NEW SAFETY MEASURES … A plexiglass barrier sits on top of the Village Services counter.
By: Bill O’Connell
At the Delta Village Council meeting on May 4th, Mayor Bob Gilbert announced that the Village offices at Memorial Hall were now open to the public again with a set of guidelines to be followed by all visitors. “At the Village offices we are requesting that the public wears masks before they enter the building,” stated the Mayor.
“It will be posted on both doors, on the south side and on the west side of the building. If they do not have a mask on, they will be asked to leave to get a mask on and return. The employees will approach them with their masks on. We take this pandemic very seriously so we ask people, where possible, to not contact the Village employees and work via the drop boxes that we have in the lot as well as another attached to the building on the east side.”
The mayor also said that all Village employees had been given strict instructions to follow the guidelines set by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and be diligent about washing their hands and wearing protective masks where needed. Another noticeable change in Memorial Hall is the protective plexiglass barrier that has been installed on top of the service counter located on the right-hand side as you enter the building from Main Street.
In legislative news, the first reading of Resolution #20-11, authorizing the Village Administrator to enter into an agreement with Taylor Excavating for improvements to various intersections along Main and Madison Streets was approved. The Village has been working with the Ohio Department of Transportation to address intersection repairs and updates in advance of the scheduled resurfacing of Main and Madison Streets in 2021. The other streets involved will include Harrison, McKinley, Jefferson and Helvetia.
Also passing on the third and final reading was Resolution 20-09, authorizing the Village Administator to enter into agreement with the law firm of Bricker & Eckler LLP to serve as bond counsel required for the bond financing with the United States Government Department of Agriculture to complete the Fernwood Street Utility Restoration.
Village Finance Director Stephanie Mossing reported that Village received a reimbursement dividend check for $18,589.12 from the Bureau of Workman’s Compensation as part of a program to help ease financial pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Councilman Michael Tanner, chairman of the Village Services Committee, requested to reschedule the May 11th, 2020 committee meeting to discuss water and sewer rates to June 8th, 2020 at 5:30 PM. Council approved the request.
In his weekly report, Village Administrator Brad Peebles that he has been working with Ms. Mossing on possible budget modifications that may be required as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As it is unclear what the actual impact will be, we are assuming at least a 25% reduction in income tax revenues,” his report stated. The Downtown Sidewalk Improvement project has been cancelled due to financial issues.
In the Wastewater Department, the Village has retained a contractual employee through Jones & Henry Engineering to fulfill the 20 hours a week requirement of a Class II operator. This relationship is expected to remain in place through July of this year until such time as Cameron Breeding can complete the testing for the Class II certification.
Bill can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com