Yesterday Wellsville Village Council's Property Committee met at Village Hall to consider temporary office facilities for the Springhill Cemetery. Committee members are Chairman John McMahon, Don Brown & Joe Soldano. Along with those three Village Administrator Jim Saracco was also present.
Up until last month cemetery records and office space was located in the old Wilson house adjacent to the cemetery entrance road. It was also a village furnished residence for the cemetery caretaker and his family. Back in late July problems with the structure were made public. With Council's unwillingness to fund upkeep of the house the village's insurance carrier advised they would have to drop the property from insurance coverage. Consequently the cemetery caretaker and his family had to move out.
Since then arrangements were being made to provide office space at the cemetery in a newly purchased trailer. With costs mounting up Village Administrator Jim Saracco put a hold on any farther spending until approved by Council. According to Saracco a total of $7,136 has been spent so far. It was estimated that an additional $5,300 would be required to get the trailer in code and ready for use. Money spent so far covered the cost of the trailer, running water & sewer lines to the trailer, labor and tapping into the sewer. Although being spent prematurely Saracco advised the committee the money is not wasted. It is eventually planned, when funds become available, to build a garage for cemetery equipment with office space included on the spot where the trailer sits. The trailer will then be used for record storage at Village Hall.
Additional work to get the trailer ready includes constructing 2X2 concrete piers for the trailer to sit on. It would also be necessary to install heat and restroom facilities. Installing a handicap ramp and widening the entrance door to make it handicap accessible would also be required plus installing electricity. Right now the trailer is an empty shell.
In the conversation following Don Brown stated he felt the trailer was wasted money and skirting & insulation would also be needed. Saracco replied he admitted it was premature but money spent on the trailer is not wasted. Because of the dampness in the Village Hall basement where records are presently stored it is necessary to make other arrangements for them. Joe Soldano remarked the village has got to stop spending unnecessary money at the cemetery. Someone questioned since the cemetery caretaker is covered under workers comp if he couldn't work out of the old office. Fiscal Officer Dale Davis stated even though covered under workers comp he thought any claim would be challenged for being in an uninsured building. He advised that it should be checked with the Village Solicitor.
After even more conversation it was decided to refer the whole matter to the full council at the next meeting. It will be recommended that the cemetery office & records be relocated to Village Hall. Except for funerals and other special needs at the cemetery the care taker can be utilized as an extra on the street crew during the winter months. The trailer then can be moved downtown for record storage without any additional expenditures. If approved by full council Soldano remarked that all utilities can be shut off at the old house. There is no idea what will be done with the old house.
Before closing the meeting Soldano noted he has been told there is some interest being shown in the 9th St. property. During a recent survey by Dallis Dawson Engineering it was discovered a neighbor's garage is partially on the village property. The matter is currently being researched by the Village Solicitor.
Next Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, at 6 P.M. Council meetings will return to the first & third Tuesday of the month in October.
ole nib
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Notes From Last Week
Well sir, here we are at the end of September. Another summer has passed and we're facing the heating season. For those of you that are thinking about cranking up the furnace please do not take any chances with safety and don't overload electrical lines with space heaters. We want you around for a while yet. Please use all precautions.
Went up to see the quilt display last Sunday at the Thompson House put on by the EL Historical Society. It was our first visit up there. Not only were the quilts impressive the Thompson House itself is worth the trip. It offers an excellent look into the past when this area was the Pottery Capitol of the World. Historical Society Treasurer Bill Gray tells me they hope to have two discs ready for the Christmas season. One is a digital CD of the early 1900s book Hills & Kilns. From what I've seen it's an excellent recount of the early pottery industry in the area. The second is a DVD collection of the works of the late artist Hans Hacker. A German native Hacker came to EL just before the days of WWII. He is noted for his warm paintings of many area scenes. He was the chief artist at the Commercial Decal Co. and did paintings as a hobby in his free time. Many times Mr. Hacker donated a painting to help out a charitable cause. Since I'll probably never be able to afford one I'm excited about getting a DVD along with a digital reproduction of Hills & Kilns. Gray says the CD of the book with have searchable reference links.
Crime Watch Committee Chairwoman Janet Taggart tells me WPD Officer Jeff Weekly will be at the next meeting. He is going to speak on the village drug scene. That meeting is Thursday, October 15, at 6 P.M. at Village Hall. WPD Officer Shawn Bloor has agreed to be the liaison between the committee and the PD. Volunteers are still being sought for the "orange hand" safe house program for villages youngsters. If interested in providing a refuge from danger for the kids call the WPD at 330-532-1522 to register.
In the papers last week it was reported that the Port Authority is getting ready to apply for EPA grants to clean up abandoned industrial sites for rehabilitation once again. Wellsville was mentioned as one of the possible sites. Wonder if the old Sterling China property is on that list?
