By Megan Lewis
For the Sidney Daily News
JACKSON CENTER — After sorting through 10 letters of interest, and holding three votes, Gina Ludwig was chosen to fill the seat left empty by Karen Woodruff on Sept. 11. The ballots were counted by Fiscal Officer Bev Wren. Ludwig will hold the seat until Dec. 31, 2023.
Woodruff’s term of office was set to expire on Dec. 31, along with council member Wayne York’s. She had already made the decision to not seek re-election. Two people filed for the two seats, York and James Devine.
Council approved a resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission. This authorizes the necessary tax levies, certifying them to the Shelby County Auditor. The first reading of an ordinance was held to establish interconnection standards for those interested in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. It also covers the electric rate tariffs for customer-owned renewable generation.
The council approved an ordinance to adopt the Ohio Fire Code 2017 which had additions made to it in January 2019. This adoption was drafted by the Ohio Department of Commerce and the Division of State Fire Marshal.
The grant for the cemetery project was approved, giving the village $2,500 for it. Ed Maxwell was waiting for Woodruff’s seat to be filled before continuing with it further. The next stage is to draft guidelines for operation and plot fees. Once this is complete, they will begin a discussion on hiring a cemetery sexton to manage it.
The Village finally closed on the old Marathon gas station with its new owners. The new people plan to begin construction in a new restaurant called “Sip and Stream.” They plan on introducing the community to their menu from a food truck they repurposed from an Airstream trailer.
The pool is being prepped for winter now that the season is over. On Oct. 3, the new wastewater treatment plant will be activating the new grit equipment. Sometime soon the village plans on laying reclamite on the newly paved roads before crack sealing, and laying down another layer of reclamite. This will keep it from oxidizing, leaving it look new longer. They have already purchased what they need for 2023 and began pricing for 2024 through Pavement Technologies.
More planning was made towards the solar eclipse of 2024 as the village looks for all the places they can convert into parking for trailers. It has been determined that Jackson Center will stay dark the longest during the eclipse.
A group of citizens attended to express their concerns about the growing problem with the park after overhearing one child threatening to get a gun after an altercation. There has recently been an increase in fighting and vandalism at the Wally Byam Park. The kids involved in this are between the ages of 5-15 years old, with a majority being from Jackson Center. A concerned parent says they tend to be the loudest and most violent around 8 p.m. When they brought up enforcing a curfew, Police Chief Chuck Wirick stated that there is one in effect at 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on the weekends. He said they will be increasing patrols out there to try their best to keep the park clean.
Mayor Scott Klopfenstein said the village purchased new cameras, and will be putting them up in the heavy violent spots soon. On a side note, Bruce Metz said that in addition to putting up these new cameras they will be replacing the under-drains, putting in a new storm system, and laying fresh mulch sometime by the end of the year. He also said they will be replacing the timer on the lights overseeing the courts so that they turn off at 9 p.m.
