PRINCETON —
Two new appointments to the Mercer County Airport Authority were on the agenda Tuesday for the monthly meeting of the Mercer County Commission.
The commission unanimously appointed County Commissioner Mike Vinciguerra and Dr. Gary Brown, DVM. Vinciguerra will take the place of County Commission President Joe Coburn, and Brown will replace long-time member Charles Peters. The appointments, which are effective immediately, continue until June 2017.
Commissioner Jay Mills said about a dozen people submitted applications when the commission asked for volunteers who were interested in serving on the airport authority. Brown was not available Tuesday for comment.
A search for new airport authority board members started in July after Mills moved to table the proposed reappointment of Coburn and Peters so other people would have the opportunity to apply. Members of the public attending the July meeting urged the commission to seek people with new input. An editorial in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph had urged the commission to seek new, qualified candidates for the airport authority.
According to the West Virginia State Code, a member of the county commission must serve on the airport authority’s board.
In other business, Mayor Louise Stoker of Bramwell thanked the county commission for funding last year that helped restore a railroad car once used by rail workers. Donated by Norfolk Southern, the $5,000 grant helped refurbish the car’s interior. Work to restore the car’s exterior is continuing, so addition funding is needed, she said.
The car features fold-down bunks, a dining area, and a kitchen area, Stoker said. The plan is to have local businesses provide box lunches that tourists can eat aboard the railcar.
“It’s a very good project for Mercer County and southern West Virginia,” Stoker said. The commission will vote on Bramwell’s request during its September meeting.
The commission also made a new appointment and several reappointments to the Mercer County Development Authority. One new member, Bill Hopkins of First Community Bank, was appointed. His term will last until August 2013.
Reappointed members with terms expiring August 2013 include Joe Coburn; Mayor Patricia Wilson of Princeton; and Mayor Linda Whalen of Bluefield.
Reappointed member with terms continuing until August 2015 include: Marie Blackwell of the Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau; Paul Cole of Cole Chevrolet-Cadillac; Glenn “Tom” Hall of MCNB Banks; Lyle Huntington; Scott Ingram of Concord University; Dave Langford of Appalachian Power; Randy Price of First Century Bank; W. Larry Ratliff of BB&T; and Mike Swatts of Frontier Communications.
The development authority’s officers will be Frank Brady, chairman; E.T. Smith, vice chairman; Joe Coburn, treasurer; and Janet Bailey, secretary.
Local News
August 15, 2012
Brown, Vinciguerra tapped to join Mercer County Airport Authority posts
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