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Village
Council business
Council
readies money for commerce park effort
Village Council last week took a first formal step to make seed money
available in the effort to develop a commerce park in town.
At its meeting April 7, Council approved 40 the first reading of
an ordinance that would amend the guidelines for the Village Economic
Development Revolving Loan Fund, giving the Village the legal means to
use the fund to help promote a development here. Council member George
Pitstick was absent.
There was little discussion from Council on the proposal. A second reading
and public hearing on the ordinance will take place at Councils
meeting May 5.
The proposal would allow the Village to loan or grant money in the loan
fund to Community Resources, a local community improvement corporation
that has been working on local economic issues.
The proposed ordinance is vague about how the funds can be used, saying
only that Community Resources can use the money to promote and manage
economic development in land identified as possible sites in the Cooperative
Economic Development Agreement, or CEDA. The ordinance does not say how
much money the Village intends to use for this effort. In January, Village
Manager Rob Hillard reported that $312,700 was available in the loan fund.
The CEDA, which Council and the Miami Township trustees approved last
summer, designates two areas for commercial development: 46 acres at Dayton-Yellow
Springs and East Enon Roads, which is owned by Vernay Laboratories, and
32 acres of the Pitstick farm on East Enon.
Council and Community Resources plan to work together to get a park built
here. Community Resources will likely use the loan funds to purchase land,
or an option on property, and promote it for development. Council will
likely approve an agreement formalizing its partnership with Community
Resources at the May 5 meeting. The agreement was not distributed last
week.
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In other Council business:
Council directed Hillard to investigate a mosquito control program
offered by the Greene County Combined Health District. Council members
said they were concerned about West Nile Virus, which is spread by mosquitoes.
Last year, the virus was found in birds, mosquitoes and horses in the
county, including birds at the Glen Helen Raptor Center.
At its meeting April 21, Council will discuss whether the Village should
participate in the Countys mosquito program this year. In 2002,
Miami Township and 11 other jurisdictions participated in the program.
Council voted 40 not to object to local businesses that renew
their liquor permits this spring. Councils decision followed a recommendation
from Village staff. Seven businesses currently hold liquor permits.
Hillard reported that the State, with federal funds, will reimburse
the Village $8,993 for some of the expenses the Village incurred this
winter because of snow storms. Hillard said that the Village has already
exhausted the overtime budget for the Public Works Department for 2003
because of the storms, an indication of just how severe the winter
was.
Mary Alexander was sworn in by Mayor David Foubert and officially
joined Council. Alexander replaces Hazel Latson, who resigned last month
because she moved out of town. Alexander will fill the remainder of Latsons
term, which expires after the November election.
Hillard reported that the Village had placed two school bus stop
signs on Dayton Street, near Wright Street, in an effort to slow traffic
in that area. He also said that the Village plans to conduct a second
traffic study on Dayton.
Police Chief Jim Miller, who was placed on paid leave last month, conducted
a traffic study on Dayton earlier this year. He reported that the study
did not show an excessive number of speeding violations on
Dayton near Wright.
Council agreed 40 to appoint Saul Greenberg and Aida Merhemic
to the Village Human Relations Commission.
Robert
Mihalek
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