(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
RETIREMENT … Chief Tim Livengood (left) and Mayor Ed Kidston awarded SRO Jim Snivley (center) a plaque of service celebrating his recent retirement.
(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SPLASH PAD CONTEST WINNER … (Left to Right) Jackie Howard (grandma), Madix Munger, and Mayor Ed Kidston. Kidston presented a winning certification announcing Madix as one of the winners of the Splash Pad contest. Madix is one of three who will be pushing the start button at the Grand Opening.
(PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SPLASH PAD CONTEST WINNER … (Left to Right) Mayor Ed Kidston, Maci DeLong, Ashley DeLong (mom) presented a winning certification announcing Maci as one of the winners of the Splash Pad contest. Maci is one of three who will be pushing the start button at the Grand Opening.
(PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SPLASH PAD CONTEST WINNER … (Left to Right) Mayor Ed Kidston, Adam Nickloy, Joe Nickloy (grandpa). Kidston presented a winning certification announcing Adam as one of the winners of the Splash Pad contest. Adam is one of three who will be pushing the start button at the Grand Opening.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Pioneer Village Council held its monthly regular meeting on June 9, at 7:00 p.m.. All council members were in attendance, including; Council President Ben Fiser, Joe Nickloy, Dean Frisbie, Trevor West, Alan Fiser, and Chris Gendron. Mayor Ed Kidston, Solicitor Tom Thompson, Administrator Anthony Burnett, and Fiscal Officer Nikki Mittelstaedt were also in attendance.
Before the meeting kicked off, a minor amendment was introduced asking the council for an executive session to discuss a potential property acquisition.
A public hearing was held concerning the renaming of Core-Way Drive located in Pioneer. Mayor Kidston filed the petition and requested the name change to Artesian Avenue.
This change will affect one residence and a business, and the only cost to the town will include the street sign replacement.
This potential ordinance, formally known as Ordinance 15-2025, was met with much discourse in the community.
Many questioned the need, especially since the proposal came from the mayor, however, the council noted that any resident of Pioneer is free to file a petition and change street names at any time.
“What’s the reasoning behind changing the name?” one audience member called out. Ben Fiser responded, “There seems to be a precedent where other roads in that direction are named based on businesses in existence.”
“Core-Way Enterprises is gone, and so we are just trying to go with what we have out there.” The Pioneer Artesian business is currently the only business located on Core-Way Drive.
It was noted in the formal letter that Artesian already owns 75% of the property on Core-Way Drive, as well as the only structure on the street.
“Pioneer has a long history of promoting their businesses with street names,” Administrator Burnett stated as he read the proposal, “most recently in 2016, with the addition of Transformer Avenue to recognize Pioneer Transformers’ expansion.”
“I just think there are other names it could be,” called out an outspoken audience member.
The council moved to suspend the rules, but the motion failed due to a lack of quorum. A first reading of Ordinance 15-2025 was held, and no final decision was made. Pioneer can expect the issue to return to July’s agenda.
Following the mayor’s brief exit and return, the council approved the minutes of the previous regular Council meeting held on May 12. The May Financial Report was also approved without objection, along with the authorization for payment of bills.
Recognition was given to the recent Splash Pad winners: Jackie Howard (who represented son Madix Munger), Aaron Filson, and Ashley Delong.
The winners will be the first to press the start button at the grand opening of the new Splash Pad. Kidston continued to give a small progress update; the plumbing is in, the ground leveled, and the town is hoping to see concrete poured within a week.
Two visitors attended the council meeting. The first was Gary Miller, a long-time resident of Pioneer. He had written a letter to the council a few weeks prior, which stated:
“To whom it may concern. On May 15th, 2025, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Anthony (Village Administrator) was mowing a lawn at 121 Baubice St. owned by Mr. Ed Kidston (Mayor) with a village mower.”
“I feel this is a waste of taxpayers’ money. At different times, I have seen town employees mowing property along side of State Route 15, by fields owned by Mr. Kidston. I would call this theft in office.”
Kidston explained that Pioneer owns an easement along the State Route, and it is the village’s responsibility to keep it maintained. He also mentioned that he employs his own independent lawn care for his property, and the two do not intermix.
Burnett denied ever mowing any part of Kidston’s property and only does his expressed job duties.
“This has been a subject for 16 years,” Burnett sighed. “I’ve had council members take pictures of me mowing the hill, behind Jim’s barber shop, behind Sooz’s, just areas that never get upkeep. It didn’t look good for the town, so I started cutting weeds down and mowing.”
Miller continued to press that he saw Anthony with his own eyes, but without any proof, there was no action the council could take regarding the matter.
“I’ve never cut a shred of grass in that big lot – never have,” Burnett affirmed. “I only ever mow up to the crest of the hill, the easement, which is my job to do so.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” questioned Miller. “I suppose I am,” Kidston said.
The next guest was Jesse Brumbaugh, from the Williams County EMS. He presented a unique and interesting opportunity to the Pioneer Village Council.
