North Lewisburg Council voted to allow the closing of a small section of Route 245/East Maple Street to accommodate Cardinal Pizza’s “Celebrate Life” Festival on Oct. 14.
The fourth-annual festival is a fundraiser for the Drew Mason Memorial Scholarship Fund. Don Van Zant, Cardinal’s Pizza owner, was the recipient of Mason’s liver after he was killed in a car crash in 2012.
Van Zant requested the road be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 14 to accommodate the festival that celebrates organ donation and the generosity of the North Lewisburg community. This year’s event has 15-20 vendors.
Council agreed to approve the road closure if it was feasible. The village will have to consult its attorney and have contracts drafted including appropriate insurance coverage and risk transfer language along with requesting a road closure through ODOT. The village has offered several alternative road closings for the event.
Andy Yoder, village administrator, who was unable to attend the meeting, explained his position on the closure request in an email to Mayor Cheryl Hollingsworth and all council members.
“If Council does choose to agree and proceed with the request for a closure, I would recommend the village makes no attempt at detouring/routing local traffic or those who fail to adhere to the ODOT detour,” Yoder wrote. “If someone chooses to not comply with the ODOT detour, we should not assume the liability of directing them to utilize our residential streets, in a non-emergent situation. I would also recommend during the event, that extra policing be on patrol to mitigate any traffic issues.”
Hollingsworth said she is very happy the event is growing and just wants to ensure the safety of the village.
Karen Bailey, Champaign County Auditor, discussed the upcoming revaluation of property that will take place countywide. Village residents should expect their properties to be evaluated in mid to late October.
Bailey said all staff conducting the audit will be wearing vests and travel in cars marked with “Auditor’s Appraisal Staff.” All police and fire officials have been notified.
Randy Williams, Rush Township Trustee, reported on the Township Safety Signs Grant Program. The areas of Rush Township, Woodstock and North Lewisburg were recently identified as one of the top 200 areas with the highest recorded traffic accidents as documented from 2010-2014.
The grant program will provide all new signs, posts, reflectors and bolts for Rush Township and the villages of Woodstock and North Lewisburg. The only cost to the village would be the labor to install the signs.
Mechanicsburg officer Scott Bodey gave the policing report for July 11 through Sept. 10. The police reported 90 warnings, 95 citations, 185 total traffic stops,115 reports and three felony indictments.
Bodey also addressed some comments on the North Lewisburg Facebook page regarding policing. He said the police make it a priority to consider all citizen concerns. Traffic concerns were the prevailing issues requested by the community when the Mechanicsburg police first began their contract with the village earlier this year.
Bodey said the police do the best they can with the budgeted hours allotted to them. He explained that four warrant arrests over the last several months were the direct result of routine traffic stops.
The police will begin enforcing the removal of junk motor vehicles this month.
“I have been very pleased by the efforts of the Mechanicsburg Police Department,” Hollingsworth said.
The board adjourned into executive session for the discussion of personnel. No action was taken.
The next regular council meeting will be Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
In other news, the board:
-Declared Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week
-Set Halloween Beggars Night will be Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.
-Learned the RITA Subpoena program will be onsite Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.