PHOTO BY AMY WENDT/THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WETLANDS … To aid in stormwater detention the reservoir property northwest of E. Lutz Road and Clyde’s Way is slated for wetlands pond construction with work expected to begin in August 2024.
By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
Archbold Village Council met on Monday, June 17 for a regular meeting with Council Members Gary Dominique, Chad Kern, Kevin Eicher, Karla Ball, Vaughn Bentz, and Aaron Babcock present. Mayor Brad Grime, Village Administrator Donna Dettling, and Assistant VA Aaron Alt were also on hand on behalf of the village’s admin team.
Police Chief Leo Wixom took the floor to share an update on the three license plate recognition cameras (LPR) recently installed within the village. The cameras were installed on May 19 and May 31.
“As of today … 126,056 plates have been run. We are averaging about 7,000 to 7,200 per day,” noted Wixom. Of those plates scanned, 23 “hits” on license plates have been received.
Wixom explained that the new LPR system captures the license plate and information of each vehicle entering the village where cameras are mounted.
This information is then compared to data in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database checking for any of the 15 criteria attached to that plate number.
Examples of those criteria include stolen vehicle, missing person, Amber Alert, active warrants, protection orders, and sex offender designation among others.
Within 30 seconds of an LPR camera scanning a license plate that matches one of the criteria in the NCIC database, the system notifies officers via email, text, and a mobile app, sending photos of the vehicle and license plate to officers on duty. Law enforcement then determines if further action is necessary.
The chief pointed out that “Protection Order” and “Sex Offender” are the only hits the cameras have detected thus far and have required no further action from the police.
Moving on to legislative matters, council approved Resolution 2024-32 which authorizes the village administrator to advertise for bids for the construction of wetlands at the East Lutz Road Reservoir Property.
“This has been a project we have wanted to do for a number of years,” noted Village Engineer Dexter Krueger who was on hand to provide background on the project.
“It’s technically – and what the EPA is billing it as is an ARTS – Agricultural Runoff Treatment System, noted Krueger.”
“So basically, what that means is using what they (EPA) call ‘stacked practices’ – grass waterways, rock check dams – ways that we can slow down the water, capture agricultural runoff, remove nutrients, and hopefully remove those before they eventually enter Lake Erie.”
“Now, there’s also the added benefit that we were most interested in and that’s water detention – stormwater detention.”
The wetland pond design in the Flatrun Watershed area calls for a pond depth of six feet and in the event of excessive rainfall, the village will be able to control the amount of water with an outlet control center.
While stormwater detention is the primary objective of the project, it was noted that walking paths in the area may be incorporated into the design down the road if additional funds become available.
The current project will be partially funded by Ohio EPA and ODNR H2Ohio program dollars and construction is anticipated to begin in August of 2024.
In other items, council approved the meeting minutes from June 3, the May 2024 financial statements, and authorized the payment of bills and payroll of $607,553.40.
Council also reviewed Police Department Calls for Service, Fire & EMS Call Response, and the Street Department Labor Reports for May 2024.
Archbold Village Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, July 1, 2024, at 5:30 p.m.
