(PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
MEDIC 7 UPDATES … Fire Chief Swank discussed the ongoing process of Medic 7, now stationed and functional in Pioneer.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Village of Pioneer Council held its regular meeting on July 14, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. All members were in attendance, as well as Mayor Ed Kidston, Fiscal Officer Nikki Mittelstaedt, Solicitor Tom Thompson, and Administrator Anthony Burnett.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, the meeting was called to order by the mayor. The agenda was approved with no corrections or additions.
Due to an ordinance of conflicting interests, Mayor Kidston briefly exited the meeting.
Ben Fiser, Council President, held the third and final reading of Ordinance 15-2025. This ordinance changes the name of Core-Way Drive to Artesian Avenue within the Village of Pioneer, Ohio.
It was approved with no discussion, with all members voting yes except Trevor West. The mayor then returned to the meeting.
Minutes from the regular council meeting on June 9, 2025, and the special council meeting on June 19, 2025, were reviewed and approved. The June 2025 financial report was also accepted, along with the payment of bills.
A police report, given by Chief Tim Livengood, was presented to council. Livengood mentioned longer response times, largely an IT and dispatcher issue, and resolved to improve on this in the future.
“The moment an officer gets dispatched, and the moment an officer arrives on scene, is the most critical point of time,” stated Livengood.
Roger Swank, Fire Chief, reported that Medic 7 was officially housed in the Fire Hall as of July 9, 2025. The crew had their first run on July 13, 2025.
Swank announced that in the short amount of time in service, Medic 7 has been 42% active. He hopes to continue to see it serve the rest of the northern part of the county as needed.
Limitations stretch from County Road 7 (west) to CR 18 (east), and cover Alvordton, Kunkle, Pioneer, Bridgewater, Lake Seneca, and more.
Swank noted that there are issues of cross-coverage with Pioneer’s current medic rescue team. He hopes to see this worked out in the future, and he noted this is to be expected when introducing a new unit to the village.
The administrative report covered a wide range of updates coming to Pioneer. Construction on Cedar Street is almost complete, with driveways and sidewalks to be started soon. Burnett asks residents to be patient during the process, as many might find their driveways blocked and unusable.
The substation construction has officially begun, with initial concrete being poured this week. This project is estimated to take two to three years to complete.
The Landbank has temporarily taken ownership of the Cogswell Building, across from the Fire Hall. The Village of Pioneer has agreed to this term as the Landbank will assume all costs of clean-up, with additional costs to the county.
November 13, 2025, marks a Pilot Trial Program set by the Health Department. This program will take place in the Pioneer Community Center, with a focus on health and child education.
Proper car seat inspections, WIC Representatives, and a free sign-up for car seats will be offered. Only those who apply for the income-based regulations will be eligible. This initiative will come at no cost to the town and is considered a “community outreach program.”
The Maumee Valley Planning Committee (MVPO) is reported to complete its asbestos testing on the Sooz building by August 30, 2025. Following approval, demolition is expected to begin sometime in September.
During the fiscal officer’s report given by Mittelstaedt, three payments from AquaBounty were noted to be received in the month of June.
This contains two electrical payments and one lawyer fee invoice, for around 100,000. This marks total payments from AquaBounty approaching the one million mark.
Mayor Ed Kidston marked a very successful “Pioneer Community Day” and thanked all those who made it possible.
He sent a special thanks to the group of local seniors who helped serve treats in the Community Center of their own free will, after seeing volunteers struggle to keep up with the crowds.
Kidston announced the rescinding of the contract from KansasSolar, the engineering company set to construct the upcoming solar field.
KansasSolar backed out of the presented contract due to “too much red tape” on their end. While originally quoted at $98,000 for construction, a new company has presented an offer for $84,000.
Seclusion Energy, the new proposed contractor, was approved for a new contract. After presenting a new budget, Kidston hopes to see signage at the end of the week.
While operating on a strict deadline due to the recent passage of President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the mayor is steadfast on starting construction before the end of the year.
“I’d like to energize this thing by the end of the year,” explained Kidston. “We have worked on the solar field for more than two years. The sooner we get this thing online, the quicker we are going to start saving our residents money.”
Ordinance 20-2025 included the repealing of previously accepted Ordinance 18-2025, which was the approval of contracting with KansasSolar.
The council then moved to suspend the rules and pass Ordinance 21-2025, accepting the proposal of Seclusion Energy Group, LLC, for the design of a 4.95 MW solar field.
Council entered executive session at 7:50 p.m. for the purpose of discussing personal compensation and property acquisition. No further action was taken.