Six EMTs have recently passed their coursework and are ready to serve in the Pioneer area. Due to the recent influx of volunteers, the Williams County EMS has begun the process of placing an ambulance back into the town.
A county medic unit, much like the vehicles located in the Edon, Edgerton, and Stryker locations, could find its new home in Pioneer.
Brumbaugh addressed the council asking for only a place to store it, as all expenditures will be taken care of by the county.
He carefully mentioned that this will not be a 24/7, 365-day ambulance, but only used when said paid volunteers are available. He thinks they will find themselves in service the most on nights, weekends, and holidays.
This ambulance will come at no cost to the town. The only financial obligation they can expect is the electricity cost needed to keep the monitors and equipment inside charged and ready.
Brumbaugh announced if council accepts this generous offer, they can have a vehicle placed in town within 30 days.
While the actual ambulance is still in the process of being bought from the City of Oregon, Brumbaugh is looking to get the eager volunteers a starting point as soon as possible to better serve the community.
Kidston raised some concerns about spacing. He noted that in recent years there have been complaints about not having enough space in the fire hall, and questions why that has changed now.
Council members were quick to admit that they do want to accept the gracious offer, as an ambulance has not been in the village since the year 2000.
“The license that you have (Board of Pharmacy License, to legally carry mediations in a temperature-controlled environment) has been renewed every two years, since 2000. The building should have been state-inspected.”
He mentioned that the Ohio Pharmaceutical Board he had spoken to had some confusion about the permit. Kidston expressed hesitancy to accept the offer, unlike the rest of council, and grilled Brumbaugh on details such as an additional chaser vehicle, how reliable the new EMTs are, and the previous costs of updating the Pioneer fire station.
Commissioner Scott Lirot chimed in. “We are giving you a gift here. Do you want a free ambulance or not?” He thanked Brumbaugh for his continued hard work on securing a stocked, ambulatory vehicle for the town.
“This is doing nothing but taking money out of the County General Fund – for Pioneer. This will cost us over $400,000 to stick an ambulance in that building.”
“Well, I’m glad that’s finally happening after 25 years,” responded Kidston. “I’m not saying no, I’m saying why does it have to be now?”
Brumbaugh stated that he would look into any and all permit problems, but to his knowledge, everything was up to date.
He stated to the mayor that, although some of the volunteers are new, they have excellent skills and his full confidence.
To clear confusion, he explained that while he had no part in the removal of the previous rescue vehicle, it was most likely removed due to a lack of volunteers or a low volume of calls.
“I think it’s a good deal,” Trevor West chimed in. “No way we can turn this down.”
A monthly police report was given by Chief Tim Livengood. He announced the retirement of the village’s SRO, Jim Snivley. After 49 years of service across the county, and most recently four years in Pioneer,
Livengood thanked Snivley for his continued service to the community. Kidston presented a plaque of honor and service to the now-retired SRO officer.
The administrator report, given by Burnett, noted several construction projects to be continued by Bryan Excavating.
Mosquito spraying had begun the day before the meeting. Several bids were accepted for the Sooz’s building demolition, and they are only waiting for the asbestos report to return.
Burnett asked the council to forgive the penalties on one trailer in the mobile home division. The trailer in question had been vacant for months and has been gathering monthly penalties due to the previous residents not paying their last month’s bill.
He explained that the property manager is willing to front the initial bill, with the penalties waived. The council obliged this decision, changing the original $1900 owed to $825.
Burnett stated that the manager is making great strides in the trailer park, cleaning the place up, and potentially adding several new homes in the future.
The mayor moved on to present the financials of the proposed solar field coming to Pioneer. This process has been in the works for several years.
Several loans and funding have been secured for the solar field, as well as the necessary environmental requirements.
In order to receive several loan forgiveness and tax credits, the Village is running on a strict timeline. A bill has been introduced to the House of Representatives involving said credits, and in order for their two-year plan to continue as planned, they would need to begin construction bids immediately to be grandfathered in.
Overall, Kidston explained that even the worst-case scenario with this project would still bring positive profit to Pioneer residents.
With ever-rising energy costs, the solar field is a great way to cut down on electricity. The tradition of a rebate, usually around $200, could see an increase of anywhere from $325 to $900 dollars.
Any local businesses that would buy electricity would also help increase the profit for Pioneer. Several ordinances and resolutions were approved in the meeting, including:
-Ordinance 16-2025. Amends the appropriations for 2025 and declares an emergency.
-Ordinance 18-2025. Accepts the proposal of KansaSolar LLC. for the purchase of design services for a solar field, authorizes the village administrator to sign all documents necessary to effectuate the agreement, and declares an emergency.
-Resolution 107-2025. Accepts the amounts and rate as determined by the Budget Commission, authorizes the necessary tax levies, and certifies them to the County Auditor.
With no further business to attend, the council moved to an executive session to discuss a possible property acquisition at 9:11 p.m.