By: Jennifer Ellison
The council met May 18th at 5:30 PM right on schedule. Council members Lynn Frank, Ashley Todd, Michael Tanner, and Tony Dawson were in attendance. Councilman Chad Johnson was absent. Mayor Frank Wilton, Clerk of Council Stephanie Mossing, Village Administrator Brad Peebles, and Chief of Police Nathan Hartsock were in attendance.
Meeting was called to order and the meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Public address was heard in which attention was called to a problematic property on Linwood. Complaints were addressed regarding farm animals roaming the property, delinquent payments and property taxes totaling over $4,000, dilapidated conditions, and inappropriate behavior.
Concerns were raised in regards to devaluation of nearby properties as a result. Zoning code does not forbid domestic animals, but due diligence by the council toward a solution is in progress and ongoing.
The topic of a streetlight replacement program in cooperation with First Energy was discussed, which allowed twenty streetlights on Main Street to be replaced with LED’s four years prior.
The council discussed the idea of working with Toledo Edison to replace all of the streetlights at a projected $2.30 per light, $640.00 per month over a sixty-month period. Motion to proceed was approved. Future of additional lights to be discussed at a later date.
The report for renewal of Ohio Planned Insurance was passed around to the council members to familiarize them with the policy in regards to future projects for properties and equipment currently insured around the village of Delta.
The issue of erosion in the Cemetery and the memorial was discussed. The concrete platform that serves as the base for the memorial is badly deteriorated and finding a contractor to take the job is proving difficult. The memorial will not be completed by Memorial Day.
The cemetery banks are sloughing off due to erosion and the county is exploring cost effective options to secure and reinforce the banks.
The council moved to approve the current period invoices.
Chief Hartsock reported two separate requests for road closures for the Chicken Festival. The first one is requested for July 9th through 1 AM on the 11th. The second request is for the parade from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. The motion to proceed was approved.
Councilwoman Lynn Frank brought up traffic changes and fines for people who ignore road closures and drive through construction zones, as well as Semi-trucks driving through residential neighborhoods.
The topic of doubling fines was discussed. Chief Hartsock agreed to get the word out for more responsible traffic, but cannot levy the fines.
Old Business: Ordinance 21-08 – establishing weight limits for all vehicles on any dedicated alley within the village of Delta. Full council vote moved to proceed.
New Business: Ordinance 21-09 – The new ordinance requested the authorization of the village administrator to make and execute all required documents to the United States Department of Agriculture for grant/loan to fund the construction of the new water tower.
The Helvetia Water Tower’s life expectancy is about to expire. A 40% loan and a 60% to be requested. Approximate cost estimate is around $2.5 million dollars for a 750,000-gallon tank to replace the current 200,000-gallon tank. With the grant, the total finance amount is estimated to be around 1.5 million dollars. Motion to proceed was approved.
Resolution 21-05 – The Ohio EPA has presented a mandate to conduct an inundation study for reservoir No. 2 due to concerns over what would happen to nearby homes and property if the reservoir’s side were to blow out. The EPA has requested data to determine a most-likely outcome. The cost of the study is approximately $39,000. Motion to proceed was approved.
Resolution 21-06 – A proposed ordinance requesting an agreement with Jones and Henry Engineers to design a connection into the Fulton County water system. The Ohio EPA has mandated the village of Delta develop a plan for increasing the capacity for water production, which is currently at 1 million gallons per day.
This capacity is being met frequently enough that the EPA has requested a plan for increase. The current fixed rate for water, which is $31.30, would increase to $38.60 to fund this increase. The change would see an increase to 24/7 operation would see an increase in staffing. A proposed 15-inch connection to the water tower will cost an estimated $500,000.
Concerns were brought up regarding the possibility of another Lake Erie algae bloom. Such an event will not affect Delta water in Fulton County.
The motion to adjourn was passed and the meeting concluded. The next meeting will be held Monday, June 7th at Memorial Hall.
Jennifer can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
