It’s the albatross around their neck; the yoke they’ve struggled to break. And in dealing with the cost and dangers of demolishing the old elementary school, the West Liberty Village Council has one clear takeaway — make sure the same doesn’t happen with the old high school building.
“We’re moving forward with the code enforcement officer to get ahead of this so it doesn’t get that bad,” West Liberty Mayor Jill McKelvey told the council at their Monday night meeting, March 27. “The high school should be condemned.”
In the meantime, they’re facing the worst possible scenario with that elementary school on W. Columbus Street, which is now beyond repair. “So we have a problem,” McKelvey said in introducing the issue. “The old elementary building is a hot mess. I’m not even sure we can save the bricks.”
Though the school has been condemned and hazardous for some time now, the situation has worsened due to the collapse of the third and fourth floors. The current estimate to take the building to ground would hit the village hard at $880,000. That would include demolition with asbestos removal.
In other action Monday night:
• Regarding the West Columbus Street bridge project, Councilwoman Jayne Griffith said they’re wrapping up the process of pulling in advertisers for the fundraising calendar’s main pages.
• Councilman Trent Spriggs is taking steps to obtain new poles for downtown American flags.
• Theresa’s Gingerbread House will be recognized as the April Business of the Month at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 4. The council has nominated three local businesses for the May honor: Ohio Caverns, Hillside Greenhouse and Shell.
• McKelvey noted a syphilis outbreak in Logan County with three cases in 2023, so far. She also stated there are currently 100 covid-related deaths in Ohio each week, including one in the county two weeks ago.
• The council addressed the numerous water breaks in the village, leading to an increase in the water plant run time at Green Hills, which is up 12 to 13 hours a day. The daily financial loss for the village reaches approximately $125.
• Ordinance 2023-08 to create a village fiscal officer instead of a clerk/treasurer passed its second reading.
• A difficulty with the village’s health insurance plan arose when 11 employees with family plans went $300,000 over the premium. As a result, they are moving forward with a plan that has a higher deductible, but costs only about $1,000 a month more.
Previously, the village put in the maximum amount, but the mayor wanted to change that so employees have more “skin in the game” and, as a result, would hopefully “make better choices.” McKelvey added, “We’re the only village that fully funded their HSAs. Good, bad or indifferent, healthcare is escalating.”
• On the council’s approval, part-time officer Brian Snider will now be paid $20 an hour during the year-long deployment and training of one of the village’s full-time officers. Snider will maintain that pay rate but go back to part-time once that year ends.
• According to Councilman Jim Hoffman, the March safety council meeting, which focused on active shooter scenarios, ended up being a recap of memories from the Jan. 20, 2017, shooting at West Liberty-Salem High School, along with general concerns. “It brought up some emotions,” Hoffman said. “I didn’t think it would.”
• Work on the Sidney and Leonard streets crosswalk is scheduled to begin July 10 and be done by Aug. 15. The cost—$136,000—will be paid by an ODOT safety grant.
• Painting of the south U.S. Route 68 bridge, to start on or around June 1, is also scheduled for an Aug. 15 completion. This work will be done from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, weather permitting. The Mad River Water Trail will be protected during that time and no materials may be dumped in the river.
• Bill Detrick, street superintendent, has thanked the council for his new pickup truck. The old one is being sold on govdeals and, as of Monday night, was at $3,800. Other street department updates included: efforts are underway to patch potholes, weather permitting; no trees came down during Saturday’s windstorm; and the council will ask Detrick to send a letter to residents regarding hazardous trees in the village. It is each individual homeowner’s responsibility to remove them, according to ordinance 909.04. The resident will then have 30 days to cut down the tree(s) after receiving the letter. They will have the option of requesting help from the village due to financial hardship.
• Cameras, including fake ones, have deterred vandalism around local parks.
• The council is still waiting on approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) for the aggregation update, which they hope to start in June. Since AES customers can expect to see a 30 percent jump in electric bills this summer, they hope to have the aggregate in place before then.
• In continuing efforts to document the histories of West Liberty veterans, the village recently finished a taping day focusing on women who were in the military. McKelvey described it as “amazing” and “a tearjerker.”
• In addition, West Liberty veterans are invited to a day trip to the US Air Force Museum this summer. Food will be provided by Brenda Snyder and Pig in a Pickle. Transportation for the six-hour round trip will run just under $1,000. They have 12 veterans signed up but have room for more. Each veteran can bring one guest. Berry Digital Solutions will be on-hand to capture memories. Those who are interested may contact the clerk’s office to register.
• The April 9 sunrise service at Ricketts Park has been canceled due to the retirement of UCC Pastor Debby Stinton because of health issues. “We will be lost without her,” McKelvey said.
• After one year of handing out Business of the Month awards, the council gave Marie’s Candies a thank you plaque for their involvement, specifically in offering a chocolate geared toward each winner throughout the year.
• A PowerPoint from the March 20 cybersecurity public informational meeting can be found on the West Liberty website.
• West Liberty’s Tree City USA application has been completed and the commission appointed. Bellefontaine’s Tree Commission has volunteered to mentor them through the process. Bellefontaine has been a Tree City for 41 years.
• West Liberty Business Association’s Easter bunny photo shoot will be held at the gazebo from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 1. This will be in conjunction with the Lions Club pancake breakfast the same morning from 8 to 11 a.m. at the firehouse.
• An Easter egg hunt, sponsored by Marie’s Candies, begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, at Lions Park. Children up through fifth-grade will be grouped by age.
The West Liberty Village Council’s next regular meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, April 10.