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 the lake.
Boy Scout Trevor Brumfield, of Troop 440, Richwood, approached council during the meeting about an Eagle Scout project he would like council to approve. He plans to re-purpose the old dock by making it into a bridge that would be installed between the east short of the lake and the small island, nicknamed “devil’s island.” He gave each council member a packet which included drawings and an estimated cost list of the project, near the amount of $1,300. As he purchases the materials, he will turn in all receipts to council for reimbursement, up to the $1300 cap.
Fellow boy scouts will also be assisting in the project. The former dock materials will be reconstructed into a bridge. Then, the bridge will be transported to its final location. Brumfield also stated that there will be a grand opening of the bridge. He said that his project may lead into another scout project of making a campsite on the island at a later date.
Council asked the scout a few questions regarding the project. It was suggested that he bolt on handrails so that in time, if they were welded, it would be easier to replace bolts then to re-weld it. Also asked, was any liability if there should be an accident during the construction of the project. Village Solicitor Alison Boggs suggested council contact their insurance carrier for clarification.
Council voted on the project and it was passed unanimously.
One council member asked about when the new tile from State Route 47, crossing the state road and headed into Edgewood Drive to East Ottawa Street and onto the Fulton Creek Ditch would be installed. Village Administrator Monte Asher said that work should begin soon. And then council also stated that they should invite Jason Wills back to tell council of his plan finishing Dudley Circle with a paved street.
Asher, police chief, told council during the police report that they have a defibrillator in the administration building and one in a police cruiser. The one in the cruiser is not able to be re-certified due to its age. The equipment in the building is nearing the end of its certification, but Asher stated that the life-saving equipment costs about $1,500 each and they would need two on hand. If an order was placed soon, the department could save $1,000 from a discount, but that the police equipment budget was nearly all used. A motion to move funds into the police equipment budget to purchase two defibrillators was approved by council.
In other business, council;
-Asked about when the stone around the lake in some bare spots would be replaced.
-Heard from a resident about the street light at the corner of Beatty Avenue and East Blagrove Street that has not been working for over a year. Council said that Ohio Edison has been contacted several times, but nothing has been accomplished yet. It was suggested that others call in and maybe it will be fixes.
-Heard that crews will be boring on North Franklin Street to install piping and electric wiring on both sides of the street. On the south end of Franklin Street, crews have been installing concrete pads for the new street lights, which should be installed before the end of the year;
-Heard that electric issues were repaired at one of the shelter houses and that the gazebo has been stained and sealed and a motion detector security light was installed in the north shelter house.
-Has told that the Born to Learn project has been installing painted items on the walking path and the North Union Art Club has been working on the project.
-Heard that the brush covering up signs on East Blagrove Street has been corrected by Dollar General.
-Was told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspection report showed everything was good and that the village should keep on top of the I and I (inflow and infiltration) work that they have been doing throughout the year.
-Heard taser re-qualification is set for Oct. 4 for the police officers.
-Was told that Woody Geer was sworn in as a new part-time police officer for the village;
-Heard that all the computers in the administration building need to be updated to Windows 10 by Dec. 31 as they are working with Edge Technology, who is the most cost effective solution. This includes all police computers and the billing clerk.
-Approved the second reading of the motion to certify amounts and rates to the county auditor regarding levies for the village on the Nov. 5 election and on the abatement for Richwood Banking Company.
The next regular meeting of village council will be held Monday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. in the village administration building, located at 153 N. Franklin St.