Village of Greenfield, OH

We’ve heard about a pedestrian bridge on the west end of town for a couple years. Now Greenfield is getting one. Tell us about that. -- Yes, the village has applied for funding for a pedestrian bridge in that area for the last couple years. There are stores and a couple restaurants and other services across the bridge, and now the Jefferson Street Business Center that houses Community Action, but there is no safe way to get there except by car. If a person is traveling by foot or by bike, they have to cross the narrow traffic bridge, and it’s just dangerous.

The grant through ODOT will make the bridge possible and ensure that pedestrians and cyclists can safely access everything on the west side of the creek. Also, the grant money covers connecting sidewalks out there, which adds another layer of safety.

Completing the bridge will take time, as engineering and site work need to be done. We may not see completion until next year, but of course we are hoping for sooner. We are grateful to ODOT for the project funding and we are happy to partner with Community Action during this project that will ultimately help make sure people can traverse the area safely.

There could be some changes with the water & sewer bill, right? -- We have been informed that the post office will no longer be sending out the postcard bills we use for the water & sewer. The postcards do tend to become easily lost within other mail. As the software and hardware we use for the water & sewer bills is outdated, we are looking into upgrading them and no longer use the postcard bills. Instead we’d like to do more of a letter type bill, but then also include a community newsletter which would highlight village happenings and help keep everyone informed. Stay tuned for more details!

Are there any other updates you’d like to share? -- Yes. The spring flowers are blooming and it’s time to start up our seasonal contests for the year. The next one will recognize the best-looking home for spring. The village needs to have nominations for that by May 28 and the winner will be recognized at the first council meeting in June. Nominations can be emailed to sparker@greenfieldohio.net or dropped in the suggestion box in the first floor lobby of the city building.

The next contest will be for the most patriotic home for July 4. Nominations for that will need to be to the village the week before to ensure the committee has time to review the nominations and make a decision.

We were happy to see the second annual senior cruise-in take place on May 19. There was a great turnout of seniors and community members who showed up to celebrate them. That’s one really great thing to come from the pandemic that will last for years.

Some may have noticed that the playground equipment once at the armory for Head Start is not there anymore. That’s because as Head Start now has brand new facilities at the Jefferson Street Business Center, Community Action has donated the previous equipment to the village. That equipment is now at Mitchell Park and we are grateful to Community Action for helping us be able to expand the play area there.

Speaking of Mitchell Park, baseball has begun. The group that is leading the summer youth league has accomplished tremendous work readying fields and facilities and just literally getting the league headed in the right direction. I hope this is the beginning of a very strong youth program for years to come.

And one more thing about Mitchell Park. The annual fishing derby is just a couple weeks away. We are so happy to see it back this year. Jimmy and Liz Jones work hard to make it a success and we are so grateful for their efforts and the joy the derby provides to the kids.

If you have questions for the city manager, please email Todd Wilkin at the following address: citymanager@greenfieldohio.net