Tom Giambroni reported that CC jobless rate declined in August by 1%. We haven't seen a decline in that rate since last March according to the MJ article. Still there are 7,400 CC folks out of jobs. The US House of Representatives is getting ready to vote on extending unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks for states with unemployment rates of 8.5% or higher according to a related AP story. Ohio came in at 10.8% for August.
A village woman was recently given a six month expulsion from town as part of her sentence after being found guilty of charges against her. That's a new twist.
It was reported in the papers last week the mound of dirt along Main Street is going to be removed on the Wellsville Terminal property. Not true according to the Mayor & Village Administrator. It will be cleaned up and renovated with new top soil to approve the appearance.
We're going to see a couple of gambling issues on the ballot in November. One is for a vote on the slot machines Governor Strickland authorized to help with Ohio's budget. The other is once again to consider allowing casinos to be built & operated in some of the bigger cities.
The CC commissioners recently authorized additional funds to the Sheriffs Dept. to cover insurance costs for that department. The Sheriff has been after them all year & now the Prosecutor's Office is also asking for more money. Unfortunately I think it is only the beginning as we head in the year's final quarter. I don't envy the Commissioners.
Some good news for the area was offered up by the Homer Laughlin China Co. last week. It was announced that they are recalling some employees and even hiring new ones. There is an increased demand for their Fiesta Ware. Although they suspect it's all because of the approaching holidays it is nice to see that those happy colored dishes are keeping some people busy. Hopefully it's a trend and not just a spurt.
Seeing the press release and hearing Ergon's V.P. Neil Stanton speak last week about "cap & trade" made me wonder about the tree huggers. Bet they are in hog heaven with that legislation as it's written. Let's hope cooler more sensible heads prevail.
Did you see WHS Mikyla Tipton's letter in the paper this past Sunday? This bright young lady was alerting us to the excitement of volley ball & girl's basketball. Although they don't get much press some of those games are intensely played and very entertaining. She's right. Those ladies work just as hard as anyone and contribute to Tiger Pride just as much too. You're missing it if you don't get to their matches.
Seems there's a internet scam making the rounds lately. Hackers are getting into computers and e-mailing friends in the address list asking for financial help after losing their wallet while traveling in England. I got one of those not too long ago and last week I was told about some one else in town that got hacked. It sounds realistic. If you're like me your first impulse is to help out a friend in need. It's a rip-off. Use common sense and get in contact with your friend that the hackers are trying to get you to think it's them. Even if you haven't heard from them for a while they ain't in England. It's just a phone call away to verify.
Here's an opportunity to help out Wellsville Boy Scout Troop 29. For the whole month of October the Ponderosa restaurant in Calcutta will donate 10% of the cost of any meal to the troop. All you need to do is tell the cashier you want the 10% designated to the Wellsville Boy Scouts. It doesn't cost you any extra and the scouts appreciate it very much.
Next week is the annual Fire Prevention Week. It goes from October 4 through the 10th. It's a good time to teach your young ones about the hazards involved with any kind of fire or heat sources. It's also a good time to refresh your memories on all you learned about fire prevention over the years.
This coming Saturday, October 3, is going to be a fun filled and entertaining day in the ville. Starting off is the Howlin' Harvest Moon Festival. It's being jointly sponsored by the Alley Cat Aid Brigade & Wellsville's Chamber-of-Commerce. It starts at 11 A.M. at the ACAB's facilities on Commerce. There's a pet food give away, crafts, games, raffles and lots of other stuff. They will even have a money haystack for the kids to search through. Then at 6 o'clock there's the Dash for Mat's Bash that starts at Village Hall on Main Street. It's a Halloween costume dash with door prizes and goodies for the kids. Proceeds go to the Matugh Johnston Scholarship fund. Tim Long said as of yesterday he still has about 40 XL t-shirts left for late registrations. Costumes are optional. Organizers for the Dash will be on-hand at 3 P.M. at Village Hall for your race packets.
Sunday is the first "Thank Your Clergy" gathering starting at 2 P.M. at the New Life Worship Center on Main St. There will be food & refreshments available. All area clergy & their congregations are invited. It's a non-denominational social get together just to meet & greet each other and a way of thanking clergy members for all they do.
The WHS Alumni Committee is currently taking reservations for an evening of entertainment by Irish tenor Cahal Dunne. Dunne is a well known Irish singer plus he's an accomplished piano player and comedian. Reservations are $20 and they will have refreshments at intermission. It's scheduled for October 28 at 7 P.M. Get your reservation in early by calling Carmelia at 330-532-1932, or Carrie at 330-843-6338 or Toni at 330-532-1517. Seats are limited and they expect them to go fast.
