Midway City Council began discussions about a resolution to adopt guidelines for street naming to honor people, groups and institutions at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 4. Councilmember Logan Nance, who first raised the issue at the last meeting, passed out a draft resolution to frame the discussion.The proposed resolution would allow anyone to nominate a potential honoree using a form that requires information about the person or group and why an honor would be appropriate. The application fee would be $100 to cover the cost of fabricating the street name. Once completed, the form would go to the city clerk, who would then give it to the Public Works Committee, which would be responsible for reviewing the application and making a recommendation to the council. The council would make the final decision.

An honoree street name could include all or part of the street and would not create a formal name change. For example, if the city chose to honor Jane Doe for an accomplishment, the city could select two blocks of Winter Street for the designation of “Jane Doe Street.” The street sign named in her honor would be a different color and design than the standard street sign and would be placed below it to avoid confusion.

Councilmember Sara Hicks expressed concern that one of the basis for an honoree street sign is someone who “made a great impact on humanity” but who has no connection to Midway. 

“It should be something big, something worth honoring, and have an actual connection to Midway,” she said.

Nance also pondered whether Midway should announce the honorees once a year at an event, create a historical walking tour using the honoree streets, or whether there should be a cap on the number of honorees per year.

After a thorough and lively discussion, all of the council members favored adopting a plan, but a decision was made to table the proposal until the next meeting to allow time to consider it and see if there were any public comments.

Enforcement Board

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift appointed long-time public servant Carl Rollins to fill a Midway Code Enforcement Board vacancy. Board Chair Steele Rouse recently announced that the board has published its list of abandoned properties and is working on the list to be published by the end of this year.

Thanksgiving Day permit

The council approved a permit requested by art photographer and Midway resident Matthew Donohue to photograph a large, inflated turkey at various points on Main Street, which will be used in a parade or some other Thanksgiving-related event next year.

The permit will close the south side of Main Street on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Snow Removal

The council unanimously approved a contract for Littrell Landscaping and Lawn Care to provide snow removal this winter, as it did last year. Vandegrift said the contract amount is well below the amount needed to bid the work and likely lower than others who would need to drive from outside the town to do the work. Given the excellent service last year and the fact that Littrell is a local Midway business, the council unanimously approved the contract.

Election season

Council members, four of whom are on the ballot for reelection, wished each other good luck in the election. They also extended that message to the candidates who are not currently on the council. 

 “Places like Midway will save this country from the division our country finds itself in,” said Nance. “How we treat our neighbors is a great example to the rest of the country.”