Strasburg Village Council

Barb Limbacher
·5 min read

Aug. 16 meeting

KEY ACTION Learned North Star Paving will be start milling Routes 21/250, through the village, depending on the weather, beginning Aug. 22

DISCUSSION: Village Administrator Ron Lambert said plans are to complete the milling of the road and begin paving the next week. He said the project (could) be completed by Labor Day. As the paving company moves closer to the downtown area, the traffic lights may be placed on caution. Three lanes through the village will also be installed. The company will be working from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. No parking signs will be erected on Wooster Avenue during the paving.

In another matter, Fire Chief Steve Laskey requested a new entry door at the south entrance of the fire station at a cost of $3,919 installed. The entry has changed because of the dorm/bathroom project and will now be a foyer that will display history and plaques about the fire department. Council approved the request.

OTHER ACTION

  • Issued permits for a new covered patio at 626 S. Bodmer Avenue; decks in front and rear of property at 128 10th St. NW; pool and fence at 96 Dale Avenue NW; fence at 825 Fernsell and a sunroom renovation at 164 Fourth St. SW.

  • Heard from Bruce Metzger, a resident, about the playground equipment that was removed from Franklin Park. He said the wooden pickup truck, he would have taken for his grandchildren and also said the he saw the old sliding board on Stony Point Road. Council told him the playground equipment was deemed unsafe and the insurance company would not cover it. A village had inquired about the old playground in July 2021, but they would need to sign a waiver. It was hauled away for scrap, as far as council knew.

  • Heard Metzger also inquire why the metal orange and black picnic tables purchased when The Burg Restaurant closed, were placed at the green space and not at the library. Mayor Steve Smith said the tables were a better fit at the greenspace on Wooster Avenue and plans are to bring new picnic tables to the library for their use. Metzger said no one sits on the benches that were recently placed at the greenspace donated by the Lions Club.

  • Heard a request for a reduction in a water/sewer bill when hoses on a water softener broke and water ran in the basement. The resident recently had surgery and was not aware of the broken hoses. Village Administrator Ron Lambert said they will check the condo and also look at the residents past water/sewer bills to see if something could be resolved.

  • Heard from Police Chief Dave Warrick they are looking to replace a police cruiser which will cost between $50,000 and $55,000.

  • Entered into a renewal contract with Kennedy Insurance for coverage of village property and liability at an annual cost of $31,683 an increase of $1,475 over 2021.

  • Heard a quote to repair one of the ball fields at the north end of Franklin Park will cost about $11,000. Volunteers are always needed to help take care of the fields. There is a sprinkling system at the three fields that is not being utilized.

  • Agreed to organize letters sent to an owner of a property to clean up the area and submit them to the prosecutor for court action.

  • Reminded police are enforcing speed limits in the village. Dundee-Strasburg Road has a speed limit of 25 miles per hour going west to the corporation limit and 55 coming east until the corporation limit. Motorists are asked to be cautious as school has started and children are walking and riding bicycles.

  • Held the first reading of an ordinance enacting a new section of the village codified municipal regulations, regarding repeat violations of ordinances that require notice of violation before prosecution or village Self-Help action. This ordinance deals with chronic offenders.

  • Passed as an emergency, an ordinance, hiring Abbigail Edwards, as a part-time new firefighter 240/EMT-B.

  • Learned the fire department has received a grant to replace an aged generator. The dorm/bathroom project should be completed by Dec. 1.

FOR YOUR INFO

  • A Fall Festival will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 12 at Franklin Park. There will be live entertainment, Strasburg band, food trucks, local businesses and organizations booths, pumpkin painting, children’s games, and piñatas at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. There will also be chances to win gift cards at local restaurants.

  • Wolf’s Landscaping placed cement edging around the library and police station. They will change the mulch to stone landscaping. Council thanked them for their donation.

  • Thanked the American Legion for donating new flags to the village hall, fire station, police and the school. They also donated $400 for school supplies and $500 toward the Love Tusc village sculpture project.Prior to the council meeting, a hearing was held for a variance to install a new sign at Valley Centre Mall. The new sign will be a stone monument and will be 13 feet high with a 40 - foot setback from Wooster Avenue.Village employees will soon begin spraying weeds along the curb lines.The grass curb strip is the responsibility of the property owner to mow and maintain.A work session will be held at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 24 with Franklin Township Trustees to discuss the fire contract between the township and village. No action can be taken in a work session.Set Fall Cleanup for Oct. 11. Items can be set out with the trash. A list of accepted and non-accepted items is available at the village hall.

UP NEXT meets at 6 p.m. Sept 6 at 224 North Bodmer Avenue.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Strasburg Village Council meeting