PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
LOCAL LIFESAVER … Fulton County Sheriff Roy Miller (left) presents local resident RJ Greene (right) with a certificate of appreciation after he was given a Lifesaving Award by Delta Police Chief Samuel Chappell (center) for calling 911 in July, resulting in lifesaving care for a member of Greene’s family. He was also given a gift by the dispatcher who took his call.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Installation of a new transformer in Delta Park, largely for the benefit of the annual Delta Chicken Festival, was discussed during Tuesday’s meeting of the Delta Village Council.
Weiss Electric Project Manager Skyler Graber was on hand to answer questions from council and also went over the basics of the proposed project.
The proposal is for the construction of a concrete pad and installation of a 200-amp panel and refurbished transformer to add to the system’s load handling capabilities, with the existing system staying in place.
Concerns have been raised about the electrical service at the park, particularly with regard to fire risk during the Chicken Festival, when it is heavily used by vendors.
“I feel like it’s overloaded,” Graber said of the existing system. “For the three days a year that you’re using it, that’s the problem, right? Not for every day, but those three days, it gets hot.”
The project was bid at roughly $57,000 and would be paid out of the Park Fund, which has a current balance of just over $77,000.
Due to the Chicken Festival and thus the Delta Recreation Council being the main if not sole user of the service, council members discussed the possibility of that agency helping cover the cost.
“The [Recreation Council] has in excess of $100,000 that they need to spend,” Councilman Chad Johnson said.
Upon questioning by Johnson, Graber said the planned route for underground lines can be adjusted with no problem if Park Board plans to eventually change the configuration of the softball diamonds come to fruition.
LIFESAVING AWARD
Police Chief Samuel Chappell presented a Lifesaving Award to local resident RJ Greene for calling 911 on July 15, which resulted in lifesaving care being provided to a member of his family.
“RJ demonstrated calmness, courage, and maturity far beyond his years when he dialed 911 to seek help for a family member.
“His ability to remain calm, composed, and provide clear information and follow instructions directly resulted in a swift emergency response and lifesaving care,” Chappell said.
Fulton County Sheriff Roy Miller also presented Greene with a certificate of appreciation for his actions, and the county dispatcher with whom Greene spoke gave him a gift. Chappell said the dispatcher spearheaded the effort to give the commendations to Greene.
FIRE DEPARTMENT REPAIRS
Council members continued their discussion of ongoing repairs to the Delta Community Fire Station; with Frazer reporting there was $4,581.17 left before they hit the $75,000 ceiling set for repairs before the station is to be sold to York Township.
Mayor Allen Naiber – who works for the fire departments of both Delta and Swanton – said there were five or six leaking faucets as well as a drinking fountain that needed repair and asked that some of the remaining money be used to repair them.
Councilman Robert Shirer said just because the village agreed to spend up to $75,000 doesn’t mean that the full amount needs to be spent.
“They came to us with a list of things they wanted done, we’ve completed those things. If there’s stuff that’s leaking, I want to fix it. I just don’t want this to continue to be like ‘Well there’s another project that we want to do,’” Shirer said.
Any unspent portion of the funds can be used for anything fire related in the village, including replacement of and repairs to fire hydrants.
Council members shared their general sentiment that York Township needed to finally sign the sale agreement for the building, which they are set to purchase for $1.
PICKLEBALL COURT REPAVING
Frazer reported Allied Paving would soon be completing the repaving of the pickleball court, but was interrupted by Johnson, who said the park board was still waiting on the plans for the work, at which point it was intending to make a recommendation to the council as to the work. Frazer said he didn’t realize that was the plan.
“No disrespect, but you were at the meeting,” Johnson said.
OTHER BUSINESS
Council members gave final approval to changes to the village’s water and wastewater ordinances which will require property owners outside village limits to seek annexation if they receive both water and sewer services from the village. The current system requires those who receive either water or sewer services to seek annexation.
Council members approved on second reading the sale of a 2017 Ford Explorer as surplus property no longer needed by the village.
Council members approved as an emergency a $250,000 appropriation out of the general fund for the demolition of the former Bunting Bearing property. The village will be fully reimbursed for the expense through a Community Development Block Grant.
Council members approved the adoption of the state cybersecurity policy as required under a new state law.
Among the requirements of the state policy is that, if the village is struck by a ransomware attack, the council convene to hold a public meeting in which they must decide whether or not to pay the ransom.
Council members approved a raise of 7 percent for Public Utilities Department employees as a result of them having previously been employees of the now-defunct water department and taking on the responsibilities of the now-defunct wastewater department in addition to their prior duties.
Councilman Anthony Dawson cast the sole dissenting vote, while Councilwoman Daphne Demaline abstained. The raise is effective as of February 2025, when they took over the additional duties, and retroactive pay will be issued as a bonus.
Shirer added that, even with the raise, it still puts the employees in the bottom 10 percent for pay of workers of that type.
Council members approved on second reading an agreement with Mannik and Smith to provide general engineering services as needed, but requested Frazer determine and report to them where the money would be coming from before they gave it final approval.
Council members approved the replacement of a raw water pump by Earl Mechanical at a cost of $37,041.90. Shirer said if the pump is determined to be part of the system serving NatureFresh Farms there is approximately $15,000 set aside in a fund for maintenance that could be used to cover a portion of the cost.
Johnson pointed out that if it is part of that system and has already worn out, it has only been operating for five to six years, which he called “alarming” as the agreement with the business is set for a duration of 35 years.
Council members directed the village’s legal representation to draft an ordinance regulating public and private fire hydrants in response to a recommendation from the planning commission, to whom it was recommended by Delta Community Fire Chief Jeremy Gillen.
Frazer reported the deadline for applications for the village’s finance director position is September 4, and that interviews have been scheduled beginning Friday, though he expects to receive some applications after the deadline.
Frazer reported the new village website was not able to include both the written minutes and recorded meeting audio of council meetings on that page of the site.
Council members and Frazer discussed possible livestreaming options or other options to post video on social media sites.
Chappell said, based on his work on his department’s pages, that he believed he could figure out a workaround to post either the minutes or audio on a different page so both could be available online.
Chappell reported officers made a felony gun arrest of an individual who was not qualified to carry a firearm. He said the individual is also facing charges from immigration enforcement for being in the country illegally.
Halloween trick-or-treating hours were set for 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 31.
The Delta Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on Wednesday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. to consider a variance request for a sign at the soon-to-be-constructed Love’s Travel Stop.
Frazer reported he is looking for a new contractor for the village’s Sidewalk Improvement Program to complete the work for this year.
Frazer reported Love’s Travel Stop has closed on the purchase of the property for its new facility in Delta. Anyone interested in bidding on the projects involved in its construction can reach out to Frazer at the village offices to obtain a phone number for Love’s representatives.
The next regular meeting of the Delta Village Council will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, at 401 Main Street in Delta.