By Randy Arrington
STANLEY, April 24 — At the onset of Wednesday night’s meeting, the Stanley Council received a sincere and heartfelt “thank you” from the widow and daughter of former Councilman Duane Layman for their support following his passing on April 12.
“I went down to the Spring into Stanley [event]…and I felt lost because he wasn’t with me, beside me…that’s when it hit me, I’m going to be alone,” Katina Layman said, standing next to her daughter Barbara Miller. “He knew more people in this town than he realized…we have received so many calls and heard so many stories…This little town has a lot of heart.”
“We’re all here for you,” Mayor Michael Knight replied. “He was special to this council. He was a community-minded servant…being a member of the council, the fire department and the rescue squad…that said volumes about how he loved this community.”
On Friday, notices will be sent out to the public seeking another public servant to fill the void that Layman left on the council. Residents of Stanley who are interested in being considered for appointment to the council will be asked to send a letter of intent and a short resume to the Town Office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7. The council then plans to make an appointment among the pool of candidates at its meeting on Wednesday, May 8.
The town’s attorney has already filed a motion in the Page County Circuit Court to hold a special election in November to fill the remainder of Layman’s term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2026. The council’s appointment on May 8 will run through Dec. 31, 2024.
Layman was appointed to the Stanley Council in April of 2015 to fill the vacancy left by Richard Dorraugh. That November he won his first, four-year term at the ballot box and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022.
In other business at its April 24 meeting, the Stanley Council took the following actions:
• Heard a presentation from Phil Thompson, Director of Operations for the Virginia Regional Transit, on the potential of bringing bus transit back to Page County. Thompson said the state will pay half of the $50,000 cost of a study, with the remainder falling on local government and participating agencies. He added that $15,000 in local funds have already been secured, with no financial commitments from Luray, Shenandoah or the county. If the study shows a need and a fiscally reasonable solution, one bus could cost $151,000 to operate for one year, with $30,000 of that cost falling on local shoulders. If the Town wants to contribute to the study, they must do so by July 1 when state funds become available. The study is expected to begin about that time and conclude at the end of the year.
• Heard an update on the installation of new lights along the walking trail at Ed Good Park. Due to the cost, the Town is adding a few lights at a time. The concrete bases have been poured for three new lights, with the poles planned for installation in the “next week or two.”
• Unanimously agreed to accept the high bid from Juston Buracker of $685 each for two generators the Town was selling as surplus equipment. One generator had only six hours of use, while the other had only 20. The Town received five bids. The Town received no bids on two snow plows, which they will now try to advertise online.
• Heard a report that the Town of Stanley’s drinking water earned second place in Virginia for the third-straight year at the Virginia Rural Water Conference held in Roanoke last week. The only locality to beat Stanley’s water was submitted by the Western Virginia Water Authority.
• Heard a report from the Police Department that in March there were 454 calls for service, 306 were self-initiated, and two citations were written. Chief Ryan Dean reported that the Trout Day was a big success, and $130,000 in grants are awaiting approval for the department with another $200,000 in grants being released after July 1.
• Heard a Recreation report recommending pool rates remain the same for this summer; the recent Easter egg hunt was a great success with 85 kids registered and another 66 for trout fishing; Movie Night planned at the Little League field with a showing of “The Sandlot” has been moved to coincide with Closing Ceremonies in June; Spring Festival was a success; and three applications have been received so far for lifeguards at the Hawksbill Pool.
• Unanimously approved a $1,275 bid from Supreme Sealcoat to repaint yellow curbing throughout Town in early June.
• Heard that the final Budget Workshop will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22. The Town is not considering any increases to tax rates on property, real or personal. However, the only rate that may be increased is the minimum charge for water use outside of town limits. That rate could climb six dollars, or 25 percent, from $24 to $30. Council will make a decision on the increase in May, but staff stated that out-of-town users seem to be where they have “the most trouble” in terms of maintenance.
For more information about the Town of Stanley,
visit https://www.townofstanley.com/
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