WALKING WOES … The Delta Planning Commission discusses the future of the sidewalks in the village during its meeting Wednesday evening.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
A pair of residents simultaneously shared their support for improving and adding to the sidewalk system in the village while sharing their concerns about the manner in which it was moving forward during Wednesday’s meeting of the Delta Planning Commission.
Myndee Wyrostek and Angela Riley said they became aware of Village Administrator Chris Frazer’s intentions to seek quotes for potential sidewalk installation when they saw surveyors in their front yards.
Both residents said they knew when they purchased their properties that they would have to have sidewalks installed eventually and were happy to do so but were upset that they received no contact from the village to let them know what was going on ahead of time.
Commission member Andy Welch pointed out several locations of concern, including a duplex at the intersection of Wood Street and Edgewood Avenue that had recently been redone without any sidewalks being added, despite there being sidewalks across the street as well as in front of its neighbor to the south.
He also mentioned a vacant lot at the corner of Wood Street and Maplewood Street, which he said was totally grown over.
“Granted, that person doesn’t live there anymore, it is a vacant lot, but there is a sidewalk that is there, and it should be maintained, and there’s hundreds of other locations in town that are just as bad,” Welch said.
All four members agreed on the need for maintenance, repairs, and construction of sidewalks throughout the village, but also pushed realism on the time frame and costs, indicating it will take time to spool up any major work and that it will likely need to happen a chunk at a time in order to be affordable.
“I don’t think we can do anything this year, because there’s so many like – okay, if we’re gonna have Eastwood [Drive], they need to go all the way down Eastwood, that means all the spurs that go off to the north need sidewalks,” Bill Vaughan said.
He shared additional examples, saying that between the time to draft plans for work and winter around the corner, it would likely be 2026 before any work begins.
Frazer said that, in addition to considering sidewalk improvements specifically, he was hoping to bring the soon-to-expire village land use plan, which is roughly 20 years old, to the attention of the Delta Village Council in hopes they would look into drafting a new plan.
Commission members eventually voted to table the issue to have Frazer gather more information on existing ordinances and other items related to the village’s sidewalks, and to take the subject back up at their next meeting, which they scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27, at 401 Main Street in Delta.
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
Delta Community Fire Chief Jeremy Gillen appeared to ask the commission to make a recommendation that the council draft an ordinance standardizing requirements for electric vehicle charging stations in the village.
Currently, there are no local regulations on the units. According to Gillen, there are three chargers in the village with a fourth set to be installed at the new Love’s Travel Stop.
At one of the existing locations, an industrial supply business, the charger is attached to the side of the building and immediately adjacent to the sprinkler hookup, both of which cause him concern.
Gillen provided the commission with copies of ordinances currently active in Tallmadge and Painesville, which set out specifications for such things as size, emergency shutoffs, and distance from buildings, property lines, and gas pumps. He offered to help draft or review an ordinance for Delta.
The commission voted to make a recommendation to the village council that such an ordinance be drafted.
PETTISVILLE GRAIN
Frazer provided the commission with an update on the new Pettisville Grain silo permit, which they had initially recommended the council deny.
The council instead voted to pass the issue to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which, according to Frazer, “approved it, no questions asked.”
Welch said he was concerned by the approval because “if that silo falls down, it’s hitting a house” due to its location inside a neighborhood.
Rick McKibben added that its construction will create a blind corner that could cause accidents from truck drivers not being able to see appropriately as they pull out.
Frazer also said the last silo built at the site was never given a permit, due to the village administrator at the time believing agricultural buildings did not require permitting in Ohio.
He said that while that is true in townships or out in the county, permitting is not waived by state law inside municipalities, and that a permit should have been required for it as well.
COUNCIL VACANCY
Frazer also brought up the vacancy on the Delta Village Council, created when Lynn Frank resigned effective Monday, August 4.
He indicated Welch’s name had come up in private discussions as a potential replacement. Welch was quick to put the consideration to bed, indicating that he had no interest in joining the council.