By: James Pruitt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
Beginning Oct. 1, the village of Montpelier will officially be out of the trash hauling business.
This comes after the Village Council accepted the bid of Archbold Refuse Service to do trash and recycling collection. The new service will be for one day per week, instead of four under the village’s control.
Current employees assigned to the garbage truck will be reassigned where needed.
Archbold Refuse Service’s bid was for $11.20 for monthly for curbside garbage/recycling and $10.50 monthly for senior citizens. This includes two 96-gallon receptacles.
Republic’s bid was $13.20 for monthly curbside garbage/recycling and $12.20 monthly for seniors.
The break-even point is for residents who currently use two bags a week at $1.15 per bag, manager Kevin Brooks said.
If the village council had chosen to stay with the current arrangement, the price for bags would have risen to raise money for a new garbage truck in three to five years, Brooks said.
ARS representative Michele Ryder said the company was eager to get started. She promised to work diligently for the residents.
Some of the changes with the new service is the end of cleanup day. ARS will do bulk pickups on the last collection day of each month.
Residents will be encouraged not to purchase large quantities of trash bags as the Oct. 1 date nears.
When ARS takes over, containers may be placed by the curb 12 hours before collection and must be removed within 12 hours after collection.
Involvement by the state has led village officials to rethink a solar-powered flashing crosswalk sign on Main Street near the library.
The village was ready to go forward with the light, but after Supervisor of Administrative Services Kurt Roan contacted ODOT because Main Street is also a state route, the cost for a solar flasher doubled, manager Kevin Brooks said.
The village will add the flasher to the budget, but the cost went from $4,000 to $10,000. The state likes the light the village proposed as it has an 88 percent effective rate.
Roan had concerns that if the village put this flasher in, would the fair ask for one and would others follow suit?
Brooks said the flasher would only be activated when someone pressed the button. Having the light remain on would reduce its effectiveness.
The village will have to prioritize the crosswalks before implementing the lights, Mayor Steve Yagelski said.
In other news, the village police will be asked to take note of street lights that are not working while out on patrol.
– Yagelski said he did not ban the sale of produce at the fairgrounds as a rumor circulating through town has stated. The village has no authority on the fairgrounds, he said.
– The village has submitted a list of eight properties it would like funding to take down through the new Land Bank. The bank provides financial assistance to remove vacant and blighted properties.
– The village will conduct a review of the Comprehensive Plan of 2001, Manager Kevin Brooks said. There will be a panel to ask questions and an executive committee named as well.
– The village and the chamber are teaming up this Halloween to show the spooky side of the community with a couple of ghost walks. The plan is for guided tours of several spots in town and the stories that go along with them. The purpose is to have a good time, so the veracity of the stories will not be checked.
James Pruitt may be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com