PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
PROJECT UPDATE … West Unity Administrator Joshua Fritsch updated the council on the South Liberty Pump Station project, which will be opened for bids on August 28, 2026.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
brenna@thevillagereporter.com
West Unity Village Council is moving forward with improvements to the South Liberty Pump Station, with bids for the project expected to be opened later this month.
Village Administrator Joshua Fritsch updated council on the project during its regular meeting Thursday, August 13, 2026.
The village is currently preparing to put the South Liberty Pump Station project out for bid after not receiving Residential Public Infrastructure Grant (RPIG) funds. The bids are scheduled to open on August 28, 2026.
West Unity has secured $175,000 through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) to help fund the project.
According to Fritsch, the village was told resident-written reports showing sewer backup damage would have been needed to qualify for the additional grant funding.
The village did not have that documentation and will instead move forward with the OPWC funding already secured.
Fritsch also provided an update on an ongoing road project extending from High Street. The project remains delayed while Frontier works to relocate a utility pole located within the new roadway.
The remainder of the road has been paved, but the village cannot finish paving the area surrounding the pole until it is moved.
Dates were also set for the village’s fall big trash pickup. The north side of West Unity is scheduled for September 24, 2026, while the south side is scheduled for October 1, 2026. Council also approved two pieces of legislation during the meeting.
A resolution accepting the amounts and rates determined by the Williams County Budget Commission passed its second reading. The resolution will return to council for its third reading next month.
A resolution also added Shawn Fulk as a full-time police department lieutenant and changed Assistant Chief Phil Fry’s hourly rate.
Council set West Unity’s 2026 Trick-or-Treat for Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mayor Don Leu raised concerns about the use of electric scooters and skateboards on the village’s sidewalks.
He asked Police Chief J.R. Jones and Fritsch to review locations around the village where additional signs prohibiting the devices may be needed.
The sidewalks around the village park are among the main areas being considered. Officials cited the speeds reached by the devices and the potential safety risk they can create when sharing sidewalks with pedestrians.
Several upcoming village meetings were also scheduled. The Finance Committee will meet August 26, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. to begin work on the village’s fiscal year 2027 budget.
On September 10, 2026, the Park Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Kissel Committee at 7 p.m. The next regular council meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. later in the evening.