PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN/ THE VILLAGE REPORTER
RECEIVING RP3 DESIGNATION DIAMOND MEMBER AWARD … Montpelier Electric Superintendent Tim Fry (above) displays the RP3 Designation Diamond Member Award which was presented by the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service to the Village of Montpelier at its regular council meeting on Monday, April 27.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Montpelier Village Council recognized the Montpelier Municipal Utilities for achieving the RP3 Reliable Public Power Provider Diamond Level Member Designation at its regular council meeting on Monday, April 27 at the Montpelier Electric Department.
The award presented by the American Public Power Association at its recent meeting on March 31 recognized the Village of Montpelier for providing reliable and safe electric service.
The RP3 designation, which lasts three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement.
Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. Montpelier Municipal Utilities joins more than 250 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation.
“This year there were 118 communities of the more than 2,000 public power utilities which earned some type of RP3 designation,” said Village Manager Jason Rockey.
Rockey credited fiscal officer Nikki Uribes, who had worked very hard in compiling a lot of information which had taken her several weeks to put that together.
He also credited American Municipal Power (AMP) was also a big help with that and making sure the village’s application was complete.
“This isn’t some small undertaking,” pointed out Rockey. “Nikki (Uribes) is extremely glad that isn’t any more often than in every three years, because it takes a long time to put a lot of hours to put all of that information together into that application. So that’s a credit to both Nikki (Uribes) and Tim’s (Fry) crew.”
The electric department also received a diamond level award for excellence in safety, and they also received a certificate of excellence in reliability during the APPA’s Engineering and Operation Conference also held in March.
ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT 2025 REPORT
Electric Department Superintendent Tim Fry gave his 2025 annual report. Fry told council members there were a number of electrical projects completed as well as repairs throughout the village during the year.
He noted the severe storm that did some serious damage on March 30, 2025, to the electrical infrastructure including the electric department and industrial park areas, plus four multiple poles that were snapped during the storm.
“We appreciate all the entities that helped with restoring power to the community,” noted Fry in the annual report.
WABASH CANNONBALL TRAIL PROJECT
Council approved Task 11 which is a Stage 2 Detailed Design for Phase for the Wabash Cannonball Trail in the amount of $27,640, and the Right-of-Way Plan Preparation $18,960.
“Because the existing right-a-way that we have along the Martin Sprocket property on Airport Road is not wide enough to put in the full trail,” commented Rockey.
“That is going to require talking to the railroad (Norfolk Southern) and see what we can work out there.” Aspects of the design still need to be completed because the village only had $300,000 with which to work initially.
“The only design work we were approving at that time was enough to use that $300,000,” said Rockey.
“Later, we got the TAP (Transportation Alternative Program) and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety grant, so now we’re able to do more work and we’re actually looking at construction.”
Acquiring additional right-of-way will be done later down the road at a cost of $45,000. Rockey added that the council’s approval of the funding will enable the project to keep it moving on through June.
VILLAGE MANAGER’S REPORT
Rockey had brought to the attention of the council that several residents have been blowing their mowed grass into the road.
“When it rains, that grass gets washed down into our storm sewer system and it can cause localized flooding when catch basins get plugged up because of too much debris,” said Rockey.
“We do have village ordinances that explain to people you have to keep any kind of yard waste up on the terrace, not into the road.
“The village does pick up sticks and leaves; we don’t pick up mowed grass. But mowed grass can be bagged and taken out to the compost area on Brown Road.”
He reported that last week the Maumee Valley Planning Organization had opened sealed bids on Tuesday, April 21 for the East Main Street Waterline Project. They also held another bid opening on Thursday, April 23, due to a clerical error which was misstated at the time of the bid opening on Tuesday.
On Thursday’s bid opening, after receiving two bids on Tuesday, the original low bidder complained about taking late bids.
The Williams County Commissioners then decided to reject the late bid and return it unopened, and that’s what they elected to do. The late bid contractor complained that their bid wouldn’t get considered.
“That has caused at least a couple of days of delay here for us,” said Rockey. “We were hoping the bid opening was set up so we can come tonight to ask you to approve a recommendation of a contractor to do that work.
“We’re still waiting on a recommendation from Maumee Valley Planning Organization to say how we are going to move forward.
“Once we have the next steps are, we get a recommendation from Maumee Valley Planning Organization to approve a certain contractor. We will also have a letter from our engineer (Tony Hoeffel) recommending the same contractor and then will bring that to council to approve.
“Until we get the recommendation from Maumee Valley, we can’t do anything.”
Rockey pointed out something that Justin Houk had brought up at the supervisors meeting, that they are looking at as many as five new single-family homes that are going to be built in the village hopefully this year.
He added that three of those homes have applied for permits already, and none of those homes are coming from the Williams County Port Authority.
“The reason I think that’s significant is because that’s definitely not a knock on the Port Authority, that’s praise to the Port Authority for kick-starting investment in residential development in our communities in Williams County,” added Rockey.
“That’s been a great program, and that was one of their hopes when they started building homes was that it would make developers see that houses can be built and sold for profit and that’s starting to be noticed.
“This is a significant year for us with five new homes being built without the Port Authority’s help.
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
GayLynn Harris, who is the chairman of the National Day Of Prayer Breakfast for Montpelier, addressed council in regard to the 75th National Day of Prayer which will be held on Thursday, May 7 at First Presbyterian Church. Breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by the prayer service at 9 a.m.
The purpose of the National Prayer Day is to pray for the village council as well as other local leaders.
FRIENDLY SAFETY REMINDER FROM THE MAYOR
Mayor Steve Yagelski said parents are responsible for their children on “electric anything” such as bicycles and scooters.
He also cautioned drivers to be alert as he has already seen people run stop signs.
The council went into an executive session to discuss personnel. No action was taken. Next council meeting is Monday, May 11 at 6 p.m.
MONTPELIER VILLAGE COUNCIL
Council Recognizes Montpelier Municipal Utilities
For RP3 Diamond Level Member Designation