Union County Auditor Andrea Weaver attended the recent Richwood Village Council meeting to inform council members about the three levies that will be on the Nov. 5 ballot. Council members were surprised to hear that two of the levies on the ballot expired in 2018, but are still collecting in 2019. Those two levies are for current expenses, which started in 2014 and expired in 2018. The second expired levy was for the park, which started in 2014 and expired in 2018. It also is collecting income through 2019. If these two levies are not approved during the Nov. 5…
Author: Sherryl Sheets of the Richwood Gazette
With the progress of a few projects this year in Richwood, the removal of trees had many residents upset. Village council members said they feel the village’s infrastructure is very important to maintain and the last several years has cost the village a lot of money in fixing water and sewer lines. Much of the destruction is due to the type of trees that have damaged the lines. Council recently formed a committee to look into the type of trees that are beneficial to the landscape and less harmful to water and sewer lines. Those “water seeking” type of trees…
Every successful business prepares a plan for the future of their business and North Union’s administration told the school board the district’s five-year strategic plan for success. Elementary principal Darlene Allison told the board that at the elementary level, “student programming” is the focus. Educators spend time on student wellness, making sure that students feel comfortable about talking with an adult, even if it’s not about school. Teachers want the students to also have social emotional learning. Communication between children and adults is important when they made need help or support. Matt Burggraf, middle school principal, said that his staff…
Richwood Mayor Scott Jerew informed council that the new floating handicapped fishing dock was installed last week at Richwood Lake. The dock was acquired by the receipt of grant money from the Christopher Reeves Foundation. One fisherman has already used the new addition to the lake in his wheelchair and told Jerew how nice it was to be able to fish again. Jerew also stated that the new shelter house was to be delivered Tuesday and that work on that structure will take place very soon. Council all said how excited they were with the new things taking place at…
There is a lot of work taking place in Richwood, so council got an update from every corner of the village at Monday night’s regular meeting. Village Administrator Monte Asher announced that the west side of North Franklin Street will be closed to parking, from West Ottawa Street to West Blagrove Street today and Thursday. Ohio Complete General has been boring into the ground on North and South Franklin Streets, preparing to install new street lights. This is part of the Ohio Department of Transportation Franklin Street Beautification grant. Approximately 70 new street lights will be added along the main…
The North Union Board of Education meeting was held Monday at the administration building with Jean Wedding and Matt Staley absent from the meeting. Board member Shelly Ehret gave the board an update on the Tri-Rivers Career Center, as she serves on its board. Ehret said that Tri-Rivers serves nine area schools, which includes North Union, Ridgedale, Elgin, River Valley, Pleasant, Marion City (Harding), Mt. Gilead, Cardington and Highland school districts. During the 2018-2019 school year, there were 240 students enrolled at Tri-Rivers, including 20 students from North Union. For the 2019-2020 school year, North Union will have 64 students…
Residents continue to attend the Richwood Village Council meetings to check on any updates regarding the flooding issues residents have endured after heavy rains. Mayor Scott Jerew stated that a packet with a price tag was presented to Brenneman Excavating, which is the company working on the North Franklin Street project. Access Engineering has submitted a project that would help replace some broken tiles that runs from Landon Road to East Blagrove Street between Plotner Hardware and Ken Davis and Sons. It then crosses by the Suds and Stow car wash and storage business to Dudley Circle to Edgewood Drive…
Richwood Mayor Scott Jerew called an emergency meeting of village council Monday, stating that he received a lengthy email from Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips regarding the wording on the three levies that Richwood voters will see on the Nov. 5 ballot. Apparently, council had not received the most recent Ohio Revised Code and Phillips noted that the wording in the levies were not up-to-date. At the emergency meeting, council voted to suspend the rules due to time constraints in meeting the Aug. 7 deadline to submit a request for the levies on the ballot. A second emergency meeting was…
The last several council meetings have had numerous residents within the village questioning solons about the continued flooding in Richwood. Many questions have been raised, so Mayor Scott Jerew invited Union County Commissioners Steve Stolte and Charles Hall, State Representative Tracy Richardson of House District 86, Dorothy Pelanda, Ohio Director of Agriculture, Jeff Stauch, Union County Engineer and Jeremy Burrey with Union Soil and Water Conservation District, to hear council’s concerns and ask them for their support regarding the village flooding. Pelanda began the dialogue by giving Jerew a list of state and federal agencies to contact for grants to…
OSP Officer Brian Holden attended council’s meeting Monday night to donate his retired four-year-old drug K-9, Karo, to the Richwood Police Department. The dog retired when Officer Holden left the K-9 unit for the highway patrol recently. Since he was the handler for Karo, the dog retired with him. Village council unanimously approved the offer and thanked him. He assured council that the dog was ready to go to work. (Richwood Gazett Photo by Sherryl Sheets) –––– More than 20 residents attended the Richwood Village Council meeting Monday evening, asking what the officials planned to do about recent flooding. Residents…
Bev Wasserbeck, food service director for North Union, presented a report to the board of education at North Union’s regular meeting Monday night. She stated that 38.7% of North Union students are enrolled in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. She also said that she doesn’t think everyone understands the importance of the program to the school district. At the beginning of the school year, students bring home several papers for parents to fill out and return to school. One of those forms includes an application to the lunch program. The district goes through the National School Lunch Program and…
Richwood Village Council members were told that there are three levies which are coming up for renewal. There is a 1.2-mill levy for the general fund, which brings in $30,885, set to expire soon. After much discussion, council decided that it would put this renewal levy on the Nov. 5 ballot. This levy, originally approved in 2010, would result in no new money on residents’ tax bills if approved. Council also voted to place on the November ballot a renewal of 3.2-mill levy, which would be designated for the general fund. This levy would generate $82,360. The third levy is…
Richwood Village Administrator Monte Asher gave an update on Phase 1 of the North Franklin Street project to council on Tuesday. A sign has been posted to alert travelers that in early September, the street will be closed to traffic for 60 days. The only vehicles that will be permitted to travel through the project will be emergency vehicles and residents who live in that section of North Franklin Street. Asher said storm laterals are being installed and water lines will be added about the first week of June. The next step will be digging up the street. A depth…
The North Union Board of Education held their monthly meeting at the North Union Middle School Monday evening. Board members toured the facility prior to the start of the meeting. NUMS Principal Matt Burggraf gave a report of great things taking place in the school. A seventh grade boy talked about the “Driven” program, that was started by Roy Hall and Antonio Smith, both former Ohio State University students and football players. Their goal was to give back to schools to teach students about leadership and making a mark on someone in your life. This is a program for middle…
Richwood Village Council members questioned Village Administrator Monte Asher on the status of the Franklin Street project at Monday night’s meeting. Asher said things have been going quite well. New gas lines have been installed from Beatty Avenue/North Franklin Street and down Landon Road. The weather has cooperated and crews have been busy. Councilman Pat Morse told Asher that a resident has asked if it were possible to keep their sandstone sidewalk when the next phase begins in their area. Asher said that if the resident wanted to take out the sandstone blocks, that he was sure the contractor would…