POINT PLEASANT — Citing health reasons, Mayor Leonard F. “Buster” Riffle announced he is resigning his post, effective this Saturday.

Point Pleasant City Council has scheduled a special meeting for 9 p.m. Thursday in the City Building to name a replacement for the remainder of the mayor’s term, which expires in 2011.

“I’ve had some health problems. I think it’s time to step down,” Riffle told council when it met in regular session Monday. He made the announcement as he came to the close of the mayor’s agenda section of the meeting.

“I appreciate all you’ve done,” Councilman Gary Cotton told Riffle. Councilman Bob Doeffinger asked Riffle to remain active in city matters as a citizen offering input, and other council members voiced their regret at his departure, wishing him well in the future.

“I hate to see you go, but a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do,” Councilman-At-Large James Bowles said. “It’s been a pleasure.”

Riffle, who served on city council from 1966 to 1999, was appointed mayor on March 20, 2008, following the resignation of Marilyn McDaniel, who was elected in the 2007 municipal election.

Riffle said he enjoyed the experience.

“It was good for me. It was a shot in the arm,” he said. “But it’s a wise man who realizes he no longer has the zip to get the job done.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I think we’ve come a step ahead,” he added.

In other business, Riffle reported that Harmon Park Pool is to open today (Wednesday) and he was pleased with the facility’s condition, praising the staff who prepared it for the summer.

“It’s in much better shape than it was last year,” Riffle said.

Council also approved the creation of a new committee to address concerns with the floodwall raised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the appointment of Bowles and Councilman Marshall Bonecutter to the committee.

Riffle said he recently met with a corps representative about an inspection on the floodwall. The representative had concerns about the floodplain levels and other issues, such as removal of trees “that are very much part of the landscape,” Riffle added.

The new committee will address concerns the corps is most adamant about, he added.

Council also:

• Approved second reading of a zoning change for the Point Pleasant Middle School property from S-1 (special) to B-3 (highway and general business).

• Approved appointment of Doeffinger and Councilman Bill Park to the Procurement Committee.

• Approved a budget revision for 2008-09, as well as the water fund and sewer fund budgets for 2010.

• Approved a bid of $3,537 for a metal building sought by the sewer department on a 9-1 vote, with Councilman Sam Juniper casting the dissenting vote. Juniper questioned the expense if other city properties are available for storage.

• Approved a mandatory tariff from the West Virginia Public Service Commission and waived the city’s right to object to the PSC’s findings.

• Approved first reading of an ordinance amending the traffic control section to allow the intersection of Lincoln Avenue, 28th Street, Chandler Drive and Roseberry Lane to become a four-way stop.