Wellsville Names New Full-Time Police Officer

Wellsville Village Council held a special meeting Thursday afternoon to pass legislation approving the hiring of a full time police officer. Present at the meeting was Mayor Susan Haugh, Council members Don Brown, John Morrow, Rosie Goss and Tony Cataldo. Also attending was Fiscal Officer Dale Davis and WPD Chief Joe Scarabino. Councilwomen Tonda Ross and Diane Dinch were excused.

With the Mayor's recommendation Council passed a motion to hire Joseph Saraniti as a full-time police officer effective Sunday, March 25. The Stowe, Ohio resident has been working as a part-time Wellsville officer since August, 2011. Saraniti will be replacing Officer Tony Mancuso who resigned earlier this month.

Saraniti is a graduate of the Monroe Falls Police Academy and presently works as a Shipping & Receiving manager for Valley Freight Liner. Chief Scarabino advised that the new officer will be resigning that job and plans to relocate to the Village soon. Scarabino added the new full-timer will continue his orientation and training, partnering with another officer for the time being.

The meeting adjourned at 3:06 PM. The next regular scheduled meeting is April 3 at 6 PM. That meeting will take place at Village Hall located at 1200 Main St.

Pictured above is Officer Saraniti being sworn in as a full-timer by Mayor Haugh with WPD Lt. Ed Wilson to his left holding the bible.


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Wellsville Mayor Asks For Raises In Police Wages

Wellsville Village Council held their second regular meeting for the month of March this past Tuesday. Present at the meeting was Mayor Susan Haugh, Council Members Don Brown, John Morrow, Tonda Ross, Rosie Goss, Diane Dinch & Tony Cataldo. Also attending was Village Administrator Thom Edgell, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, Legal Advisor Andy Beech and Fire Chief Bill Smith.

The prayer was offered by First Christian's Youth Pastor Brandon Russell. Russell also thanked Village officials for the quick response painting a cross walk and installing signs in front of the church, especially after a young girl was struck by a car just recently.

Wellsville Church of The Nazerene member Michelle Bennett got Council's permission to block off part of Maple Street in front of the church for an Easter Egg Hunt to be held April 7 from 11 AM to 1 PM. Permission was granted pending completion of the required paperwork. An application has to be filled out with both the Police Chief & Village Fire Chief signing off.

Family & Community Resource Center Executive Director Cindy Slavens announced that they are providing an after school program in conjunction with the First Christian Church & Daw Middle School to provide tutoring help for students. The program started March 15 and focuses on 4th to 8th graders. It is held every Wednesday and the students that attend are provided with “healthy” snacks. They are also looking at having a monthly Family Fun Night with the first one on March 22. The first one will focus on the issue of bullying using a YMCA program on the subject.

Lisbon Street resident Steve Mathess addressed Council on the issue of barking dogs in the neighborhood. He advised he has been told by the police the issue has to be a problem with the whole neighborhood before they can do anything about it. Mathess asked if the wording of the existing ordinance can be worked on so something could be done about it. Claims, Rules & Ordinance Chairman John Morrow responded that his committee are presently looking at different animal ordinances and he would be glad to work with Mr. Mathess.

Main Street resident Mr. Walker brought up that some sidewalks are not handicapped friendly and also mentioned Village snow plows scraping away a portion of new black top on his driveway. Village Administrator Edgell will look into both matters.

Jeff Haugh of 7th Street personally thanked Wellsville residents Ron & Julie DuMoulin and their grand daughters for taking it upon themselves to clean up the litter and debris at the Wells Avenue bridge area. They also voluntarily cleaned up around a handicapped neighbor’s house. The Mayor had more on this subject later in her report.

Village Administrator Edgell reported that Street Department employees are continuing work on patching pot holes. A new mower has been purchased. They now have a mower for the cemetery and another one for use downtown. Edgell thanked the Fiscal Officer for finding the revenue for the new mower.

Edgell also asked for help reminding him who requested use of the 4th Street gazebo in June. The request was made in early January and the note got lost in the office moving shuffle. He asked that if the person who made the request or someone with knowledge of it give him a call.

Edgell asked that residents be patient with places that need cleaned up or repaired. He has been working with Councilman Brown on this. Warnings have been issued and enough time has elapsed on some to begin legal procedures.

