UCO council denies Elm Street change

By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN

News-Gazette reporter

Neil Butt, owner of A & W Root Beer, asked Union City, Ohio council members Tuesday for a second time to change the design of the work that is underway on the Elm Street project. He presented photos showing how a sidewalk with green space would impinge upon his business.

Butt said, "We're only talking about a 25-foot section. Making these changes would make the corner look more even."

Councilman Bill Bruggeman, "This was drawn up, and we had public meetings." He said the owners of the Marsh property, Marlene Livingston and Danny Wright, met with the project engineer two weeks ago, and they said to go ahead and do the project the way it was designed.

"This should have been settled a long time ago," Bruggeman said.

Council member Meta Sue Livingston said, "Are you going to do it (make changes) for all the property owners?"

Brad Horsley made a motion to allow the changes if the engineer didn't object.

After the discussion, Nelson said the motion died for a lack of a second. He added, "we will take it up with the engineer to see how they ant to do it."

In another matter of old business, Davey Yount, street department employee, read a letter about the recent controversy involving the village having to return a park grant. He said the employees were not at fault for the fence that was to be funded by the grant not getting done.

Yount said Jim Arndt, former village administrator, asked him to pick up some extra railing. Then Arndt called a halt to the project because the railing didn't match, and that caused a ruckus. Yount said the last thing he was told was that there would be no more picking out railing until Betty Grimes, former park board member, decided what kind to buy.

"We talk up here about communication," Yount said. "Betty Grimes should have communicated. It wasn't this mayor's fault."

Grimes asked to rebutt Yount's remarks. She said, "Jim Arndt said he would take care of it. Did anybody tell the park board?"

Yount also denied the railing had been stored improperly, as was stated by Darke County Parks Director xxx Van Frank.

Livingston said, "We can't keep going back and blaming people who are no longer here. Let's take care of now."

In other news:

° Butt asked whether anyone else had hard water problems now that the village is buying its water from Union City, Ind. He said the water is liming up his ice maker, which he has to tear it down every three or four days. Council members suggested consulting with the Board of Public Affairs, which has jurisdiction over water. The village's six-month trial contract with UCI for water will expire in October, when village officials will have to decide whether to sign a contract for five years.

° Council voted to pay $5,000 to Old National on the note for an ambulance. Fiscal officer Karen Stubbs said she would like to start making $5,000 payments when she feels comfortable with the fire department's financial standing. She said she didn't want to stress the department's budget.

° Learned Mark Wright had made numerous calls to try to get Sinclair College to waive out-of-state tuition for two department members taking classes there. He said the state will reimburse the department next year for the courses anyway, and the two people involved are very active with the department.

° Council members approved the applications of three other, including Matthew Faulkner, who is certified as EMT and Firefighter II. Two others, Cameron Pollic and Matthew Longfellow, are paying for their firefighter training up front, saving the village an expenditure.

The next Union City, Ohio council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, September 15.