Finally is this sage observation on life from the American Legion magazine that goes "By the time a man's son realizes his dad was right he has a son of his own that thinks he's wrong". How true, how true...
ole nib
Went up to see the quilt display last Sunday at the Thompson House put on by the EL Historical Society. It was our first visit up there. Not only were the quilts impressive the Thompson House itself is worth the trip. It offers an excellent look into the past when this area was the Pottery Capitol of the World. Historical Society Treasurer Bill Gray tells me they hope to have two discs ready for the Christmas season. One is a digital CD of the early 1900s book Hills & Kilns. From what I've seen it's an excellent recount of the early pottery industry in the area. The second is a DVD collection of the works of the late artist Hans Hacker. A German native Hacker came to EL just before the days of WWII. He is noted for his warm paintings of many area scenes. He was the chief artist at the Commercial Decal Co. and did paintings as a hobby in his free time. Many times Mr. Hacker donated a painting to help out a charitable cause. Since I'll probably never be able to afford one I'm excited about getting a DVD along with a digital reproduction of Hills & Kilns. Gray says the CD of the book with have searchable reference links.
Crime Watch Committee Chairwoman Janet Taggart tells me WPD Officer Jeff Weekly will be at the next meeting. He is going to speak on the village drug scene. That meeting is Thursday, October 15, at 6 P.M. at Village Hall. WPD Officer Shawn Bloor has agreed to be the liaison between the committee and the PD. Volunteers are still being sought for the "orange hand" safe house program for villages youngsters. If interested in providing a refuge from danger for the kids call the WPD at 330-532-1522 to register.
In the papers last week it was reported that the Port Authority is getting ready to apply for EPA grants to clean up abandoned industrial sites for rehabilitation once again. Wellsville was mentioned as one of the possible sites. Wonder if the old Sterling China property is on that list?
Tom Giambroni reported that CC jobless rate declined in August by 1%. We haven't seen a decline in that rate since last March according to the MJ article. Still there are 7,400 CC folks out of jobs. The US House of Representatives is getting ready to vote on extending unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks for states with unemployment rates of 8.5% or higher according to a related AP story. Ohio came in at 10.8% for August.
A village woman was recently given a six month expulsion from town as part of her sentence after being found guilty of charges against her. That's a new twist.
It was reported in the papers last week the mound of dirt along Main Street is going to be removed on the Wellsville Terminal property. Not true according to the Mayor & Village Administrator. It will be cleaned up and renovated with new top soil to approve the appearance.
We're going to see a couple of gambling issues on the ballot in November. One is for a vote on the slot machines Governor Strickland authorized to help with Ohio's budget. The other is once again to consider allowing casinos to be built & operated in some of the bigger cities.
The CC commissioners recently authorized additional funds to the Sheriffs Dept. to cover insurance costs for that department. The Sheriff has been after them all year & now the Prosecutor's Office is also asking for more money. Unfortunately I think it is only the beginning as we head in the year's final quarter. I don't envy the Commissioners.
Some good news for the area was offered up by the Homer Laughlin China Co. last week. It was announced that they are recalling some employees and even hiring new ones. There is an increased demand for their Fiesta Ware. Although they suspect it's all because of the approaching holidays it is nice to see that those happy colored dishes are keeping some people busy. Hopefully it's a trend and not just a spurt.
Seeing the press release and hearing Ergon's V.P. Neil Stanton speak last week about "cap & trade" made me wonder about the tree huggers. Bet they are in hog heaven with that legislation as it's written. Let's hope cooler more sensible heads prevail.
Did you see WHS Mikyla Tipton's letter in the paper this past Sunday? This bright young lady was alerting us to the excitement of volley ball & girl's basketball. Although they don't get much press some of those games are intensely played and very entertaining. She's right. Those ladies work just as hard as anyone and contribute to Tiger Pride just as much too. You're missing it if you don't get to their matches.
Seems there's a internet scam making the rounds lately. Hackers are getting into computers and e-mailing friends in the address list asking for financial help after losing their wallet while traveling in England. I got one of those not too long ago and last week I was told about some one else in town that got hacked. It sounds realistic. If you're like me your first impulse is to help out a friend in need. It's a rip-off. Use common sense and get in contact with your friend that the hackers are trying to get you to think it's them. Even if you haven't heard from them for a while they ain't in England. It's just a phone call away to verify.
Here's an opportunity to help out Wellsville Boy Scout Troop 29. For the whole month of October the Ponderosa restaurant in Calcutta will donate 10% of the cost of any meal to the troop. All you need to do is tell the cashier you want the 10% designated to the Wellsville Boy Scouts. It doesn't cost you any extra and the scouts appreciate it very much.
Next week is the annual Fire Prevention Week. It goes from October 4 through the 10th. It's a good time to teach your young ones about the hazards involved with any kind of fire or heat sources. It's also a good time to refresh your memories on all you learned about fire prevention over the years.
