Overlay Ordinance

In response to a Council request, the Commission will host the Council, the Board of Zoning Appeals

and the Historic Landmarks Commission for a discussion of pending ordinance change proposals on

June 24 at the Camp Hill Methodist Church, 7 p.m.

Since this is an informational gathering activity for these Town bodies, no decisions will be taken and

public input will not be scheduled. You are very welcome to come and observe. It should be a good

discussion of items of possible concern to the residents, merchants and property owners of the Town.

When available, material used in the work session will be posted on the Town website.

Going on Vacation?

Summer! And vacations! The Harpers Ferry Police

Department invites all residents to notify the police

when you will be out of town. Police

will make every effort to keep an eye

on your home and property during

your absence. Call Susan Waters

(304-535-2206) at the Police Department during regular

business hours with the dates when you will be away.

8

Blast from the Past 123 years of Harpers Ferry Council Minutes

Curated by Dan Riss

6 aug 1891 J W Graham was paid $8.33 for lamp lighting and $2.00 for work on pumps, and JC Childs was

paid $6.85 for Oil & Matches. [lamp oil we presume]

5 oct 1950 "There not being enough members to carry on a regular meeting, councilmen Riley & Dahlin

invested 25 cents to the Fire Co's television and enjoyed in house entertainment trying to get 1 station."

3 may 1951 "In connection with the explosion of the dynamite truck on the Highway near the Koontz home

and damages thereto, Mayor Perry asked the council authorization and approval to bring suit for damages to

the Towns Water Tank caused by this explosion which cracked the bottom of Water Tank. Motion by James

Lynch seconded by Chas Riley and unanimously carried that the Town file suit for damages to Water tank

resulting from said explosion."

2 may 1972 "The Public Telephone booth in the Town Park was discussed and due to loud and foul language

and very late useage a motion was made…to have the Telephone removed. Mayor Nash was asked to notify

the General Telephone Co to have it removed."

Music on the Ridge

The Woodshedders playing to a

large crowd of residents and

visitors on the Columbia Street

extension overlooking the

Potomac River.

Photo: Kathryn Payne

FOURTH OF JULY...

Is a time to celebrate our freedom and how far we have come.

The Declaration of Independence was started July 2, 1776 and the Continental Congress approved the

final wording on July 4 the American colonies were declared free and independent states.

56 people signed the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the majority of it.

According to census.gov, 2.5 million people celebrated the first Independence Day, compared to 316.2

million today.

2014 marks this year as the 238th Independence Day.

3 Facts you may not know about Independence Day…

Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826.

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President, was born on Independence Day.

4th of July is the biggest hot dog day of the year, consuming about 155 million dogs !!!!!

Eat Up Everyone….. www.wheelsforwishes.org & www.4julyfunfacts.org