PARSONS – A Parsons businessman plans to build an ice cream shop across the bike trail from Mill Race Park and on Tuesday he asked Council Members to consider abandoning a section of the alley located beside the parcel where the shop will be built.

Jerry L. Hardy Sr. asked Council to consider abandoning the alley in the back part of the property.
“It does not go anywhere and it has not been used for years,” Hardy said. “None of that alley is used for anything. The part that I would like abandoned dead ends at my property line.”
Hardy said if the city abandons the property, he will take care of setting the corners and take care of all of the expenses.
Parsons City Administrator/Treasurer Jason Myers said Council could vote to proceed forward with the action. He said he spoke with the city attorney Pat Nichols and said there must be three readings on the proposed action.
“We can have two more readings and a public hearing,” Myers said. “The parcel is 90 feet long by 15 feet wide. The Department of Highways told me there will be no more right of ways issued across the bike trails.”
Myers said if Council votes to abandon the property, 7.5 feet would go to Hardy and 7.5 feet would stay with the city.
“In order to get that 7.5 feet to him, Nichols said we would have to put it out to sealed bid,” Myers said. “He will have to bid on it. It is just a little piece and he will have to bid on it but it is only useful to him. The piece goes to the highest bidder.”
Myers said the property would be land-locked and said if someone else bid on it, they would not be able to access the property.
Parsons City Council unanimously approved abandoning the property on its first reading.
Hardy said he hopes to have the ice cream shop opened in the spring.
“I am going to serve ice cream only and will be open seasonally,” Hardy said.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting Donna Stiles from PRO ON TRAC reported on the success of the Parsons Christmas House Tours.
“We raised $665 which was a lot more than anybody expected,” Stiles said. “We sold 75 tickets and the rest of our money came from raffles at each house. That was really successful.”
Stiles said the input from the community was great and folks cannot wait for next year.
“Next year we will change out some of the houses and businesses so you won’t see the same houses each year,” Stiles said. “It seems like it worked and that is a good note on our agenda. We had planned a New Year’s Celebration but it is too much for this year. We may try again for that next year. I think we really need to focus on the house tours. We had people come from Morgantown and Elkins.”

Parsons Mayor Dorothy Judy said people really enjoyed the house tour.

“There was so much excitement,” Judy said. “I heard several people say they had been to other house tours but said the one in Parsons was very nice. People enjoyed it.”
Stiles said another thing they are working on is being mapped with Randolph County on their tourism asset map.
“I will go to some meetings and find out about it,” Stiles said. “We want the skate park, the water park and river access listed with tourism. It’s Randolph County, but they are going to include Parsons, Davis and Thomas and we have some things we want listed on the map. It isn’t going to cost us anything and they are doing it with a grant.”
The next regular meeting of the Parsons City Council is slated for 6 p.m. Jan. 3 in the Charles W. “Bill” Rosenau Municipal Building.