Aging infrastructure and downtown pedestrian safety were primary topics of conversation Wednesday, Jan 18, at a quarterly meeting of the Logan County Mayor’s Association. Local officials from each of the county’s municipalities also continue to try and balance how to leverage state and federal funding with the associated, and sometimes changing, bureaucratic caveats.
Still, the county’s mayors continue to try and work together — especially with neighboring locales — to maximize local resources to benefit all county residents.
A pair of serious pedestrian accidents in downtown West Liberty bookended 2022, and village officials there are now grappling with how to increase crosswalk awareness for motorists turning onto or off of primary thoroughfares in the village.
A woman sustained multiple broken bones, including a fractured pelvis as a result of a crash that occurred December in downtown, West Liberty Mayor Jill McKelvey said.
A factor in both of those pedestrian crashes is motorists turning right or left on a green light and failing to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk, she added. Village council is weighing its options, which could potentially include additional digital signage situated in busy crosswalks.
In other matters of pedestrian and resident safety, the village of Quincy is working on plans to contract with DeGraff for additional law enforcement presence in the village. Deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office provide some monitoring through the village, however, additional enforcement from the neighboring village could increase visibility, as well as response times.
Officials in the village of DeGraff will seek to pass an additional income tax measure on the May ballot for the purpose of constructing and maintaining a new fire station, according to discussion. A new fire truck will have to be purchased by the village by 2027 and it would not fit in the current fire department. Council weighed the cost of renovating the existing building, but has ultimately determined it would be more cost effective to construct a new building.
A site has not yet been determined for the new fire department, but the village council is considering in the vicinity of County Road 24, near the ball fields.
The village of Lakeview is working toward moving ahead with a lead remediation grant to dispose of the hazardous material from older structures, but is running into hangups from the Environmental Protection Agency, Mayor Ryan Shoffstall said. Requirements for how and where grant funds can be implemented continue to change the mayor said, adding that council is steadfast in getting answers from the EPA.
The next quarterly mayor’s meeting is set for April 19 in West Mansfield.