Wrapping up his report Edgell announced that a new pole has been donated by AEP and set at the cemetery to improve police & fire radio communications. A new antenna was donated by Liverpool Township VFD. It replaces a broken antenna.

Mayor Haugh asked for and got a motion passed to accept the resignation of WPD Canine Officer Tony Mancuso. Mancuso submitted his resignation to accept employee somewhere “up north”. That means the Village lost the services of Officer Ryot, the Belgian Malanois, pictured above. Mancuso was her handler. She was returned to the breeder for evaluation for placement according to the “rules”. If Ryot can't be rehomed with another WPD officer Wellsville has been assured of another dog. The Mayor said Wellsville has retained all donations given for Ryot. Ryot herself was a donation from the breeder who also trains them for police work.

The Mayor then read a letter from the DuMoulins mentioned above. They have suggested an “Adopt A Spot” program such as they have around the Wells Avenue bridge area. If anyone or any organization is interested you are asked to contact the Mayor's office.

The Mayor wrapped up her report asking for Council's Finance or Personnel committee to order in legislation to give Wellsville police officers a raise. She stated it has been several years since the officers got a raise and suggested $2/hour for full time and $1/hour for part time officers. After consulting with the Fiscal Officer the money from the police levies will make that affordable. Haugh noted the Village is a “stepping stone” for officers to get some experience for their resume and then move on to better paying jobs. The request was referred to the Personnel Committee.

Finance Chairwoman Dinch reported that after meeting with a new insurance agent the employee health insurance can be continued at no cost to the employee and with a cost savings to the Village. Council passed a motion to name Ohio Insurance Services Agency of Plain City, Ohio, the new Village insurance broker. The previous agent used by the Village had advised the cost for the same insurance coverage would increase 18% when renewed. The new policy will include coverage for life, dental, vision and health care and will cost the Village $18,379 per month to cover all employees. Agent Brian Savage said he was looking forward to working with the Village. Meetings will be held to explain the new coverage and answer any questions for those covered.


Tonda Ross announced there will be a Street Committee meeting Monday, March 26 at 6 PM to discuss Mulberry Alley between 9th & 10th Sts. After getting other Council members opinions and by-passing any formal meeting or getting a motion passed it was informally agreed to pass up on the chip & seal program this year. Edgell earlier reminded everyone that hot patch costs $70 per ton compared to $18,000 per mile for chip & seal. Ross said the Village will be able to repair more streets this way as funds come available.

Ross also thanked Riverside resident Grant Barlow for filling pot holes on Oak Alley. He obtained and donated the hot patch on his own to do the job. She also thanked Edgell & the Street Department crew for doing a good job on patching the pot holes.

Sewage Committee Chairman Don Brown reported he is a frequent visitor to the Sewage Treatment Plant and has not been able to smell the offensive odors that use to emanate from there before the new digesters were installed. He commended United Water's Greg Stewart and his crew for the job they have been doing. The Mayor added that everything is done except for the diffusers. She has not been given a concrete answer on what is going on with them. She doesn't know if they installed the wrong kind, or they are not doing the job they were designed to do or if they were installed inproperly. She added there is a meeting scheduled on Wednesday with the engineer from G,G & J. There is a total of 140 diffusers in the new digesters.

Property Committee Chairwoman Rosie Goss thanked Wellsville's Memorial Council members Don Brown and Dale Barnhart for putting up the new American flags at the Gazebo. Brown earlier noted they had to install new flag holders. The old ones were never put back up after the gazebo was renovated.

Council passed an ordinance authorizing the Village Administrator to advertise for and receive bids for two pieces of property the Village acquired from the County Auditor. The parcels are located at 307 First Street and 1726 Clark Ave. Legal Advisor Andy Beech advised the advertisements are required to appear once a week for five weeks. Council agreed to declaring the ordinance an emergency and placed it on third and final reading prior to approving it.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:42 PM. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, April 3 at 6 PM. The meeting will be held at Village Hall located at 1200 Main St.

