JACKSON CENTER — Jackson Center Council approved an ordinance authorizing certain adjustments in the 2019 annual appropriations of public funds to cover the cost of a variety of projects associated with the municipal water and waste water plants during Monday’s meeting.

Council approved a capital layout of $150,255 for the current installation of a new emergency generator at the water plant and updating four of the plant’s water filters. The gas lines for the new emergency generator at the water plant are in place and the village staff is working to finalize the generator installation so that Vectren Energy Delivery can install the gas meter and complete the hook-up. After all connections are made the system will be inspected and tested by running the generator to verify everything is in proper working order. Funding provided for the purchase and installation of a new generator will insure the village water plant still has electricity to maintain operations in the event of power failure due to natural disasters like storms, or electrical provider equipment malfunctions. Village Administrator Bruce Metz said the new generator should be “up and running” by the first of July.

Metz also expressed his appreciation for having two of the four filters at the water plant cleaned, sterilized, and ready to go after a lengthy wait on the permits needed to complete the project.

“We have two of the filters ready and the others will be ready soon, it’s taken a lot longer than we anticipated due to delays in getting the permits finalized,” said Metz. “I want to thank our residents for their patience in this matter, things do not always go as planned. The new media in the filters will improve the water quality and give us the capacity we need when demand is high like when we test our fire hydrants.”

He also pointed out that some of the money will go to finishing the clarifier at the sewage plant and finishing up the outside around the treatment building and the new lab and storage building.

“We will be paving around the buildings which will bring everything together for a nice finished look and will help keep the buildings and driveways in good shape and accessible for many years regardless of the weather or time of year,” Metz said.

In other new business council passed a resolution authorizing Metz to enter into a contract with Tom’s Construction of St. Henry for the “Turn Lane Project” at the new Airstream facility located at 1001 W. Pike St. The project includes excavation, installation of all materials associated with the project, installing drain lines gravel and compaction and redoing all the street markings. The project is not to exceed $486,000. Construction will begin July 8 and should be finished by the second week of August.

“Things are moving along very well despite some earlier setbacks due to a lot of wet weather. We finally got the ok from ODOT to move forward with new electrical substation project. Vaughn Industries finally received permits to set the new poles and install the power lines. We have a target date of Aug. 23 for completion and hope to get the system tested and online soon after that,” said Metz.

“We had some technical issues with the new transformer, it did not pass our initial field test so it had to be shipped back to Pennsylvania Transformer Inc. for inspection and repair. The transformer did not meet our standards for performance so naturally we wanted to get it in proper working order before moving any further. Our Electrical Superintendent Dave Overman is on top of things and making sure the project is completed as planned, we are fortunate and thankful to have someone of his caliber watching over things,” Metz said.

In his administrators report Metz shared updates on a variety of projects underway in the village and noted though very busy the village staff is doing a great job. He especially commended everyone for a job well done concerning the preparation, execution, and clean up after the Jackson Center Community Days.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how things turned out for Community days; we had perfect weather, great crowds every day, it was just awesome all the way around. I want to thank the village staff, our residents and friends for all the hard work they completed so well in everything from the planning to the final clean-up. I also want to thank everyone who attended our week-end of fun; all went well without any major hang-ups and I commend all those who helped make this year another great one,” Metz said.

Council’s next meeting will be held June 24, 7 p.m. at the council chambers, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.