Village of Greenfield, OH

September citizens of the month Lillian Todd and Travis Howland are pictured amid council members (l-r) Phil Clyburn, Eric Borsini, Mary Ellen McMurry, Brenda Losey, and Jessalyn Hunter, as well as city manager Todd Wilkin on Monday. (Courtesy photo)

By Angela Shepherd
Village of Greenfield

The remains of the Elliott Hotel, partially demolished more than a year ago after part of the building collapsed, still stands at the corner of Washington and Mirabeau streets, but the village is working to make sure the structure gets taken down sooner rather than later. 

Several pieces of legislation were approved Monday, Sept. 19 at Greenfield’s village council meeting and included a couple relating to the Elliott Hotel.

In one of them, council approved $80,000 for the demolition of the hotel that, despite efforts through the years to save it, has become a danger. 

City manager Todd Wilkin explained that previously the village had received bids putting the demolition at $50,000, but since then the county’s land bank had approached the village to partner with it on removing the blighted property. A memorandum of understanding was forged, but Wilkin said the land bank has not upheld that agreement. More recent bids for the demolition of the Elliott have put the cost at $100 shy of $80,000. Wilkin said this amount would be held off for now to give the village and the land bank a chance to reach an agreement first; however, if an agreement is not reached, then the village will be ready to move forward with the demolition.

The building needs to be torn down, Wilkin said, adding that if the land bank continues to not uphold the memorandum of understanding, then at least the village will be prepared to move forward with demolition. 

The other Elliott-related legislation is regarding the bricks, which Wilkin said the village has received several requests about. The city manager said it is thought that putting a program in place for selling the bricks was a good idea rather than a haphazard approach. The legislation sets the stage for that guidance to be created. 

 

Citizens of month announced

In other business, there are two citizens of the month for September. Both were selected “because they are ultimately connected through the work being performed at Mitchell Park,” Wilkin said.

The first is Lillian Todd, who participated in the MLB Pitch, Hit, and Run event, winning her division at Mitchell Park and advancing to the team championship at Great American Ballpark where she successfully won her age division. She is awaiting word on whether her scores will earn her an all-expenses paid trip to game two of the MLB World Series where she would have the opportunity to compete for the national title.  

“That’s a big deal,” Wilkin said. “So, no matter the outcome, Lillian has represented Greenfield and her community well.”

Travis Howland was also recognized for his part in starting the Mitchell Park Youth Sports League, along with the help of many volunteers. Since it began, the league has provided many opportunities for local youth. 

Wilkin said since the volunteer organization took charge at Mitchell Park, there have been great improvements there and in the playing conditions on the fields. The youth programs are growing and “have positively impacted the lives” of so many of the local youth. 

Greenfield’s employee of the month is Shawna McCoy, who has been a utility billing and finance clerk in the water and sewer department for nearly two years. She is recognized for her hard work and consistently positive attitude as she helps the community. 

Wilkin noted that McCoy often has to resolve issues with customers who are not the most understanding at first, but she always handles things in a professional manner and remains calm, and when all is said and done, she remains positive. 

On the related matter of the water and sewer department, Wilkin noted that the village is moving away from the clerk taking over-the-phone card payments for water and sewer bills. It’s a matter of safety and security, he said, and keeps with PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance. 

You can make a credit card payment over the phone by calling the water and sewer department at 937-981-0282 and choosing option two, which will take you to Invoice Cloud where a secure payment can be made. 

You can also pay securely with a credit card online through the village’s website at greenfieldohio.net. Once there, click on “Pay Your Utility Bill Online.” You will be routed to Invoicecloud.com where you can pay. 

 

Dr. Borsini’s final meeting

Monday’s council meeting was the last one for council member Eric Borsini, who is soon 

returning to his home turf in New England after calling Greenfield home for two decades. 

“Thank you guys for the privilege of working with all of you,” Borsini said at the end of the council meeting. “I think we’ve done some great things. I’m excited to come back and see all the progress you guys are going to continue to make.”

New council member Corey Taylor, who will be taking Borsini’s seat, is expected to be sworn-in very soon and begin his service on the council Oct. 1.

In other matters, council also adopted a resolution regarding Cox Paving beginning paving projects very soon on all the downtown alleyways and portions of Eighth and Ninth streets.

The city manager recognized that there are places in town in dire need of road repair, but a lot of these have infrastructure issues under the streets that need to be fixed first, which is all part of the village’s capital improvement plan. 

Wilkin also reported that the tire rodeo held at the end of August removed 540 tires from the community. He thanked village employees for their help during the event. Additionally, he thanked the McClain Cadet Corps, which helps out every year. 

The rodeo is done through a grant from the county, which requires the village to contribute some match dollars. The arrangement is that the village’s match dollars go to the cadets for their help.

“We are very thankful for the cadets’ help,” Wilkin said. “It’s exciting to see all the things they are involved in as they represent Greenfield.”

Finance director Gary Lewis reported the end-of-month numbers for August. Those are: month-to-date revenue - $406,636; month-to-date expense - $160,910; year-to-date revenue - $3.32 million; year-to-date expense - $1.86 million; and a general fund balance as of Aug. 31, 2022 of $522,466.

Council chair Phil Clyburn thanked everyone who has been coming out to enjoy the events in downtown Greenfield. “There’s been a lot of people downtown,” he said. “We hope you come down and enjoy your community.”

Upcoming events: 

– Oktoberfest - Sept. 24 from 5-9 p.m. Go to the Grow Greater Greenfield Facebook page for more information. 

– First Friday - Oct. 7 - watch the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page for information about the event, which is the last of the season. 

– Halloween Decorating Contests, both residential and storefront. The contest runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 12 with the winners to be announced at the Oct. 17 council meeting. 

The Greenfield Village Council meets in regular session the first and third Monday of each month in the council chambers on the third floor of the city building at 7 p.m. Meetings are also streamed live on Facebook. Go to the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page and greenfieldohio.net for news and information. 

Pictured are Greenfield Village Council members (clockwise from bottom left) Mary Ellen McMurry, Eric Borsini, Phil Clyburn, Jessalyn Hunter, and Brenda Losey in this screenshot from the Facebook live video of Monday's meeting.