PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK … Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe (right) presents Swanton Fire and Rescue Division Chief Cuyler Kepling (left) with a copy of a proclamation declaring the week of October 5-11 as Fire Prevention Week.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Golf carts could soon be on the roads in Swanton after a member of the Swanton Village Council recommended ordinance and speed limit changes to accommodate their use.
Councilman John Schmidt is recommending that golf carts be allowed on all village streets with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or lower, that the speed limit on at least a portion of Hallett Avenue be reduced from 40 miles per hour to 35, and that the ban on golf carts on Main Street be removed.
Comments on the proposal at Monday’s council meeting were mixed, with some supporting the idea, some offering potential restrictions, and others seeming to be opposed.
“You’re talking about changing the speed limit for a busy road and affecting the health and safety for individuals on that road, so I think that the six of us should not be making that call,” Councilman Derek Kania said.
Kania said a public hearing would be the best option in order to gauge the desires of village residents. Police Chief John Trejo said his biggest concern was other motorists passing the carts.
“I’m kind of going on driver behavior,” Trejo said. “We have people who are very impatient. We’ve seen it during our construction times, things like that.”
Village Administrator Shannon Shulters said she believed the golf carts should be restricted to daylight hours, commenting that they are not always the most well-lit vehicles.
Mayor Neil Toeppe recommended getting together with the village solicitor and Trejo to put together a draft ordinance to present at a public hearing to get input on whether residents supported, opposed, or had recommendations for alterations to the language before potentially moving forward to a council vote.
FIRE DEPARTMENT STAFFING
Swanton Fire and Rescue Division Chief Cuyler Kepling reported that, with the council approving the hiring of full-time firefighter/EMT Thomas Schneider and part-time EMT McKenna Messenger earlier in the meeting, his department was now only three employees away from a full staff of 33.
Mayor Toeppe pointed out that the village struggled for many years to staff enough paramedics, with other council members and administrative staff sharing memories of only having two or three paramedics within the last three years.
“Right now we have 13 paramedics on our roster,” Kepling said. “I have two that are set to graduate in December and two more that are set to graduate in the spring.”
Kepling said at one point just a few years ago, it was only himself and one other paramedic on staff. Toeppe also read a proclamation declaring the week of October 5-11 as Fire Prevention Week.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council approved the resignation of full-time patrolman Joe Keil and his reinstatement as a part-time officer effective September 26.
Trejo reported Keil has taken a full-time job related to his recent degree and that his part-time position will be involved in pursuing cybercrime cases.
The council approved the installation of up to two point wells for a lawn watering system at the home at 3810 Waterville-Swanton Road.
A outdoor use meter, which carries a reduced rate for water that does not enter the village’s wastewater system, is not an option for the property as it receives village water service but has a septic system for wastewater.
Shulters reported the planned reworking of the signal and lane alteration at the intersection of Airport Highway and South Main Street will have to be sent back out to bid after the only bid received was more than 50 percent higher than estimates, which is outside the legal limit that may be accepted.
Shulters reported a request to rezone a pair of properties on Munson Road to the north of its intersection with Airport Highway from B-3 “central business” to R-1 “one-family residential” will go to the Swanton Planning Commission for a recommendation prior to a public hearing and eventual council vote.
Shulters reported Wendy’s restaurant owners had still not had anyone out to mow their property across Airport Highway from the Kroger (the restaurant’s planned future location), and that the village had it mowed and will be billing the restaurant for the work.
Shulters reported eight road cuts around the village had been patched, which she said was “critical to maintain the integrity of village streets before it’s time for public service to plow snow,” and that they plan to ensure road cuts are repaired on an annual basis in the future.
Shulters reported the reservoir level is currently at a depth of 9.8 feet, and that the village is continuing to run the well at the reservoir to keep the level from dropping any lower due to the lack of rain.
The next regular meeting of the Swanton Village Council will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14, at 219 Chestnut Street.