This coming Saturday, October 3, is going to be a fun filled and entertaining day in the ville. Starting off is the Howlin' Harvest Moon Festival. It's being jointly sponsored by the Alley Cat Aid Brigade & Wellsville's Chamber-of-Commerce. It starts at 11 A.M. at the ACAB's facilities on Commerce. There's a pet food give away, crafts, games, raffles and lots of other stuff. They will even have a money haystack for the kids to search through. Then at 6 o'clock there's the Dash for Mat's Bash that starts at Village Hall on Main Street. It's a Halloween costume dash with door prizes and goodies for the kids. Proceeds go to the Matugh Johnston Scholarship fund. Tim Long said as of yesterday he still has about 40 XL t-shirts left for late registrations. Costumes are optional. Organizers for the Dash will be on-hand at 3 P.M. at Village Hall for your race packets.
Sunday is the first "Thank Your Clergy" gathering starting at 2 P.M. at the New Life Worship Center on Main St. There will be food & refreshments available. All area clergy & their congregations are invited. It's a non-denominational social get together just to meet & greet each other and a way of thanking clergy members for all they do.
The WHS Alumni Committee is currently taking reservations for an evening of entertainment by Irish tenor Cahal Dunne. Dunne is a well known Irish singer plus he's an accomplished piano player and comedian. Reservations are $20 and they will have refreshments at intermission. It's scheduled for October 28 at 7 P.M. Get your reservation in early by calling Carmelia at 330-532-1932, or Carrie at 330-843-6338 or Toni at 330-532-1517. Seats are limited and they expect them to go fast.
Finally is this sage observation on life from the American Legion magazine that goes "By the time a man's son realizes his dad was right he has a son of his own that thinks he's wrong". How true, how true...
ole nib
Monday, September 28, 2009
Blessing The Animals
Yesterday, Sunday, September 27, Wellsville's St. Francis Animal Center sponsored a blessing of the animals at Thompson Park. It's an annual event that they hold sometime around the feast of St. Francis. SFAC is an all volunteer group that rescue stray animals and then try to place them with loving families. If that is not possible they turn them over to rescue organizations. According to an article in Saturday's ER they currently have six dogs in foster care. Wellsville is blessed to have two volunteer groups that humanely deal with the village's animal problems. SFAC will take in any animal but concentrate on dogs. The Alley Cat Aid Brigade, as the name implies, focus their attention on cats.
St. Francis of Assisi is widely known as the patron saint of animals. Assisi is a town in Italy. The son of a wealthy cloth merchant St. Francis died in the year 1226. Against the wishes of his father he gave up his claim of wealth to serve the needs of the poor, sick and downtrodden. He founded the Order of Franciscans.
You often see statues of St. Francis with birds perched on his outstretched arms. He was known to have a special relationship with all animals. With the gentle power of his voice there wasn't an animal that feared him. He believed all animals were God's creatures and deserved sharing life on earth. He even taught villagers that if you feed a wolf that was killing off farm animals that the wolf & their live stock could coexist with each other. It is said that on his deathbed St. Francis thanked his donkey for carrying him for so long. They claimed the donkey wept. The Feast of St. Francis is celebrated on October 4.
The blessing at yesterday's event was done by Rev. Steve Cramer. Rev. Cramer is pastor of both Trinity Presbyterian in EL and Longs Run Church in Calcutta. He bestowed St. Francis' blessing on 43 dogs and one cat. Even with the wet weather it was a fantastic turnout according to SFAC member Bobbie Holt. Many of the animals that got blessed were ones adopted from various rescue leagues. I fell in love with Tabitha, the English bulldog, shown here. They look mean but are one of the gentlest dogs you'll ever meet.
If you missed yesterday's blessing there will be another chance next Sunday, October 4. The Alley Cat Aid Brigade will be sponsoring the second one at Wellsville's Immaculate Conception Church on 11th St. It will begin around 11:30 A.M. following Mass in the church's parking lot. Any animal of any kind is welcome to be blessed by Father Peter. Each animal will be given a St. Francis metal.
Coming up next for the SFAC is a dinner at the Alumni Center. There'll be speakers, dinner and entertainment. We'll have more on that later but keep it in mind. The price is right at $15 per person or $20 per couple. The dinner will be Saturday, October 24, at 6 P.M.
ole nib
Sunday, September 27, 2009
WHS Tigers Slip To 4 & 1
In a disappointing game last Friday evening to ITCL rivals, the McDonald Blue Devils handed the WHS football Tigers their first lost of the season. Except for a few flashes of hope the Tigers were simply overwhelmed with speed on both offense & defense. Seemed like every time Wellsville's fleet footed Jeremy Carter got the ball all he saw was a wall of blue jerseys. Carter was held to 31 yards rushing from the line of scrimmage for the night. The Blue Devils keyed on him big time from the opening kick-off and all night long. Carter did score the Tiger's second touch down on an 85 yard kick-off return with 4:26 left in the third quarter. Nunzio Lombardozzi scored Wellsville's only other TD with an 18 yard pass reception in the first quarter. That pass came from "Mr. Everything" Bubba Dowling. Dowling led all WHS ground gainers with 40 yards. He also went 5 for 12 picking up 77 yards passing with one INT.
