City Manager Allen Dressler addressed the council regarding several local matters, including the vacancy of 2 buildings: the old Wendy's and Applebee's. It seems as though both buildings will soon open its doors to the public again with the promise of new eateries for the city of Covington.

New City Clerk, Water Concerns, and Vacant Buildings Take Front Stage During Covington Work Session By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer   Covington, VA (March 4, 2025) — At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Covington City Council held their regular work session. During the brief, 45-minute session, several issues were discussed which included the new town clerk, water concerns, and a brief discussion of what will become of two vacant buildings in Covington. To start, Mayor William Carson announced that Councilwoman Susan Crowder, Councilwoman Susan Wolfe, and Becky Nuckols, Administrative Assistant to City Manager Allen Dressler, had interviewed several potential subjects to fill the vacant city clerk seat. When asked by Carson, Crowder stated the decision had been made to take on Amber Nicely. "We love Miss Amber and we think she's going to do a terrific job," Crowder stated. Following a unanimous vote by council, the decision was made and Nicely was in. "I'd say that's the quickest you've ever been hired," Dressler joked, prompting a few chuckles from council. "I had the pleasure of meeting Amber today," the city manager stated, moving to a more serious tone. "She [Nicely] spent the bigger part of the day with Becky [Nuckols] and meeting city staff and, a very wonderful time, and a wonderful young lady. We look forward to working with her." Shortly after, it was time to open the floor to public comments. The first (and only) citizen to speak during the short work session was Covington resident Tim Green, a former water plant supervisor for the city of Covington who served for 37 years. Green's concern, he stated, was over the recent letters that the town of Covington has sent out regarding a water violation against the Pocahontas reservoir. "The Pocahontas reservoir is the main reservoir in this town," Green stated, "so if the Pocahontas reservoir gets contaminated, all the rest of them are going to get contaminated along with that." Green stated that several citizens had expressed their concerns to him and so, that was the driving force behind his visit to the meeting and desire to express his worries. "As long as we don't get a sampling violation, I tell everybody, 'You're ok.' If we see a sampling violation, that's when we gotta worry about contamination... When I worked at the water plant for 37 years, there was a total of about 4. That's it. 37 years. Now, we're seeing violations every water bill, so it's concerning to the citizens." According to Town Manager Allen Dressler, the city is actively seeking a solution regarding the violations. He also addressed the issue of the Pocahontas reservoir. "The Pocahontas reservoir, the violation that occurred there, was actually, we had already completed the work on the reservoir that was requested from VDH —Virginia Department of Health— and ODW —Office of Drinking Water— so we had already completed the work on Pocahontas. The failure was to get that report turned in on a timely basis and we failed. We did. We failed that." Dressler also noted there were "brand-new people working" when the Pocahontas violation happened. On of the last orders of business was to hear the town manager's report from Dressler. Perhaps one of the most exciting notes he made was the coming of two new businesses which will fill the currently vacant lots known to locals as "the old Wendy's" and "Applebee's." The Journal has since learned that both buildings will become new eateries for the city of Covington. "The old Wendy's" will soon be known as "Yamato's Steakhouse" and "Applebee's" will soon be known as "Garcia 64." The Journal expects to have much more on these restaurants in the near future. Amber Nicely was named the new city clerk during Tuesday night's work session. Covington resident and former water plant supervisor for the city of Covington, Tim Green, expressed concerns about the water violations. However, Green seemed to be acting as a messenger for the citizens who continue to approach him over their worries over their drinking water. Vice-Mayor Fred Forbes III and Mayor William L. Carson listen intently as City Manager Allen Dressler addresses the water concerns during a brief conversation with Tim Green, a former 37-year employee for the city of Covington.

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