VW Council ups speed limit on N. Franklin

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Van Wert City Council approved increasing the speed on a portion of North Franklin Street/Marsh Road, tabled legislation proposing a speed increase on a portion of Westwood Drive, and approved a measure allowing the mayor to sign a contract for economic development services with the new city-county economic development entity.

Also during their meeting on Monday, Council members heard a brief presentation from Lt. Timothy Grigsby, commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s post in Van Wert.

Council unanimously approved authorizing Mayor Jerry Mazur to sign a contract with the Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation (VWAEDC) for economic development services. That contract would become effective July 1.

Councilman At-Large Jon Tomlinson also noted that the election of three at-large members of the VWAEDC would be held Monday, June 20, in the First Federal Lecture Hall of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio. That meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. for those who purchased memberships in the VWAEDC.

Council members also approved increasing the speed on a portion of North Franklin/Marsh Road to 45 mph, from the current 35 mph. That would make the speed limit on the west side of the street, which is in the city limits, the same as on the east side of the road, which is part of the county. Five of the six councilmen present (Ken Markward was unable to attend the meeting) approved the measure, with Second Ward Councilman Joi Mergy opposed to the speed increase.

Council postponed taking action on the proposed Westwood Drive speed increase until members could review a petition opposing an increase from 25 mph to 35 mph on a portion of Westwood from Ervin to Fox roads. A vote will be taken on the measure, which is up for its third and final reading, at the June 27 meeting.

Mayor Mazur reminded City Council that a delegation from Van Wert’s sister city, Sumoto, Japan, will be visiting the city July 28-31. He noted that anyone wanting to volunteer to provide housing for individual members of the delegation, which is mostly comprised of school children from Sumoto, could call his office.

Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming noted that work on South Washington Street and the streets around the future Franklin Park site are going well, and also talked about the replacement of copper pipes on a portion of Washington Street not involved in the latest reconstruction project. Fleming noted that, due to the corrosiveness of the soil under the street, the copper pipes need to be replaced with PVC pipes.

Fleming said that, while the pipes are not that old, the fact that the pipes were metal created a problem due to the corrosive soil.

“It shouldn’t be happening, but it is,” Fleming said.

City Auditor Martha Balyeat noted that local tax collections are ahead of last year, with income taxes up approximately $100,000 over last year.

“It’s trending in the right direction,” Balyeat said of tax revenues, while also noting that overall revenues were down more than $500,000 from last year, but also noted the city received reimbursement of $500,000 from a railroad/port authority grant last year, making revenues for the two years pretty much even.

Legislation authorizing installation of electrical service to the 1,500-acre megasite was also approved, with the city sharing the cost of the project with the Business Development Corporation.

Law Director John Hatcher said he is working on code enforcement legislation with the mayor, city code enforcement workers, and Health-Service-Safety Committee Chair John Marshall, noting that the emphasis is on “serial offenders.”

Lt. Grigsby attended the Council meeting to address concerns about troopers writing speeding tickets within the city — and particularly in the Westwood Drive area. Grigsby said his troopers weren’t targeting speeding within the city, but do have the authority to provide law enforcement on any public streets or highways within the state.

He noted troopers have been assisting city police with enforcement of a detour for trucks around the city due to the work on South Washington Street.

In other legislative action, City Council approved a number of fund transfers and supplemental appropriations, as recommended by Balyeat, and also read for the second time a measure allowing the mayor to sign a deed transferring ownership of the former Van Wert Municipal Court/post office building on South Market Street to the Community Improvement Corporation.