The Richwood Council approved the organization of committees for 2023 at a recent meeting.
Council members Donnie Ridgeway and Reddy Brown serve on the Richwood Revitalization Committee, which manages fundraising to repair the Richwood Opera House. Residents Gail DeGood-Guy, Tracy Plouck, Sue Bails, Rachel Shadel and Aaron Smith also serve on the committee. Lynne Ledley, Lynne Hall and Laurie Eliot-Shea are alternate members.
The Richwood Park Trailblazers Group, which hosts fundraisers every year to improve the amenities, consists of Mayor Scott Jerew, Brown and Council Member George Showalter. Other members are residents Justin North, Christy McMahon, Brad Shearer, Carmen Shields, Alma Beal, Andrea Irland, Tamisha Matus, Mark Blinn, Paula Parker, Rita Monroe, Rusty Fry, Monte Asher, Sellers and Barbara Parish.
The Streets and Vacant Properties Committee consists of Council member Pat Morse, Ridgeway and Zoning Inspector Marion Bump.
Village Administrator and Police Chief Monte Asher, Morse and Ridgeway serve on the Regulatory Committee, which meets at the end of February, July, October and December. The committee is responsible for reviewing operations with department heads.
The Compliance Committee, consisting of Council member Von Beal, Brown and Sellers, reviews EPA reports, fiscal audits, tax reports and ordinance publication and printing. The committee also visits facilities and makes recommendations to the village administrator.
Jerew, Brown, Jim Dew, Laurie Eliot-Shea and Cheryl Johncox serve on the Planning Commission.
The Board of Zoning Appeals consists of Northern Union County Fire and EMS District Fire Chief Randy Riffle, Council member Jackie Hamilton, Joe Ackerman, Jimmy Inskeep and Kelly Jerew.
Gus Jerew and Gene Wiley will serve on the Building Appeals Committee.
Showalter is the council representative for the LUC Regional Planning Committee, and Jerew serves on the Union County Corrections Planning Board. Beal sits on the Northern Union County Fire and EMS District Board as the council representative, and Brown serves as the council representative for the Richwood Area Business Association.
Additionally, the council approved its 2023 meeting schedule.
The council will meet on the second and fourth Mondays every month at 7 p.m. at the municipal building, 153 N. Franklin St.
The only adjustments to the schedule are for holiday observations. The council will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, because of Columbus Day. The council will also move up the final December meeting to Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, at 7 p.m. because Christmas is on the fourth Monday next year.
In other business:
-The council held an executive session to discuss personal items.
-Jerew said he met with Village Supervisor Nick McDonald about the parking lot on Lynn Street. Construction will be delayed for a while because of the weather, but tree removal will start soon. Then, a fence will be installed around the parking lot.
-The council is beginning to consider a location for restrooms at the beach area.
-Brown said the current Richwood Bank Marketing building, which is the former site of Charles Auto, will be demolished for a parking lot in the future when the new bank building is constructed.
-The council stated a new restaurant, Chef’s Parlour, is open for business downtown on South Franklin Street.
-The Hope Center is open at 10 N. Franklin St. The nonprofit held its Christmas Store at the new location, bringing over 1,000 people to Richwood, Sellers said.
-Village employees installed snow removal signs. Residents are advised to look for the signs when parking in the downtown area. In accordance with the village ordinance, vehicles parked in the snow tow-zone between midnight and 6 a.m. when there is two or more inches of snow will be towed and impounded.
The next council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.