Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Water tower on shutdown during Thanksgiving

St. Henry

By Shelley Grieshop
ST. HENRY - A problem inside the village's largest water tower is slated to be fixed during Thanksgiving weekend.
Officials recently discovered a leak in the fill pipe inside the tower about two-thirds of the way up. The repair is estimated to cost $16,930 and the funding is available in the town's budget, village administrator Don Hess told council members Monday night.
Although the 300,000-gallon tower along Kremer-Hoying Road must be drained before the work can be done, it won't leave residents high and dry, Hess explained.
"They (village residents) won't even know anything's going on," he said.
While the work is being done, the town will utilize the water supply from a smaller, yet adequate water tower near the police department, Hess said. Cooper Farms - which normally uses large quantities of water for production - will be closed during the holiday weekend, he added.
The work is scheduled to begin Nov. 24 and will take a few days, he said.
Leary Construction of Greenfield, Ind., which previously painted and did repair work on the water towers, will drain it, cut out the stand pipe and weld a new fill pipe before reapplying insulation and refilling the tower, Hess said. The corroded joint is not expanding and contracting as it should.
Also on Monday, village council members read and approved the third reading of a 40 percent tax abatement for a new business complex on North Eastern Avenue. The ordinance establishes a 5-year community investment act (tax abatement) for North Town, 391 N. Eastern Ave. and its four retail shops owned by Homer and Judy Stachler.
Council members also:
• Learned village solicitor George Moore will record a deed transferring former village land to Tim and Deb Knapke following approval of the sale last month. The approximately 3/4-acre of land - a portion of the town's former well field adjoining Knapke's home - was sold for $19,816.
• Learned a project to install new, automated water meters for village residents is about 70 percent complete. Officials hope to finish the ongoing project next year.
• Heard Mayor Jeff Mescher announce that the Ohio Department of Transportation is holding a "Build a Better Mousetrap" competition for government entities. The contest allows county engineers or city, township and village employees to enter any innovative tools they've designed or other improvisations to complete their work.
Deadline to enter the competition is Jan. 31.
• Learned village crews are removing the banners that line the streets in preparation for hanging Christmas decorations.
"Sounds like they're (village workers) going to have the weather on their side this week," councilman Bob "Rocket" Rengers noted.
• Learned the village's fund balance is $1,485,713.
Additional online story on this date
Special council meeting set Monday for further talks
CELINA - City council members held an executive session Monday evening to discuss the possibility of a land purchase and sale related to construction of a proposed privately-owned solar power plant in the city. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
NEPTUNE - A Monday morning fire that claimed the lives of an area couple apparently started in the kitchen of their home at 8254 U.S. 33.
Jamison D
CELINA - City council members on Monday evening passed the second reading of an ordinance to obtain an additional 2.5 megawatts of electricity through American Municipal Power (AMP).
ST. MARYS - Residents asked council members Monday night why city workers were doing the ground work for a planned miniature golf course project in KC Geiger Park and if there were other unmentioned costs involved in the project.
COLDWATER - A pay ordinance giving a 25-cent hourly raise (approximately 1 percent) to salaried and hourly village employees was introduced at Monday's council meeting.
The boil water advisory for the Villa Nova and Sandy Beach areas in St. Marys has been canceled.
Officials said the problem was corrected and conditions returned to normal Monday afternoon.
Volleyball in the Grand Lake area is about as good as it gets in Divisions II-IV and the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association's All-Ohio announcements reflect that.
Mercer County
Two candidates are vying for one open seat on the Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District board of supervisors.
They are incumbent Kevin Bettinger, 45, 3792 state Route 118, Coldwater, and Louis Schwieterman, 51, 4168 Harrison Road, Celina.