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Superintendent Declares Wellsville Football Field Not For Sale

Monday – March 19: The Wellsville Board of Education held their monthly meeting yesterday evening in the Superintendent's Office. BOE President Karen Dash presided with Board members Tom Brophey, Mike Cook and Bill Miller attending. Also present was Superintendent Rich Bereschik, Garfield Principal Lisa Ferguson, Girls Basketball Head Coach Ed Swogger and Building Leadership Team members Darlene Allison, Anne Cartwright, Betty Ann Phillips & Bob Rudder.

With the absence of the District Treasurer, Board Member Tom Brophey was named Treasurer Pro Tem. The Treasurer's Report was accepted and the payment of bills was approved. For the month of February receipts were $629, 299 and expenditures was $619, 296 leaving a General Fund balance of $1.6 million. There was no change in the General Set-Asides. Interest earned on investments for February was $2, 813.

Building Leadership Team leaders Darlene Allison and Anne Cartwright briefed the Board and visitors on the progress of the District Leadership Team (DLT). Allison and Cartwright are co-leaders for the Daw Middle School team in addition to being members of the DLT. The DLT is a group of teachers, administrators, BOE members and community members working together to identify critical needs of the school district, make a plan of action to correct any educational short comings and implement that plan. The overall goal is identify the needs of Wellsville students and work with them to correct any deficiencies.

The DLT is going into their third year of the project. After organizing and setting goals it was shown that the critical needs of the district was math and reading skills. A very detailed plan was developed and is now being implemented with emphasis on math. In addition to in-school tutoring activities the DLT has enlisted the help of Wellsville's First Christian Church. That church now has a regular Wednesday after school program from 3 to 5 PM for the youth of the community. It's an activity that provides recreation, a meal and extra tutoring for any student needing additional attention. A grant was obtained by the Family & Community Resource Center to provide a nutritious meal for the students each Wednesday.

State Legislature liaison Tom Brophey reported that the Ohio Dept. of Education (ODE) has submitted an application for a waiver for key provisions of the No Child Left Behind Education Act for elementary and secondary schools. ODE estimates that 90% of Ohio schools will be considered failures under that George Bush law because they estimate they will not be proficient in math and reading by the mandated 2014 deadline. Nearly 40 states have submitted applications for waivers that will be reviewed by the US Dept. of Education.

In the Good News category President Dash reported that the BUG Awards were given out to Garfield students that brought up their grades. Principle Ferguson added that there were 233 people attend the recent Garfield Parent Teacher Conferences. The Daw Middle School student of the month is P.J. Sosack, son of Mary Ann & James Sosack. Eighth grader Michael Reiner was the winner of the County Spelling Bee. He is the son of Paula & Bill Reiner. Michael will be participating in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC at the end of May. Daw Seventh grader Raven Yeany placed sixth in the bee. Anne Cartwright reported arrangements have been made for Daw Middle School class officers to place a wreath in a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. The ceremony will be part of the annual field trip for 7th & 8th Graders to our nation's capitol. The high school students just completed the Ohio Graduation Tests. Results are expected back in mid-May. The OGT is a state mandated test that all students must pass to be eligible for graduation. Induction into the National Honor Society will be held on Tuesday, March 20. High School Guidance Counselor Bob Rudder added five seniors and 11 juniors will be inducted. The annual Military Ball will be held March 24. The high school student of the month is Amanda Russell, daughter of Cathy & Paul Russell. Coach Swogger went on record congratulating WHS Senior Mikyla Tipton for setting a new all-time basketball scoring record at the school. Tipton finished her high school career with a total of 1,543 points. She broke record in a home game against Sebring on February12.

Superintendent Bereschik reported that clean-up of the old Sterling China property the District purchased has begun. That property is located behind the high school. Bereschik also emphasized that despite Wellsville rumor to the contrary the football field has not, repeat not, been sold. Apparently a rumor has been circulating that the field has been sold.

In personnel moves the retirement of Daw Middle School teacher Jeanne Waggoner, effective May 31, was accepted with regrets and best wishes. Waggoner has been with the district for 21 years. Assistant Softball Coach Kristen Cochran was replaced with former Volunteer Coach Joe Soldano. Cochran resigned to take the Head Coaching job at Southern Local. John Dalrymple was named to the volunteer position. Contracts were renewed for High School Principal Linda Rolley and Daw Middle School Principal John Foley. Retired teacher Janice Snyder was approved to be placed on the substitute teacher list. Christa McIntosh & Anne Cartwright was named as additional chaperones for an overnight field trip to Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the high school band in April. Finally the Board approved Wellsville Attorney Chris Amato to be the speaker at WHS's 137th Commencement.

