Stan Weigman, superintendent at the Southern Ohio Veterans Home, presented Mayor John Jandes and the Georgetown Village Council with a plaque acknowledging the villages part in bringing the Veterans Home to Georgetown.
Cemetery regulations key issue
By Hollee Chadwick Editor
GEORGETOWN - Georgetown Village Council met in regular session Thursday, Feb. 26 and was presented with a plaque from the Southern Ohio Veterans Home acknowledging the village's assistance in the project. Stan Weigman, superintendent at the Veterans Home, presented the plaque that contained part of the ribbon from the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 16, and a pair of surgical scissors.
The council discussed in depth the continuing problems with the cemetery and the issue of what is appropriate and acceptable in the way of plot adornment and upkeep. At a January council meeting, Angie Martin had expressed her dissatisfaction with what she characterized as distasteful decorating of plots and the cemetery's seeming lack of care regarding the matter. The council has been diligently researching the problem since that time and has been pouring over the cemetery guidelines as well as touring the cemetery and noting infractions of the rules. Fred Dalton, cemetery worker, said there are 43 obvious obstructions/infractions at the cemetery right now, with 18 of them being in section 3 alone. He said sections 2a and 3 7 are the areas where there are the most problems.
Council is considering publishing the regulations for the general public so they are more readily available. A list of the cemetery regulations regarding plot adornment is available now at the mayor's office or at the cemetery office. Village Administrator Kelly Jones suggested council consider posting a bulletin board at the cemetery that will list the regulations also.
Jones and Police Chief Buddy Coburn attended a methamphetamine lab seminar sponsored by the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission. "It's unusual for OVRDC to do this, but there was a need," said Jones. Coburn said the seminar was helpful because it taught them what to do once a lab is located and what the clean-up procedures are in order to avoid EPA fines.
Village Administrator Kelly Jones reported that the new tractor loader for the electric department has been ordered at a cost of $36,608.76 and will be delivered in approximately six weeks. In the meantime, the village is renting the exact same model from Cahall Bros. for $295 per day. Jones said Cahall Bros. has agreed to apply that rent money toward the purchase of the new loader.
Jones said the lights and underground electric at the Mary Hanlon Park are being installed and Roberts Paving has been awarded the contract for the paving. He also reported that the water leaks in the village are under control and water usage has dropped from 435,000 per day back down to the normal 158,000 gallons per day.
New garage doors for the watershed building at the fairgrounds are being ordered. The old ones are damaged beyond repair.
"Two of them won't even open, " said Jones. The total cost of four doors is $4,780.
Police Chief Buddy Coburn responded to a village resident's complaint regarding dogs soiling her yard. Coburn said he is limited in what he can do depending on the circumstances whether the owner of the dog walks the dog onto a person's lawn or the dog somehow was off-leash and just wanders over. Though Georgetown does have a leash law, there is no "Pooper-Scooper" ordinance. Coburn asked council to look into other villages' ordinances, such as Ripley's, and consider passing a similar one to solve the problem.
Coburn also reported that the police department received a donation of three desktop computers. He said the donor would like to remain anonymous.
"The desktops will allow the officers to keep their laptops in their squad cars," said Coburn. He said this will save them time and money and does away with the possibility of a laptop being dropped when moved from the vehicle.
Coburn said the police department web site is well underway. Once it is fully functional, the officers will be able to utilize it from their squad car laptops to file reports, run checks, receive alerts, etc. Coburn credited Sergeant Scott Peskin and Corporal Rob Freeland with the development of the site.
"We've been able to build one heck of a computer system with just the talent we have right here," said Corbin.
In other business:
Republican Ohio House of Representative candidate Danny Bubp and Republican Ohio Senate candidate Jean Schmidt were both in attendance to ask the village for their support in the March 2 primary.
Council took a neutral stance on the Fraternal Order of Eagles application for a liquor license.
Council member Ray Becraft asked council to consider adding a rider to their liability insurance policy to cover performers at the Gaslight Theater. Becraft said there are more acts coming to the area but some are finding the average insurance bill of at least $450 for a four-hour show to be prohibitive. Council will be looking into the matter.
Council adopted sections 71.18 71.22 of the Ohio Revised Code regarding driving under suspension and driving under license restriction. It was designated Ordinance 1015.
Jones entered into negotiations with Rumpke regarding the waste contract. Rumpke is asking for a five percent increase Jones countered with three percent. When negotiations are complete the increase will only add an additional 20 to 29 cents per customer.
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