Strasburg Village Council

Barb Limbacher
·5 min read
Strasburg Village Countil logo

July 19 meeting

KEY ACTION Council asked residents to be alert for activities that are suspicious either at Franklin Park or in the village.

DISCUSSION: Mayor Steve Smith asked residents to call the police, if they view anything unusual in the village. Smith said smoke bombs have been set inside the bathrooms at the park, causing damage and along the new playground. Residents can contract the police at 330-878-7011.

In another matter, Mayor Smith said paving on Fernsell Avenue will begin July 20, weather permitting. The Ohio Department of Transportation expects to begin work on Wooster Avenue on July 25. ODOT had planned to pave Wooster Avenue (Routes 21/250) in 2021, however it was delayed a year so the village could replace waterlines that were over 100 years old. The paving project is being fitted into the 2022 ODOT paving schedule. There will be seven parking places between the traffic lights with turn lanes at both lights.

Plans are to provide public parking at the rear of ProHelp Reality and at the lot located next to the business.

OTHER ACTION

  • Heard the Love Tusc Art sculpture project will be launched Aug. 31 for National Overdose Awareness Day. Mayor Smith said there was one overdose death in the village in the past six months. The sculpture will be displayed in the green space on Wooster Avenue from Aug. 25-28 and remain at the site through September. Residents and businesses can donate to the fund. The cost to the village is $6,975 for the sculpture. Tuscarawas Insurance of Strasburg donated $1,700 toward the sculpture.

  • Heard a request to vacate an alley on Eighth Street SW west of Kaderly Avenue. Councilman Marty Zehnder said council should never vacate an alley. The property owner said the village has never maintained the alley and he applied for a permit to construct a detached garage on his property. Legal Counsel Terry Seeberger said the decision must be made by council. Council agreed to investigate the request further before making a decision.

  • Learned some ideas for the green space on Wooster Avenue is to place concrete and a walkway near the sculpture and make an area for a permanent Christmas tree to be centered on the lot. The Lion’s Club have donated two benches for the green space. Heard council approve the Strasburg Pullers to begin hold tractor pulls at Franklin park in 2023.

  • Authorized Seerberger to draw up an ordinance to hire Donna Reiger, Michelle Dickerhoof and Elizabeth Sparks as part-time crossing guards.

  • Learned the fire department responded to 19 EMS calls from July 5 to July 19, two fire calls, one accident and one mutual aid response. There were no missed calls in the two-week period.

  • Heard a complaint from Jerry Schultz, a resident, about trailers being parked at properties. An ordinance states a RV or trailer must be parked at the rear of a property. If no rear access exists, they can be parked on the side.

  • Heard a representative from the Economic Development agreed to attend a meeting to discuss available grants to construct a senior/community center. Councilman Marty Zehnder said the school may sell the village land to construct a building. He said the building could be used for a flea market and a fee charged to help with the cost of a building. Mayor Smith reminded Zehnder the village still must pay off the new village hall which has a remaining loan of four years. Council president Jeff Smith said he is not against a senior/community center however, after contacting different entities that have a facility, they are either operated from a levy or some other form of support.

  • Learned plans are to ask the business owners to meet about the revitalization project for the downtown area and receive input and ideas from them.

  • Passed an ordinance limiting the use of fireworks within the village and enacting municipal regulations.

  • Heard Zehnder ask about the former bus garage on Railroad Avenue and if it can be given back to the school. Mayor Smith said the village has a legal right to it.

  • Held the second reading of an ordinance amending a resolution (zoning code) by enacting a new section regulating marijuana related uses.

  • Learned two permits were issued to 120 Third Street NE for a deck on the rear of the property, and at 123 Fifth Street SW for a front porch and renovations. A hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 16 to consider allowing a new sign at Valley Centre Mall. The new sign requested is a monument style at the mall entrance off North Wooster Avenue.

FOR YOUR INFO

  • Recognized the fire and police departments for the outstanding services they provide to the village and Franklin Township. The both have been understaffed and are hiring employees.

  • A Fall Festival will be held at Franklin Park from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 12. Emily Crilley, Emma Huber Library branch Manager, is planning the event. It will offer crafts and games; businesses will provide information. Free pumpkins, pumpkin painting, food trucks, Strasburg High band, and local churches will participate. Crilley hopes to create a sense of kindness and community spirit withing the village.

  • The second phase of Safe Routes to Schools grant for the schools is expected to begin in 2023. New sidewalks were recently installed from the cemetery to Ninth Street on the west side of Bodmer Avenue.

UP NEXT meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 2 at 224 N. Bodmer Avenue. A finance meeting will be held at 5 p.m. prior to the council meeting.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Strasburg Village Council meeting