The West Liberty Village Council decided to switch things up at Monday night’s meeting. After taking care of some initial business, the council members left the confines of their usual space and took to the streets to get an on-hand view of several issues.
But the true focus of the night came later when they walked to 420 W. Columbus St., the abandoned former West Liberty elementary school. With a large hole in its roof, broken windows, mold, mildew and collapsing floors, the building is not only an eyesore but has become a danger to the community.
“Our main concern is we’ve found evidence kids have been in it,” Mayor Jill McKelvey stated earlier. “We don’t want someone to get hurt.”
Police Chief Shane Oelker met them there to provide an update regarding recent break-ins at the old school. One such incident happened on April 14, which he presented in a report to the council.
While inspecting the exterior of the building, Oelker discovered several broken windows. He also found an open door on the west side with a damaged lock. Concerned that a crime was in process or had recently taken place, he called on Sergeant Lee Deloye to assist as backup on a building sweep.
The inside of the building was a disaster, with large holes in the floor, trash, animal feces and puddles of water along with a “very strong, foul-smelling odor.” They also saw evidence of criminal activity.
“I expressed concern to Sgt. Deloye,” Oelker wrote, “that individuals trespassing in the building are at a great risk of injury because of the instability of the building.”
But despite the willingness of the council to move forward in condemning the building, they are being held back because of the building’s owner, who, so far, has refused to respond to their contact efforts.
According to the Logan County Auditor website, Scott O’Donnell purchased the property in 2017 for $22,000. As of Monday, he owed approximately $18,000 toward the mortgage and over $2,300 in back taxes.
Until the council hears back from O’Donnell or the property lienholder, however, they can’t move forward. Even then, it will be a slow process as they would first need to contact the village code enforcement officer who would meet with the health department. The health department would then make the decision about condemning the building.
Walking Tour
The council considered four downtown issues while on a walking tour Monday night:
- Vacant buildings and the deteriorating condition of some building exteriors, plus the need for new, more-visible business signs. They hope to encourage the business association to put up matching signs that will be easier to see while driving through town.
- Continued discussion on how to make the intersection of U.S. Route 68 and State Route 245 safe for pedestrians included setting the white stop line farther from the stoplight.
- They considered what to do about the concrete slab next to the Shell station, where Liberty Machine used to be. Though the main discussion concerned putting in a parking lot, the city doesn’t own the property. “But we want it,” Council President Jayne Griffith added.
- Finally, the walked to the corner of Tupper and Baird streets, pointing out the parking spot that seems to cause the most visibility problems when a vehicle —especially a large one — is parked there. But while it’s a difficult intersection to navigate, they have not had any accidents as a result.
Other Business
- Griffith presented numerous bills toward the Columbus Street bridge project. While the cost adds up, most of it was key information gathering and a lot of that is reusable. “It shows good faith for the grant,” Griffith said. “The more planning you do, the more seriously they take your application.” The council agreed.
- The council also approved a $1,900 bid by JT Tree Service of Bellefontaine to cut down and remove an old walnut tree at Sherman Ricketts Park. That price includes grinding the stump. Also, once it’s cut down, JT can determine if the wood is worth anything. If so, that price would be deducted from the cost. Current estimates are $200 to $300 dollars, but not if the tree is hollow, as some seem to think it might be.
- A decision was made to approve a new medical insurance plan that will save the village thousands of dollars. After overpaying for five months, this reduction will benefit West Liberty employees once it starts June 1, 2022. Eventually, they hope to add vision and dental, but all 10 village employees need to say they’ll sign up for it first.
- The Arbor Day tree planting will take place at Lions Park at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29.
- At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5, the new mural will be unveiled at Solomon’s Garage on South Detroit Street as part of National Tourism Week.
The next council meeting will return to its regular time and place — 7 p.m. at the village town hall.