By Angela H. Hill

At its January 13 meeting, the Stuart Town Council discussed ideas surrounding the caboose that was delivered to Commerce Street near the Mayo River Rail Trail in December.

Wayne Kirkpatrick told the council that the Patrick County Farm Bureau has offered to put together an informative video for visitors to watch inside the caboose.

The caboose commemorates the Danville & Western, or “Dick & Willie” railroad line that once stopped here. Town officials hope to have the caboose ready by July for the 75th anniversary of the last Dick & Willie expedition to Stuart.

Kirkpatrick pointed out the train picked up hogs, chestnuts, lumber and apples. As such, the farm bureau would like to include information about Patrick County’s long-standing agricultural heritage in the video.

Mayor Ray Weiland agreed, and thanked Kirkpatrick for the offer, “We’d love to see you all get started on that, and we can add to it later,” he said at the meeting.

Town officials also discussed planting heritage chestnut trees around the caboose. Adding the trees involves special permits, Kirkpatrick added, but those at the meeting agreed chestnut trees are in keeping with the area’s history.

In other council happenings, Rebecca Adcock will remain the Town of Stuart’s vice mayor. Adcock was nominated by councilman John “Mac” Deekens, who voted with councilman Terry Dalton to confirm her appointment. Adcock abstained from voting. Councilmen H. Dean Goad and Leon Puckett were absent from the meeting.

Council members also approved a resolution for the five-year-update to the Hazard Mitigation Plan for the West Piedmont Planning District. Stuart Town Attorney Chris Corbett explained that federal law requires the plan be in place so that if a disaster happens, the town will be eligible for federal aid.

Council members, Corbett, and Stuart Town Manager Terry Tilley also talked about the status of renovations to the former Food Lion building slated to become Stuart Volunteer Fire Department’s new home. Town officials questioned whether any part of the building’s lot lies within a 100-year-flood plain, agreeing that it’s unlikely.

The property typically does not flood in heavy rains, Corbett and Weiland said, noting that the flood that took out the wastewater treatment plant and Poorhouse Bridge did not affect the lot surrounding the former Food Lion building.