Town Council honors

water treatment chief
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

The Boone Town Council bid farewell to Jack Austin, superintendent of the town’s water treatment plant, at its regular meeting Thursday, Dec. 20.

After 32 years of service to the town of Boone, Austin will retire on Jan. 1.

Rick Miller, director of Boone Public Utilities, told how Austin was one of the first floor operators charged with providing Boone citizens with safe drinking water. Austin moved up the ranks to become lab supervisor and, eventually,. superintendent.

“He took great pride in supplying that water and making sure it was safe,” Miller said, before inviting Austin to share a few words.

“Remember the people out there who are doing the job,” Austin told council members. “They’re the ones that do the work, and we all do the work for the taxpayers.”

Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson thanked Austin for his decades of commitment to the town of Boone, and Austin left the podium to room-wide applause.

Board appointments
The council recognized other community members by way of civic appointment.

With positions opening on the Boone Community Appearance Commission and Boone Area Planning Commission, several names were added to the respective rosters.

Casey Pond and Tom Jamison were appointed to the community appearance commission, while Sheri Lynn Baker was appointed to serve on the planning commission, representing the extra-territorial jurisdiction. Since Baker lives in the ETJ, her nomination will appear before the Watauga County Board of Commissioners for final approval.

When council members Liz Aycock and Stephen Phillips (both previously members of the planning commission), took their oaths of office, two seats became vacant on the commission, one of which was filled by former council member Bunk Spann.

Council member Rennie Brantz nominated Spann, saying, “I think he has taken the lead in the smart-growth area. He has contributed, as we’ve all seen, in a variety of ways, and I think he’d bring expertise and experience of planning to this.”

Mayor pro tem Lynne Mason nominated Caroline Poteat, a geography and planning graduate student, for the second seat. Both were unanimously appointed.

The Boone Area Planning Commission meets the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in Boone Town Council chambers, located at 1500 Blowing Rock Road.