Memebers of the Belle town council listen as municipal recorder Jon Syner speaks at the Oct. 16 regularly scheduled council meeting.Photo byShannon Graley via YouTube

BELLE, W.Va. -- Members of the Belle Town Council have approved a final design for the municipality’s new mural.

The mural, which features elements with significance to the eastern Kanawha Valley community, was created by Marmet-based artist Blake Wheeler. Council members previously approved $5,500 in funding for the project.

Wheeler has designed several works of public art for communities throughout Kanawha County, including Malden, Marmet and Charleston.

Council members were shown two mural mockups during their Oct. 15 regularly scheduled meeting. Both designs had the same basic elements, but the second, marked “edited,” showed some elements at a slightly smaller size.

The final mural will include images of the DuPont Chemical plant, a train, the Old Stone House, military personnel and Walker Machinery equipment, among other items.

The panel voted unanimously to accept the edited version of the mural. Mayor David Fletcher, who was attending the closure hearing for Belle Elementary, was absent from Tuesday’s vote.

Officials said Wheeler can now begin the next phase of the project.

“He’s ready to start whenever we give the go-ahead,” council member Marc Doughty said Thursday.

Work on the mural is expected to begin soon.

Council members were shown these two mural designs on Tuesday. The panel ultimately decided on the bottom image.Photo byShannon Graley via YouTube

Refuse prices set to increase

Also on Tuesday, council members discussed expected changes to the price of refuse collection in the county.

“As of today, we pay $40 a ton to haul our refuse from the town of Belle to our landfill,” town recorder Jon Syner told panelists. “In September 2025, that’s going to $93.50 per ton.”

The price increase results from the expected closure of the Charleston landfill, which is nearing capacity. As previously reported on NewsBreak, the Charleston dump is expected to shutter in September 2025.

Due to the landfill’s closure, refuse will now need to be hauled further away, causing the county-wide increase.

“It’s not just the town of Belle,” Syner said.

Citizens will most likely see an increase on their refuse bill, officials said, unless cost-cutting measures can be found.

“You got to assume if we’re more than doubling our price per ton, some things are going to have to change,” Syner said.

Syner recommended that the council consider seeking another grant for the community’s recycling program to offset some of the refuse costs.

“We are hauling now more than we predicted,” Syner said. “If we can encourage more recycling that might help with that.”

The panelists took no further action on the matter at Tuesday’s meeting.

DEP violation notice

During the Oct. 15 meeting, Syner informed council members that the town had received a “find and fix violation” notice from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP),

The violation, involving the municipality's storm sewer system, was related to a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.

MS4 permits regulate wastewater systems to protect the environment and public health.

“We did receive a notice of violation for our storm sewer from the DEP,” Syner told his fellow members, noting the municipality did not receive a fine for the violation.

Syner said that officials were working with Thrasher Engineering to fix the problem.

“The town is going to be doing samples, submitting information back to DEP, doing public outreach on what the MS4 program is,” Syner told the panel.

No further action was taken on the matter on Tuesday.

Other business items

Also on Oct. 15, council members:

• Heard an update on a streetscape project, which is expected to begin Friday with a visit from consultants;
• Heard a recap of the Town Festival and Car Show, which brought 40 vendors and 37 cars to the community; and
• Approved a $250 donation to Belle Elementary’s robotics team, among other items.

The next regularly scheduled Belle town council meeting is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Town Hall, 1100 E Dupont Ave.

Michael Ramsburg is a Kanawha County communities reporter. He can be reached at ramsburgreports@gmail.comor by calling 304-370-3067.