
THE DETAILS … Council members Karla Ball, Vaughn Bentz, and Aaron Babcock hear details of the amended subdivision regulations.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com
On Monday, February 19 Archbold Village Council met for a regular meeting with council members Aaron Babcock, Vaughn Bentz, Karla Ball, Kevin Eicher, and Gary Dominique present while Councilor Chad Kern was not in attendance.
Mayor Brad Grime, Village Administrator Donna Dettling, and Assistant Village Administrator Aaron Alt were also on hand.
Council got down to business and approved the meeting minutes from February 5 as well as the payment of $880,145.48 in bills and payroll before moving along with the light agenda.
The only legislative item of the evening was Ordinance 2024-16 Amending Chapter 151, Subdivision Regulations of the Archbold Code of Ordinances. Village engineer Dexter Krueger was prepared to offer further details about the legislation.
“Subdivision regulations in the Village of Archbold started in 1966 – that’s when Chapter 151 was first written. And when most people think of subdivision regulations, they think of a residential subdivision…however, subdivision in a sense is subdividing property within the Village of Archbold,” began Krueger.
“It’s a way to establish standards for logical sound and economic development,” Krueger continued.
There must be established guidelines for the subdivision of property, dictating the size of tracts and the number of subdivisions allowed within a given parcel providing a uniform framework for property subdivision.
Standards also address construction specifications for residential or commercial subdivisions, such as the width of pavements, the length of blocks before a cul-de-sac or cross street is mandated, and other factors.
Krueger pointed out a notable enhancement contained in the revised regulations – a chart mapping out the responsibilities of review bodies within the village.
The visual serves as a “roadmap,” detailing the steps of review, approval, and avenues for appeals to ensure a streamlined process.
The last few chapters of the revised regulations explain the basic construction standards required by the village.
Krueger shared that this would help allow outside firms to design subdivisions instead of solely relying on the village’s engineering department.
What’s more, with the standards spelled out, external consultants, investors, and developers can refer to the blueprint.
Councilor Eicher asked Krueger if the new standards were comparable to those of other communities in the area. The engineer explained that the final product was based on a template developed by the County Engineers Association.
Additionally, the engineering department reviewed regulations from other nearby towns including Defiance, Bryan, and Toledo, and integrated some of the practices those cities utilized.
Following Krueger’s words on the measure and a declaration of emergency, council approved Ordinance 2024-16 Amending Chapter 151, Subdivision Regulations.
Krueger also presented the Engineering Project Status Report – February 2024 and highlighted projects that are in preliminary planning, design, or construction phase.
The 2022 contract sanitary sewer line project is still in the construction phase and is 70% complete. Krueger also shared updates on 2023 projects that have carried over into 2024 including the municipal building renovation which is approximately 60% complete and the splash pad project which is on hold pending approvals from Wood County.
Looking into 2024, the W. Mechanic St./Pleasant St. project is currently out to bid and the engineer anticipates that the contract will be awarded in March. The West Barr Road waterline project for 2024 is currently in the design phase.
“I will point out that if you recall, last fall we had budgeted for a large asphalt resurfacing project. We kind of decided that we are probably going to hold off on doing any asphalt resurfacing this year, just because we want to set ourselves up for hopefully a Stryker rebuild – Stryker Street rebuilt in 26,” Krueger added.
“So because we don’t plan on doing any large amount of resurfacing this year, we did go ahead and allocate some money for sidewalks, just doing general miscellaneous sidewalk projects.”
Also slated for 2024, a wetland construction project is in the design phase for the Flat Run Watershed area, covering approximately 45-50 acres. The initiative aims to enhance drainage and aid in nutrient removal within the watershed.
Sauder Village has already implemented wetlands on its property to mitigate water-related issues in the same area. The newly constructed wetland will be situated on the north side of East Lutz Road, adjacent to the walking path leading to Sauder Village’s southern property line.
The project includes plans for incorporating walking trails into the design, with the engineer sharing hopes for future connectivity with Sauder Village’s watershed area walking trails.
Funding for this project has been secured through grants and Krueger anticipates to begin construction in May.
In other items, council briefly reviewed the Park Board packet and meeting minutes from February 7 with no discussion.
Upon adjournment of the meeting, Mayor Brad Grime extended an invitation to council to take a look at the progress made on the new village council chambers currently under construction at the Archbold Municipal Building.
Archbold Village Council’s next regular meeting is slated for Monday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m.