Council approves Scout project, views sculpture
Zane Anderson, a local scout, presented his plans for renovating the Pine Street Cemetery, a project that will help him achieve his Eagle Scout badge.
At the September meeting of Bolivar Village Council, members gave permission to Zane Anderson, a local scout, to complete his work at the Pine Street cemetery in order to earn his Eagle Scout badge.
Anderson presented a drawing of what the finished renovation will look like, including a bench and a new sign. He also gained permission to remove several crabapple trees and plant a different type of tree.
Council members also viewed the LoveTusc sculpture created for Bolivar, painted by Stacey Quillen and her daughter Piper Symons. Chris Berens, who headed up the project, said the sculpture will be placed in a small park being created downtown that will include benches donated by the Bolivar Lions Club.
Courtney Wallace, Bolivar Library branch supervisor, gave a report on the summer reading program, saying Bolivar library patrons reported reading 2,306 hours over the summer. She said the branch hosted 42 programs during the summer and had 532 people come through the door.
Wallace said next year will be the 25th anniversary of the library being at its current location. Plans are underway for a year-long celebration.
Reports and council business
Fiscal Officer Barb Kline said there have been issues with residents receiving water bills and with payments arriving on time, even when they were mailed in time. She said residents who haven’t received their water bill by the 20th of the month should call her at 330-401-3263.
“You can also go to the village website and click on a link to pay the bill,” she said. “You don’t actually have to pay it, but you can view it to see how much your bill is.” Kline then advised residents to drop off their payments in the drop box in front of village hall or bring it in to her office.
Council voted to:
-Officially appoint Levi Kaser as zoning inspector, with only Oberlin voting no
-Add cybersecurity services from Watchguard for $1,110
-Approve tree trimming by R&S Tree Services, the lowest bid, at a cost of $7,020
-Approve an ordinance, to be retroactive, to hire cleaning personnel for village hall.
Other matters discussed:
Council discussed possibly replacing the time clock with a web-based time logging system. Not all members agreed it is needed but did agree to a 30-day free trial before making a decision.
Kaser noted three designated bus stops for this school year: The former Bolivar Intermediate school at 7:25 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., Water Street at Brace and St. John’s United Church of Christ.
Street and Alley Chair Oberlin said some sidewalks need to be replaced on Poplar Street and Park Avenue. He also said he has been contacted about the need to spray wash and weed around the Bolivar gateway sign, which Kaser will handle.
Recreation Chair Loretta Dively advised around 60 bicyclists will be coming through the village as part of the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition’s Century Ride Sept. 16 and 17.
Finance Chair Will Bellinger set a special meeting Sept. 28 at 5:30 to discuss budget and any other pertinent issues that arise.
Council heard:
-A reading by title only of an ordinance to authorize a contract for fiscal officer assistant, also to be retroactive
-First reading of an ordinance to establish the hourly pay rate and caps/ maximums and minimums for employees of the village of Bolivar
-First reading of an ordinance amending a previous ordinance and allowing an increase in the cost of 2023 paving. The original estimate from the county did not include all streets needing to be paved.
Bolivar Council meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Village Hall. Meetings are open to the public.