The final score was McDonald 50 - Wellsville 12. In a battle of unbeatens it just wasn't Wellsville's night. McDonald is the reigning ITCL champs in the division and are now 5 & 0 overall.
Not being able to go to the game we did listen in to the guys from wkmxlive on the computer. Let me tell you with one year under their belts broadcasting the games Roger, Joe & Bud make you feel you're right there in the booth with them. Roger does an excellent job of calling the play-by-play and the color commentary by Joe & Bud keeps you in the game. You can also sign in and chat with them while the game is going on.
Besides the announcers the games are worked by engineer Terry Brown and on the computer by Sparky Miller. Dave Miller does the camera work. With surgery upcoming for Terry the games are available through the WHS Alumni site at www.wellsvillealumni.com. Just follow the links from there. Once you're on the broadcast page make sure you click on the play button on the video screen. That starts the audio.
OHSAA doesn't permit showing the games live on video but they are allowed to down load it on the computer for later viewing. It's usually ready to go later on and at least by Saturday sometime. We really appreciate them and the sponsors for broadcasting the games live. We can follow the Tigers no matter where they play or where we are. Even if we were over seas all we need is an internet connection.
It was a tough loss for the Tigers and those of us hoping for the best. Next Friday they travel to Western Reserve to get back on the winning track. It'll be an upset special. You just wait and see.
Good Luck Tigers!
ole nib
The final score was McDonald 50 - Wellsville 12. In a battle of unbeatens it just wasn't Wellsville's night. McDonald is the reigning ITCL champs in the division and are now 5 & 0 overall.
Not being able to go to the game we did listen in to the guys from wkmxlive on the computer. Let me tell you with one year under their belts broadcasting the games Roger, Joe & Bud make you feel you're right there in the booth with them. Roger does an excellent job of calling the play-by-play and the color commentary by Joe & Bud keeps you in the game. You can also sign in and chat with them while the game is going on.
Besides the announcers the games are worked by engineer Terry Brown and on the computer by Sparky Miller. Dave Miller does the camera work. With surgery upcoming for Terry the games are available through the WHS Alumni site at www.wellsvillealumni.com. Just follow the links from there. Once you're on the broadcast page make sure you click on the play button on the video screen. That starts the audio.
OHSAA doesn't permit showing the games live on video but they are allowed to down load it on the computer for later viewing. It's usually ready to go later on and at least by Saturday sometime. We really appreciate them and the sponsors for broadcasting the games live. We can follow the Tigers no matter where they play or where we are. Even if we were over seas all we need is an internet connection.
It was a tough loss for the Tigers and those of us hoping for the best. Next Friday they travel to Western Reserve to get back on the winning track. It'll be an upset special. You just wait and see.
Good Luck Tigers!
ole nib
BWD Special Board-of-Directors Meeting - 9/25/09
In a special meeting last Friday at the new Water Treatment Plant members of the BWD Board-of-Directors met to consider two special requests concerning Part A of the Salineville water line project. All members of the Board were present along with District Manager Al DeAngelis. At the regular monthly meeting last week Southern Local School District Superintendent James Herring asked that the water district reconsider the tap-in fee for that school system. Highlandtown VFD Chief Tim Roush made the second request saying the distance between planned fire hydrants in his community was unacceptable.
Part A of the Salineville water line covers nearly eight of the ten miles needed to supply an EPA demanded new water source to that village. The contract to install the pipe line for Part A has been rewarded to Dave Sugar Excavating and the notice to proceed is expected to be given this week. The first phase is the installation of over 40,000 feet of 16" diameter water line from the Red Brick Church on Rt. 45 across country to just past the Southern Local School complex on Rt. 39. It is a $2.7 million contract.
The tap-in fee for Southern Local is based on an industry wide accepted EPA formula using a daily usage of 20 gallons of water per day (gpd) on average for each student. That 20 gallon figure includes restroom usage, cafeteria, locker room showers plus other things like getting a drink of water. Superintendent Herring advised the Board that based on actual usage tracked by the school district 20 gpd is excessive and consequently means an excessive tap-in fee. He asked that the Board reconsider the tap-in fee based on actual usage instead of the applying the EPA formula. Southern Local has 960 students in the school district.
