The Holiday City Council voted to look into purchasing a new storm siren if the siren that is currently under repair is not completed soon. For some time, the siren, which is located on the property of the Visitor’s Bureau in Holiday City, has not been operational due to electrical system problems. Parts for repairing it have been difficult to obtain, and it has not been easy to repair. The village is without a warning siren in the middle of tornado season, and this has made the council uneasy.
Village Administrator Gary Baker presented the council with information about a motorized storm siren which would be placed near the water tower out at Menards. This would be a much stronger siren and could be heard by those in the village. The motorized siren would be much easier to repair and maintain, and would be operational even during power outages. It would not need to be reset, and some of those currently in operation are still working after 50 years. Although money has already been spent toward repairs of the current siren, council member Ron Keil, Jr. said that he would like to move forward with the purchase of the new siren. Fellow council member Kristie Keil said that she wanted to assure the safety of the residents and visitors to Holiday City and their hotels and businesses. After some discussion, the council agreed to give the technicians a chance to finish repairs to the present siren, but if it cannot be fixed by September 1st, they will move ahead with purchasing a package to install a new siren at Menard’s.
Clerk/Treasurer Lauri TenEyck-Rupp gave the financial report. As of June 30, deposits were $514,991.67, expenditures were $537,406.25, leaving a balance of $2,223,059.37 in the village account. The total in the investment account was $172,805.30. Council approved for the clerk to go ahead and pay June’s bills. She also noted that election years were the only years during which the council can vote to raise the pay for council members and the mayor. This would affect only those whose offices are up for election. At present, two council members are in the middle of their terms while four council members and the mayor’s position are up for election. Council did not take any action.
Council heard the second reading of Resolution R-2013-4, a resolution accepting amounts and rates as determined by the County Budget Committee and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying said levies to the county auditor. This addresses an annual 1.6 millage that they receive every year. There were no other resolutions and no ordinances on the agenda for July.
In his Administrator’s report, Gary Baker said that he had recently met with ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) about the repaving of State Route 15. This is scheduled to occur in the year 2015, and the Holiday City portion that will be affected will be from Route 107 and then north to State Route 20. There will be no cost incurred by Holiday City.
Baker received an estimate for $1500 for landscaping around the new shelter house. There will be bushes and flowers planted along the walkway to the shelter and also in front of the shelter house. This will include 24 plants and a half dozen small bushes. The flowers planted will be perennials that will bloom again each year.
In unfinished business, Ron Keil had received an estimate for $3000 so that the ditches in Holiday City can be cleaned. This will include the cost of hauling dirt away. The project has been delayed so that he could contact Norfolk and Southern Railroad and ODOT who maintain property along the ditches. A motion to approve paying this cost for work on the ditches was voted on and approved.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned. The regular meeting of the Holiday City Council is held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Visitor’s Bureau.
