City shoots down Willow Bend goose plan

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Willow Bend Country Club might have to find a Plan B after Van Wert City Council shot down its request to hire a professional hunter to kill geese that have created problems on the golf course.

A vote on introducing legislation that would have provided an exception to the city ban on discharging firearms within the city limits failed on a 3-2 vote, with Councilmen Stan Agler and Kirby Kelly voting “no” on the issue. Council members John Marshall, Dick Shultz and Don Farmer voted for the measure, while Joi Mergy, an employee of Central Insurance Company, which owns Willow Bend, abstaining. Third Ward Councilman Jon Tomlinson was out of town and could not vote.

Agler had said previously that he felt there were better alternatives to killing the geese and that he felt Willow Bend hadn’t looked sufficiently at some of those.

A longstanding issue was also raised by local business owner Pam Brown, who operates Sisters Bridal Boutique at the corner of Main and Washington streets.

Brown complained that employees of downtown businesses were parking in spots that should be used for customer parking. She requested that City Council designate parking spots “customer only” but was told by Law Director Greg Unterbrink that the city could not do legally do that.

Agler, who chairs Council’s Streets and Alleys Committee, said he would talk to Main Street Van Wert Project Manager Seth Baker to see if Baker could get concessions from those who work downtown to park in city lots surrounding the area.

Brown also noted that the intersection at Main and Washington was not wide enough, which has resulted in several semis hitting a light pole and parked cars because they were unable to negotiate the turn.

Prior to the regular City Council meeting, Council members met as a committee of the whole to hear an update on economic development from Van Wert Development Director Nancy Bowen.

Bowen essentially repeated a report she compiled for the recent Van Wert County Economic Development Annual Dinner, but also added some new information and spent more time talking about retention and expansion efforts and the Jobs Ready Site on the north edge of Van Wert.

Bowen was upbeat about the area’s economic future and also noted that the county got some valuable publicity from a front-page story in USA Today back in April.

“I see our economy coming out of this and being even strong than it has been,” she said.

During its regular meeting, City Council put its stamp of approval on initial plans for the West Main Street reconstruction and for reducing overflow incidents in the city’s sewer system.