At a Rate Committee meeting this past Tuesday it was decided to stick to the EPA formula and to offer a three year payment plan at 0 % interest to the school. Rate Committee Chairman Jack Call, along with Committee members Gene McGaffick & Chuck Bibbee, proposed that recommendation to the whole Board at Friday's meeting. Call stated they do not dispute Herring's numbers but felt the Board has to stick with established policy on tap-in fees. The recommendation was approved by a unanimous vote of all Board members.
Engineering Committee Chairman Chuck Bibbee advised the Board that since last week's regular meeting they have had a BWD inspector out in the field double checking the placement of the planned 36 fire hydrants originally called for in the installation contract. He also stated that at a Committee meeting held last Tuesday it was decided to stick with the AWWA standard of hydrant placing plus adding up to six additional hydrants maximum to help in the Highlandtown area. Bibbee announced that the inspector found that with the movement of some of the planned 36 hydrants and adding a few more that no house in the Highlandtown area would be out of reach using the amount of hose that VFD has on hand. The changes would nearly eliminate the need to shuttle water by tanker truck in that area. With that in mind Engineering Committee Chairman Bibbee along with Committee members Tim O'Hara & Gene McGaffick proposed those recommendations to the whole Board. The only discussion on the recommendation was made by member Jack Call saying he took offense of Roush's comment in the newspaper that the Board "brushed him off" after being told his request would be referred to the appropriate committee. With no other discussion the Engineering Committee's recommendation was passed with only Cal Carney dissenting. Carney offered no comment on his reasoning for voting against the recommendation.
After the vote it was noted that in the future should any housing developments or commercial interests be built in that area additional hydrants can be easily installed. Board President Mike Ryan remarked that with the elimination of six or seven turn-on/shut-off redundant valves in the original plans the cost of the additional hydrants would be acceptable. Those valves were incorporated in the original plans in consideration of future development. Again if that were to occur in the future they can be easily installed.
It's also interesting to note that if it wasn't for Salineville's problems with the EPA neither one of these issues would have every come up. In a survey two years ago by the BWD only 5% of the residents of the nearly 100 households along the path of the Part A of this project indicated they were interested in getting their water from the district.
With the money released for the first part of this project the BWD district is busy getting the required signatures on all the documents. Once that is accomplished the Notice to Proceed will be given to Sugar Excavating. When that is happens Sugar has up to 150 days to have it completed. Bids for the second part is expected to go out in the very near future.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 9 A.M. at Wellsville Village Hall.
ole nib
Part A of the Salineville water line covers nearly eight of the ten miles needed to supply an EPA demanded new water source to that village. The contract to install the pipe line for Part A has been rewarded to Dave Sugar Excavating and the notice to proceed is expected to be given this week. The first phase is the installation of over 40,000 feet of 16" diameter water line from the Red Brick Church on Rt. 45 across country to just past the Southern Local School complex on Rt. 39. It is a $2.7 million contract.
The tap-in fee for Southern Local is based on an industry wide accepted EPA formula using a daily usage of 20 gallons of water per day (gpd) on average for each student. That 20 gallon figure includes restroom usage, cafeteria, locker room showers plus other things like getting a drink of water. Superintendent Herring advised the Board that based on actual usage tracked by the school district 20 gpd is excessive and consequently means an excessive tap-in fee. He asked that the Board reconsider the tap-in fee based on actual usage instead of the applying the EPA formula. Southern Local has 960 students in the school district.
At a Rate Committee meeting this past Tuesday it was decided to stick to the EPA formula and to offer a three year payment plan at 0 % interest to the school. Rate Committee Chairman Jack Call, along with Committee members Gene McGaffick & Chuck Bibbee, proposed that recommendation to the whole Board at Friday's meeting. Call stated they do not dispute Herring's numbers but felt the Board has to stick with established policy on tap-in fees. The recommendation was approved by a unanimous vote of all Board members.
Engineering Committee Chairman Chuck Bibbee advised the Board that since last week's regular meeting they have had a BWD inspector out in the field double checking the placement of the planned 36 fire hydrants originally called for in the installation contract. He also stated that at a Committee meeting held last Tuesday it was decided to stick with the AWWA standard of hydrant placing plus adding up to six additional hydrants maximum to help in the Highlandtown area. Bibbee announced that the inspector found that with the movement of some of the planned 36 hydrants and adding a few more that no house in the Highlandtown area would be out of reach using the amount of hose that VFD has on hand. The changes would nearly eliminate the need to shuttle water by tanker truck in that area. With that in mind Engineering Committee Chairman Bibbee along with Committee members Tim O'Hara & Gene McGaffick proposed those recommendations to the whole Board. The only discussion on the recommendation was made by member Jack Call saying he took offense of Roush's comment in the newspaper that the Board "brushed him off" after being told his request would be referred to the appropriate committee. With no other discussion the Engineering Committee's recommendation was passed with only Cal Carney dissenting. Carney offered no comment on his reasoning for voting against the recommendation.
