PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
HONORING THE PAST … As a tribute to Lewis Brown, who donated 40 acres to Miller Park, Mayor Bob Day proposed that council name the new Community Building in his honor, in addition to the dedication stone already displayed at Miller Park.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Edgerton Village Council met on Wednesday, February 4, at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Bob Day called the meeting to order, led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance, and then offered a prayer.
Fiscal Officer Denise Knecht then took roll call, with all members present: Sharon Blinzler, Brian Bowsher, Jason Gruver, Pam Wampler, Chuck Wallace, and Leslie VanAusdale.
Also in attendance were Administrative Assistant Amanda Knecht and Police Chief Ken Jacob. Village Administrator Dawn Fitzcharles was absent.
The first order of business on the agenda was the approval of the meeting minutes from January 21. Gruver made the motion to approve, with Blinzler seconding. All members approved.
Mayor Day then delivered his report. He recognized the street department for their recent efforts with snow removal, stating they were “outstanding.”
Day followed with a proposal regarding the new community building being constructed at Miller Park. Miller Park was named in honor of Charles and Milly Miller, who purchased forty acres and donated it to the park.
Though most people know and recognize the patrons for whom the park is named, another resident donated forty additional acres. Lewis Brown was a 1928 graduate of Edgerton High School. Louie, as his friends called him, was involved in sports and school plays. Brown was unfortunately diagnosed with tuberculosis and underwent many treatments. Brown returned to his hometown of Edgerton after recovering.
Brown became an active community member, participating in the Green Lantern Drama Club, which performed plays in the old Opera House, now the town hall.
Upon his death in 1977, Brown donated forty acres of his family farm to the community, land that was incorporated into Miller Park the following year. The property—passed down from his mother—included a modest home, wooded acreage, and even an ice-skating pond.
Day shared a story of Brown taking his father squirrel hunting in his later years, saying the outing was worth every bit of effort just to let his father reconnect with the outdoors.
Brown’s father, who also battled tuberculosis, had served Edgerton as both fire chief and mayor, and the family once operated the Golf Gas Station as well. Despite his research, Day has been unable to locate any descendants, as Brown never had children.
Brown’s contribution was hidden beneath overgrown landscape for many years until one pre-pandemic clean-up project uncovered a memorial rock. Since then, the rock has been moved to a more prominent place, close to the baseball and softball field entrance.
With such a significant contribution to the park, Day felt strongly and proposed the council consider naming the new Community Building after Lewis Brown.
Moving into the Fiscal Officer’s report, Knecht began with the January financials, which had been provided to council electronically and would require an acknowledgment signature.
Knecht also noted that they are diligently working on the annual report, which will be provided at the next council meeting on February 18. Knecht asked for a motion to pay the bills, which was motioned by VanAusdale. Wampler seconded the motion, which was passed by all members.
Police Chief Jacob provided a brief report regarding the reclassification of an officer, to be approved later in the meeting. Jacob noted Officer Ashley Plotts had completed her probationary six-month period successfully.
Jacob stated there were no issues with her performance, and he does not anticipate any. Day then asked for the motion to approve the employee status change. The motion was made by Bowsher and seconded by Wampler. The motion passed unanimously.
A second motion regarding employment was to approve the status change of Electric Department employee Jeremy Wright.
Wright also successfully completed his six-month probationary period for Line Worker III and would now be classified as a Line Worker III.
Gruver motioned to approve the status change, with a second from Bowsher. All members approved the motion.
Lastly, Resolution 2026-002 authorizing participation in the Williams County multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan was considered. With no questions or discussion, Gruver made the motion to approve, and Wampler seconded, with all members approving.
Council discussion followed. Bowsher requested a Safety Committee meeting, stemming from a resident concern regarding lighting.
With all members being present, Bowsher, Blinzler, and VanAusdale agreed to set up a Safety Committee meeting for February 18 at 5:00 p.m., with the regularly scheduled Village Council meeting to follow at 5:30 p.m.
Wampler simply provided a thank you to the street department, echoing Day’s previous sentiments.
Day advised the council there would also be a Rules Committee meeting on February 11 at 5:00 p.m. to discuss rules and rates regarding the Community Building.
Lastly, Day noted several opportunities within the next few days to take advantage of community meal events. First, the Knights of Columbus will be hosting a fish fry on Friday.
On Saturday, Junior Class Parents are providing a Spaghetti Dinner prior to the Throwback Basketball game honoring the 1981 Girls State Basketball team, taking place in the Town Hall Gym.
On Sunday, there will be the firemen’s breakfast at the fire hall. In addition, there are several local options including Subway, Rocket’s, and Route 6 Pizza Barn.
With no further discussion, VanAusdale made the motion to enter executive session to discuss employment and compensation of a public employee.
Bowsher seconded, and with all members approving, the meeting adjourned to executive session at 5:50 p.m.