Meg Hibbert
Contributing writer
The man who has written about and photographed three generations of Salem and Glenvar athletes was recognized with a “Salem Salutes” award by Salem City Council Monday night.
Brian “Hoop” Hoffman, sports editor of the Salem Times-Register and other newspapers in the Mountain Media weekly chain, has been writing about local athletes, coaches and teams since graduating from Roanoke College in 1974.
As Mayor Renee Turk said when presenting the award, “He has done more for City of Salem athletes than any other
person.”
Hoffman is a Telford, PA native who is in the Salem-Roanoke Baseball and Roanoke College Sports Hall of Fames and active in other sports organizations. Turk noted he has spent “countless hours highlighting sports in the area.”
Taking the podium after getting the award, Hoffman said, “I am very lucky to have found this place,” meaning Salem. “I went to Roanoke College and left for two
months after graduation and came back. “If you want a good place to live and raise your kids, I can’t think of anywhere better than Salem,” he said.
Councilman Bill Jones presented Hoffman with an award of his own, a statue of the Philadelphia Eagles mascot, “Swoop.” The Eagles are Hoffman’s favorite team.
Hoffman pointed out he had covered two of the Councilmembers, John Saunders and Jones, when they played sports, “before today’s Salem High School even opened.”
Jones mentioned he was in 10th grade when he first met Hoffman.
In other matters at the meeting, Council:
- Heard from John Breen during the Citizen Comment portion. He said Council needs to do more to address non-conforming signs, discarded tires and asked for a 100-tire limit, and exterior storage buildings. “Salem is treading water,” Breen said;
- Approved on second reading a change to local law to be in line with the state, regarding payment of personal property taxes and motor vehicle license fees;
- Approved after a public hearing at which no one spoke an amendment to the current budget to appropriate American Rescue Plan Act funding; Accepted the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the year ending June 30, 2022, as presented by John Aldridge of Brown Edwards; Vice Mayor Jim Wallace noted “We are fortunate to have so much capital to work with because of the Councils before us”;
- Appropriated $23,687 from the Library of Virginia that will be used to increase the number of books and other materials;
- Amended the School Grants Fund and School Cafeteria Fund budgets by $17,402 and $66,374, respectively;
- Amended the School Grants Fund Budget to clean up an error in the spread sheet, according to
the vice mayor; - Set $21,707 bond for erosion, sediment control and landscaping for Layman-Apperson fill site on Apperson Drive;
- Adopted a Resolution adopting a Legislative Program for the 2023 session of the Virginia General Assembly and petitioning the General Assembly to consider favorable issues and topics addressed in the resolution;
- Adopted a resolution authorizing the City Attorney to take necessary steps to obtain a “Certificate of No Objection” to change polling places for the West Salem and Beverly Heights precincts to the Salem Civic Center where all the other precincts vote.
The final Salem City Council meeting for the calendar year adjourned at 7:01 p.m.