After the vote it was noted that in the future should any housing developments or commercial interests be built in that area additional hydrants can be easily installed. Board President Mike Ryan remarked that with the elimination of six or seven turn-on/shut-off redundant valves in the original plans the cost of the additional hydrants would be acceptable. Those valves were incorporated in the original plans in consideration of future development. Again if that were to occur in the future they can be easily installed.
It's also interesting to note that if it wasn't for Salineville's problems with the EPA neither one of these issues would have every come up. In a survey two years ago by the BWD only 5% of the residents of the nearly 100 households along the path of the Part A of this project indicated they were interested in getting their water from the district.
With the money released for the first part of this project the BWD district is busy getting the required signatures on all the documents. Once that is accomplished the Notice to Proceed will be given to Sugar Excavating. When that is happens Sugar has up to 150 days to have it completed. Bids for the second part is expected to go out in the very near future.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 9 A.M. at Wellsville Village Hall.
ole nib
Friday, September 25, 2009
Chamber-of-Commerce September Luncheon - 2009
The monthly Chamber-of-Commerce Luncheon was held yesterday, Sept. 24, at the Dairy Queen on 3rd St. in Wellsville. The luncheon was kicked off with Chamber President Randy Allmon welcoming everybody & Paul Blevins offering the invocation.
A special welcome was given to new member Tony DeAngelo. Tony has recently retired from the State Auditor's Office and has offered his expertise with grants to the Chamber. DeAngelo said his job mostly consisted of auditing federal grants. He is vastly familiar with the ins & outs of grants.
Several announcements were made beginning with the upcoming meeting with Heritage Ohio officials and Wellsville's Revitalization Committee. The Heritage Ohio Foundation is a state wide non-profit organization. They are located in Columbus and are dedicated to the historic preservation and revitalization of Main Street Ohio. They coordinate various projects throughout the state. That meeting is scheduled to take place October 1.
A reminder was given for the October 3rd Howlin' Harvest Moon Festival at the Alley Cat Aid Brigade facilities on Commerce Street. It is jointly sponsored by the Chamber and will be held from 11 A.M. to 7. See my article dated Sept. 9 for the details.
A date will be set for the October Citizens of the Year Dinner once an available date can be confirmed with the key-note speaker. There's still time to get your business' name in the new County Chamber's CC Visitor's Guide. It's an all new glossy booklet to be published and made available in the near future. If interested contact Diana Spencer at 330-532-5062 for rates and details.
Holley Development will be hosting a Taste of the Holidays event on November 7 from 11 A.M. - 7 P.M. There will be cookies, cakes, candy and crafts available to fill all your holiday needs. It will be held at their facilities on Main St. That's the old Perpetual Bank location.
Air Waves will be hosting a Halloween party at DaLonzo's on Saturday, Oct. 31. from 8 P.M. til ???. Beverly & Lon will be spinning tunes and have the karaoke set up. Lite snacks & refreshments will be provided. There will be a 50/50 drawing and door prizes. Awards will be given for the funniest, the scariest & the most creative costumes. There will be three awards for each category. Nick & his co-workers will also have their kitchen in full swing. Tickets are $5 in advance & $7 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Air Waves next door to Holley Development.
Mary Morse representing the Potter Players Community Theater announced they currently are in rehearsals getting ready to put on the Robert Harling play Steel Magnolias. There will be two week-end performances starting Oct. 17 at the theater on 15th St. The last announcement was that the annual Christmas Parade will be held December 12 starting at 6 P.M.
Martin, MacLean, Altmeyer was selected as Business of the Month. See the article below for that and Ergon's Neil Stanton was the guess speaker. Stanton is V.P. - Refining at the WV facility across the river. As you can see below he discussed the controversial American Clean Energy & Security Act commonly known as the "cap & trade bill".
Next Luncheon will be October 29 at Kat's Kitchen located at 1025 Main St. Who said there's nothing to do in Wellsville?
ole nib
A special welcome was given to new member Tony DeAngelo. Tony has recently retired from the State Auditor's Office and has offered his expertise with grants to the Chamber. DeAngelo said his job mostly consisted of auditing federal grants. He is vastly familiar with the ins & outs of grants.
Several announcements were made beginning with the upcoming meeting with Heritage Ohio officials and Wellsville's Revitalization Committee. The Heritage Ohio Foundation is a state wide non-profit organization. They are located in Columbus and are dedicated to the historic preservation and revitalization of Main Street Ohio. They coordinate various projects throughout the state. That meeting is scheduled to take place October 1.
A reminder was given for the October 3rd Howlin' Harvest Moon Festival at the Alley Cat Aid Brigade facilities on Commerce Street. It is jointly sponsored by the Chamber and will be held from 11 A.M. to 7. See my article dated Sept. 9 for the details.
