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MARTINS FERRY -- Much of Wednesday evening's Martins Ferry City Council meeting was business as usual, except for members of the governing body starting off with honoring a championship winning local athlete.
Alanna Williams, who won Division IV track athlete of the year and broke several time records at Martins Ferry High School, was given a plaque with an official proclamation congratulating her.
Mayor John Davies was quick to note how much of a big deal Williams' accolades are for the area.
"It doesn't happen a whole lot in Martins Ferry, but fortunately in my term, we have one," Davies said." "Alanna Williams has established herself as an exceptional competitor in track and field by becoming a state school record holder in the 400 meter, 800 meter, 1600 meter and then 3200 meter event while also serving as a member of her school's record setting, 4×400 meter relay."
Davies read the proclamation, which detailed her many accomplishments and the city's pride, offering congratulations and wishing her well in the future. Every city council member and those spectating the meeting stood up and gave a hearty applause once Davies finished reading.
After the proclamation was handed to Williams, the council returned to their regular duties during the meeting. Service Director Andy Sutak talked about preparedness for winter weather, such as hoping the city will have 80 to 100 tons of salt available in its salt bin by next week in case of severe winter weather.
Additionally, Sutak discussed the continued problem of the Municipal Building's condition. He said a solution for the leaking roof needs to be thought up at some point, noting a temporary fix won't cut it as the building continues to see water intrusion.
"Our guys went up and did the best they could, but I think it's only going to get worse," Sutak said. "We're probably going to have to have a structural engineer because of some of the issues we've had with the pulpit falling off on the backside."
He also noted how replacing the entire roof will likely be prohibitively expensive, especially at a time where the city's funds will not be able to cover such a project.
And this is not the first time the council has mulled over what to do about the building's condition. Previous meetings have included similar concerns, where Davies has said replacing the roof will likely cost $850,000 to $1 million at a minimum. Sutak said he appreciated the work in patching up problem spots, though noted it won't be enough.
Martins Ferry Police Chief Vincent West was present to talk about a future 10-year renewal contract with AXON, the company who makes the police department's body-worn cameras and tasers. The current contract, set to expire next year according to West, is only a 5-year contract. The extended contract would cost $500,000, but also includes free upgrades when new products are announced, which West said would be helpful because of problems his officers have had with current tasers.
"We have the TASER 7s right now, and we've had three failures this year," West said. "They're onto the TASER 10 now."
West also mentioned how the department has to pay for storage to keep videos from the body-worn cameras, whereas the 10-year contract renewal would include cloud storage they don't have to worry about.
Fourth Ward Council Member Gus Harris said $500,000 is a lot to spend, but West said it's just an idea for the future, so nothing was passed on the matter.
Richard Hord, a Martins Ferry resident, asked about the possibility of a general manager for the recreation center and why it's seemingly locked often. Sutek said it's something to think about down the line once the city can afford it, but pushed back on the idea of the center not being open often.
Martins Ferry City Council will meet again on Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building's council chambers on the second floor.