The meeting adjourned at 7:47 PM. The next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 16 at 6:30 PM in the Superintendent's Office.


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"Spring Has Sprung..."

Traveling up Riverside Avenue in the 'ville yesterday this scene caught our eye. The river was as smooth as glass with the surrounding scenery reflecting off the surface as if it was a mirror. We rushed back to the house for the camera to record the moment. Those big fluffy clouds mean the winds aloft are pretty speedy.

Happy Spring to all our friends...

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BWD Board Meets In Wellsville

Thursday – March 15: The BWD Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting this morning at Wellsville Village Hall. Present at the meeting was Board President Mike Ryan, Board Members Jack Call, Cal Carney, Roy Dray, Dave Lloyd, Tim O'Hara, Bob Wines and Rick Williams. Also attending was District Manager Al DeAngelis, Legal Advisor Fred Emmerling, Office Manager Greg Stanley and Fiscal Officer Tony D'Angelo.

The Board retired into a 10 minute Executive Session for pending litigation. There was no comment made or action taken when they returned. Following the meeting Attorney Emmerling advised BWD is awaiting a decision from the Court of Appeals regarding the City of East Liverpool law suit. Arguments were heard on February 29 in Youngstown.

The cost of filling your swimming pool just got a little costlier. The Board approved a resolution adjusting the cost of water to $15 per 1,000 gallons for all bulk water sales to non-government entities. Except for government entities the approval of this resolution equalizes the rate for all bulk water sales.

Trustee Bob Wines advised sales were down a bit for the month of February. The figures were discussed at an earlier Finance Committee meeting this week and the Treasurer's Report was accepted as submitted. Tim O'Hara announced there will be a Personnel Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 20 at 10 AM at the Water Treatment Plant. District Manager DeAngelis advised it will be necessary to have an Insurance Committee meeting in the near future to go over employee health insurance rates for next year. Office Manager Greg Stanley advised the forms to disposed of old records has been submitted to the State Auditor's Office & the Ohio Historical Society for their approval. The district has records dating back to the time the district was formed. Many of them are not required to be kept and are just taking up space. Once approval is received the records will be shredded to protect any personal information they may contain.

DeAngelis reported the annual audit has been completed with the report issued. There was no findings for recovery. Except for a couple of minor record keeping errors nothing was found.

DeAngelis also reported that the District may be subject to a rate increase from American Electric Power. A rate increase was granted to AEP by the Ohio PUCO but was then suspended. The water district is evaluating any cost saving measures they can implement.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 AM. The next regularly scheduled meeting is set for Thursday, April 19 at 9 AM. The meeting will be at Wellsville Village Hall.

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A Little Wellsville Spring Cleaning

Here's a lesson in civic pride we wish more Wellsville residents would follow. Taking advantage of the spring like weather this Village couple took it upon themselves to spiff up one entrance to town.

Julie & Ron DuMoulin enlisted the help of a couple of their grand daughters and the four of them cleaned up the dirt and debris on and around the Wells Avenue bridge. They didn't have to. It was an act of kindness. They thought it should be done and did it. It was a positive display of civic pride in their hometown. It's an example of what can be done with just a little willingness.

The garbage bags they filled was picked up by Wellsville Street Department employees and disposed of. If you want to do the same, even if it's just in front of your home, the Village will also pick up at your place. Just bag it and leave it at the curve. To be on the safe side call Village Administrator Thom Edgell and let him know. His number is 330-532-2524 – Extension 14. If he's not in leave a message.

Pictured here from the left is Ron DuMoulin, Aubrianna & Delainey Melott and Julie DuMoulin.

Thanks folks...

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Wellsville Crime Watch Committee Welcomes All

The Wellsville Crime Watch Committee is coming out of winter hibernation! Committee President Janet Taggart announced monthly meetings and programs will resume Thursday evening, March 15 at 6 PM. The Committee meets in Council Chambers in Wellsville Village Hall located at 1200 Main St.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend and join in. The committee works closely with the Wellsville Police Dept. Officer Shawn Bloor is the department's liaison.

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