A date will be set for the October Citizens of the Year Dinner once an available date can be confirmed with the key-note speaker. There's still time to get your business' name in the new County Chamber's CC Visitor's Guide. It's an all new glossy booklet to be published and made available in the near future. If interested contact Diana Spencer at 330-532-5062 for rates and details.
Holley Development will be hosting a Taste of the Holidays event on November 7 from 11 A.M. - 7 P.M. There will be cookies, cakes, candy and crafts available to fill all your holiday needs. It will be held at their facilities on Main St. That's the old Perpetual Bank location.
Air Waves will be hosting a Halloween party at DaLonzo's on Saturday, Oct. 31. from 8 P.M. til ???. Beverly & Lon will be spinning tunes and have the karaoke set up. Lite snacks & refreshments will be provided. There will be a 50/50 drawing and door prizes. Awards will be given for the funniest, the scariest & the most creative costumes. There will be three awards for each category. Nick & his co-workers will also have their kitchen in full swing. Tickets are $5 in advance & $7 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Air Waves next door to Holley Development.
Mary Morse representing the Potter Players Community Theater announced they currently are in rehearsals getting ready to put on the Robert Harling play Steel Magnolias. There will be two week-end performances starting Oct. 17 at the theater on 15th St. The last announcement was that the annual Christmas Parade will be held December 12 starting at 6 P.M.
Martin, MacLean, Altmeyer was selected as Business of the Month. See the article below for that and Ergon's Neil Stanton was the guess speaker. Stanton is V.P. - Refining at the WV facility across the river. As you can see below he discussed the controversial American Clean Energy & Security Act commonly known as the "cap & trade bill".
Next Luncheon will be October 29 at Kat's Kitchen located at 1025 Main St. Who said there's nothing to do in Wellsville?
ole nib
Ergon V.P. Speaks Out Against Cap & Trade
Ergon V.P. -Refining Neil Stanton was the guest speaker at yesterday's Chamber-of-Commerce September Luncheon. Introduced by Chamber Speaker's Chairman Paul Blevins, Mr. Stanton has been at the Ergon-West Virginia plant across the river in Congo since 1997. His main topic was the controversial legislation known as the "cap & trade" bill. It is currently going through the legislative process in Washington, D.C.
Apparently Mr. Stanton has been very busy with this legislation. He announced that he has twice traveled to our nation's capitol in recent months dealing with the bill. In this morning's ER there is a lengthy, comprehensive report of a recent press conference conducted by Mr. Stanton on the "cap & trade".
This bill has, not only refiners, but manufactures and other businesses across the country quite worried. House bill HR 2454 narrowly passed by a vote of 219 -212 in the House of Representatives. It is a voluminous 1300 page bill that was hastily put together just before that vote. It was noted that our U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson was one of those 212 nay votes and with good reason.
According to Mr. Stanton the main goal of the bill is to reduce green house gases and dependence on foreign oil. As it is now written it will put many businesses out of work and only increase our dependence on foreign fuel producers because of the manufacturing cost advantages. Their fuel will be cheaper and American refined gas & diesel fuel will go up at least 20 to 30 cents per gallon. Companies such as Ergon would not be able to afford staying in business with the increased costs of producing fuel under the "cap & trade" requirements. Simply put it is too much too soon complying with all the restrictions put on them.
Ergon is a privately owned refinery business headquartered in Jackson, MS. In 1997 they bought the Quaker State refinery in Congo. Combined with their operations and the Shell Motor Oil division over there they employ nearly 500 people. Many of them are Wellsville area residents. Their annual payroll for just their Ohio resident employees is around $8 million. Between West Virginia & Ohio they pay close to $18 million a year in taxes. In 2008 they spent $250 million for Ohio produced crude oil alone. That does not include the $130 million spent on WV crude.
Mr. Stanton is a Struthers, OH, native and a graduate of Youngstown State with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He came to the facility 12 years ago when Ergon bought it. Before that he worked in Louisiana, Mississippi and New Jersey. He told us that replacing many of our energy sources with renewable energy would not work well in our region. With our climate conditions and location wind mills and solar energy have been scientifically proven to be the least effective in this region. A large portion of green house gases is carbon dioxide and 95% of that is produced by nature. Ergon takes great strides in their environmental responsibilities and meet or exceeds all EPA permit requirements. Since taking over the WV facility Mr. Stanton says that you rarely see that flame across the river anymore. That is a safety item that releases dangerous gases that use to light up the whole valley before they took over.
As written the "cap & trade" bill will be mostly ineffective and extremely costly creating huge bureaucracies to run it. It was hastily thrown together mostly by politicians. It needs to go back to the drawing boards and done right. Now is the time to contact our federal officials expressing your concerns.
ole nib
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