Paving nearly done, trash figures shared

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Street paving is progressing well, according to Van Wert Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming.

Fleming updated Van Wert City Council Monday night and said paving work on Cherry St. should be complete today. Crews from The Shelley Company will then shift their attention to Second St., Biltmore Ave., Green St., Gay St., and Temple St. Fleming said all work should be wrapped up by the end of this week.

He also told members of council that the city flipped the lanes on Bonnewitz Ave. last Friday, so the thru-lane is now a thru-lane/left turn lane and he said the change is working well.

Mayor Ken Markward shared the final figures on the city’s trasher voucher program. Vouchers were made available to city residents, one per household, to take a large item to Young’s Waste for disposal during the month of September. He noted twice as many were used this time compared to the last time the city offered the vouchers (2021) and the tonnage was nearly three times more than before. 297 vouchers were used last month, compared to 153 four years ago, and the tonnage was 69.96, substantially higher than 2021, when 25.86 tons came in via the vouchers.

“We’ll continue to evaluate how that goes, whether we can continue to be able to do that next year and improve on it,” Markward said. 

A bit later in the meeting, council approved a “then and now” invoice to Young’s Waste in the amount of $14,694.75 to cover the amount of trash taken via the vouchers.

In other business, council members heard the third and final reading of two ordinances to increase penalties for repeated violations of the city’s junk and rubbish ordinances, along with an amendment urged by First Ward Councilman Jeff Agler at the last meeting – possible jail time for four-time offenders. Otherwise, two-time offenders would incur penalties of at least $50, and those with two or more convictions would be fined at least $100. Both measures passed unanimously.