BUCKHANNON – Anyone looking to make a little extra cash by selling gently used items from spring cleaning projects is in luck.
As of Friday, June 5, the City of Buckhannon lifted its COVID-19-related ban on holding yard, garage and patio sales within municipal limits.
At the recommendation of Mayor David McCauley, council approved the decision, which was among a number of measures taken to relax pandemic restrictions at Thursday’s June 4 Buckhannon City Council meeting.
“Sponsors should limit attendees to 25 maximum, control pedestrian traffic flow similar to Walmart, permit only the seller to touch merchandise, wear face masks, have hand sanitizer available for patrons and not sell food or beverages,” McCauley said of city residents who opt to host yard sales.
In other news, the city still plans to sponsor a Fourth of July fireworks display at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, July 5 to commemorate Independence Day.
“We continue to work on the Fourth of July fireworks exhibition starting at about 9:45 or 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, with attendees remaining within or immediately beside their cars,” the mayor said. “As reported previously, City representatives are working with businesses around the launch site to create a master parking plan to accommodate those desiring to attend.”
Council also gave the go-ahead for municipal court to resume Friday, June 5, and anyone who needs assistance with citations or court-related matters should call 304-472-1651.
The relaxed measures did include council’s endorsement of shutting off utility services for residents with severely delinquent accounts on Monday, June 15. McCauley said the city needed to take that action to sustain its water, sanitary sewer and garbage collection utility operations.
“On March 19, council took action to suspend termination of city services at the urging of the West Virginia Public Service Commission,” McCauley said. “We’ve spoken with PSC representatives, and the decision to resume utility shutoffs is entirely the city’s. To be clear, the vast majority of our utility subscribers have continued to make their utility payments regularly; however, there are some subscribers who’ve not paid anything on their utility bill for months. The financial sustainability of our utility operations requires us to hold customers accountable for paying for their services.”
Council adopted McCauley’s recommendations unanimously, with the mayor urging residents to continue to take precautions to protect their health.
“We continue to urge all people coming to City Hall or any city facility that’s been reopened to the public to continue to take extra daily sanitation measures, encouraging the wearing of masks, etc., all to reduce the threat of virus exposure to everyone who enters City Hall or any other City facility,” he said. “Again, please continue to wash your hands, social distance, stay home if sick, wear masks when out, etc.”
“Our City will continue to take its cues from Governor Justice and state and county health officials,” McCauley added. “This remains a very fluid situation. We continue to be all in THIS together … The best source of information about Covid-19 remains the Centers for Disease Control website. We still have a long way to go to get past this crisis. Please follow the science and pray for the vaccine soon.”
