Amy Achs, AP Erie Correspondent
The village of Erie held its June board meeting on Tuesday, June 13th with Jeff Wirth, Tara Kapple, Quincy Pool, and Joe Froeliger in attendance and Rollie Elder and Woody Besse absent.
The board discussed and approved the summer street work. The estimated cost for various proposed street work is $114,551 with the Cordova Road work estimated at $50,449. Mayor Smith reported that there is $100,000 available right now and with the total work about $160,000, the village will have to find $60,000. Funds for streets can only be taken out of the general fund. There is a savings general reserve account with money available, but the trustees decided to reduce the scope of work to save about $50,000. Unanimous approval was given for the county to seek bids for the following road work — 9th Ave.; Depot Ave.; 8th St. (dead end); 10th Ave. from 6th St to 8th St.
Reports from the Village’s Engineering firm for work on signage, triangle stop sign islands, and repairs to the sidewalk along the Albany Road side of the triangle were discussed. The recommended work was expensive, so it was determined that some simpler options could be tried first, including: turning 8th Ave from Main Street to 8th Street a one way allowing for more parking in front of the library and safer access to the Pots Office’s mailbox. A second idea was reconfiguring the stop sign islands using cheaper materials. An ordinance for the one way will be on the agenda for next month and Public Works plans to put in an option for the stop sign island on Main Street. There was also a suggestion to try for fixing the sidewalk along Albany Street.
Heritage Park Playground Equipment
The Board is seeking input about replacing Heritage Park’s playground equipment. Trustees discussed the situation at the last board meeting as another piece of the structure needed to be removed. The equipment is about 30-years-old and there are no longer replacements available. Trustees were given a catalog with playground equipment and asked to make suggestions, but members felt it was very expensive with a total replacement potentially costing over $100,000. A 50/50 grant is available, but it is due in July or August, and the paperwork is extensive, so it was suggested the new equipment could be put on hold until there is time to start the grant process for next year. Trustee Tara Kapple asked that the general public be involved to see what residents want in the space and how much should be spent. Another suggestion was the possibility of forming a “Friends of the Park” group of resident volunteers to get together to fundraise with the possibility of the village matching a percentage of the money raised.
Public Comment
Resident Chuck Milem brought the board a poster of the 1-to-5-year goals for the village that were highlighted in the Community Revitalization Strategy passed by the board a few months ago. Milem feels it is important for a board to keep an eye on their goals acknowledging that there were many that are currently being worked on, but a visual reminder can be helpful.
He also invited everyone to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new elementary building work on June 15th at 4:30.
Board Action
Unanimous approval was given for the resignation of Treasurer Doug Wherry effective July 1st.
Unanimous Approval was given for the following appointments:
Village Attorney – Bill Shirk
Building Inspector: Tod McCullough
Building Inspector Pro Tem: Tom Border
Cemetery Sextant: Steve Possley
Cemetery Sextant Pro Tem: Tod McCullough
Mayor Pro-Tem: Jeff Wirth
FOIA Director for Police and ESBA Director: Brian Hawk
Village FOIA Officer and Open Meetings Act Officer: Gail Possley
Zoning Board Chairman: Jason Neels
Treasure as of July 1st: Autumn Hutton
ADA Director – Joel Papineau
A statement explaining that the TIF District does not raise taxes is going to be added to the village website. Some residents were concerned that their taxes went up due to the new district but taxes go up based on the assessed value of the property. The TIF District simply changes where the tax money goes. Village Attorney Bill Shirk recommended that residents with questions contact the assessor’s office not the county clerk with questions.
Dept. Reports
Revitalize Erie – Michelle Misfeldt reported that the Memorial Day breakfast was a success with volunteers serving about 200 breakfast burritos. The recent movie night was moved inside with about 30 kids and 10 adults attending. Street Fest is the next big event and Revitalize Erie asked for permission for the usual street closures for the event, which was unanimously approved.
Police – Chief Brian Hawk reported that May has been a busy month with 229 calls made. National Night Out is planned for Tuesday, August 1st – with Rise Up donating ice cream for the event.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, July 11th at 6:00 PM at the Village Hall.
