BECKLEY, W.Va. — The City of Beckley’s Municipal Building now has a new name.
The Beckley Common Council voted unanimously at their regular meeting Tuesday to rename the N. Kanawha Street building to the “Emmett S. Pugh III Municipal Building City of Beckley”.
Pugh was Beckley’s longest serving mayor and died on May 10th. He served 37 years as a mayor and council member.
Meanwhile, debate continues over the renaming of the Historic Black Knight, formerly Black Knight Country Club. Some residents still feel the name carries a negative connotation. Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold insists keeping part of the name is to keep the brand consistent.
“We’ll set a date to reevaluate that. I come from a marketing and sales background and my opinion is we need to capitalize on that 90 year-old brand. Once we establish ourselves and come up with a name that’s suitable to everybody, I’m all for it.”
There was also some public comment on a recent move of a suboxone clinic from the Raleigh County Industrial Park to South Kanawha Street.
Residents like Aretha Van Horn are concerned the new location at 2233 S. Kanawha Street will create a safety hazard. The area is primarily residential, with several homes, a few churches and the Historic Black Knight within walking distance of the site.
“Not property value but it’s the value of the lives that we are concerned about,” said Van Horn who previously worked as a suboxone clinic counselor. “I don’t think the patients are bad people. The patients will come through the neighborhood and not all of the patients are going to be upstanding citizens. But they’re not all bad people.”
A petition with 398 signatures was presented. Mayor Rappold and the council agreed they will take all sides into consideration.
The Beckley Common Council’s meeting is scheduled for August 14th at 6:40 pm.