Village of Greenfield, OH

Charlotte Lytle of Old Town Pizzeria II, Keith Hart of Robbins Village Florist, and Krista Kerr of Black Cat Tattoo are pictured with their trophies for winning in the Halloween Storefront Decorating contest. They stand with council members (l-r) Phil Clyburn, Mary Ellen McMurry, Cory Taylor, Brenda Losey, Jessalyn Hunter, and city manager Todd Wilkin. (Photo by Angela Shepherd)

Mary Waters and Roy Meredith, the homeowners of 665 Sixth St. chosen as the winner of the Halloween Home Decorating contest, are pictured with council members (l-r) Phil Clyburn, Cory Taylor, Mary Ellen McMurry, Brenda Losey, city manager Todd Wilkin, and council member Jessalyn Hunter. (Photo by Angela Shepherd)

By Angela Shepherd
Village of Greenfield

Among the opportunities city manager Todd Wilkin discussed in his report are for potential funding for infrastructure work – which includes replacing sewer lines and adding curbs, gutters, and sidewalks – on a portion of north Fourth Street. It’s a project that not only addresses aged infrastructure, but will help further mitigate flooding in that area.

Council passed legislation allowing the city manager to move forward with the application process for that project through the OPWC (Ohio Public Works Commission). He said the village should know if the project will be funded through the OPWC by February.

Another infrastructure project previously funded by the OPWC on Fayette Street is due to start in several weeks, Wilkin said. He said right now they are waiting on materials, which may not arrive until the spring.

Another grant opportunity Wilkin talked about is the Appalachian Community Grant program, which is $500 million slated for the region with $250,000 set aside for each county to apply for planning dollars. Wilkin said this phase is for planning grants, with implementation grants expected to become available in a year. 

Greenfield will be submitting a planning grant for the park’s district design and maybe some downtown work, he said. 

Another opportunity comes through OhioSE and the Vibrant Communities Grant program, which awards up to $1 million to a downtown building for renovation or a new construction in a downtown area. There are specific guidelines, Wilkin said, and there are about five buildings/properties in the downtown that meet those guidelines.

Concerning this, the village will soon be meeting with the Montrose Group — which was recently awarded this grant with a partnering community — about ideas and ways to partner with them to help Greenfield be successful in securing a grant. 

Wilkin said the village is also in discussions with the Montrose Group to help Greenfield set up a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district at the industrial park, building a spec building at the industrial park using RIPL (Rural Industrial Park Loan) funds, as well as utilizing other economic development tools for the Greenfield community. 

 

Awards recipients announced

In other business, it was a night of awards, with the Halloween Decorating Contest winners, both home and business, as well as employee and citizen of the month recognitions.

Steve Pearce, who actively serves in many capacities across different groups in the community, was recognized for his years of “tremendous service” on the Board of Zoning Appeals, from which he recently resigned after nearly two decades, a move, Wilkin said, that Pearce told him was him stepping away from some of his commitments so that he could enjoy retirement. 

October’s employee of the month is Jim Faulconer, who works at the wastewater treatment plant and has been with the village for nearly 18 years. He is being recognized for his years of dedication to his job. Wilkin noted that Faulconer is always smiling, always, and it communicates his enjoyment of life. 

With Halloween just around the corner, there have been a lot of homes and businesses decorating for the spooky season and adding to the fun of it all. Monday, the contest winners were announced. 

Roy Meredith and Mary Waters of 665 Sixth St. are the winners of the Halloween Home Decorating contest. The decorations, which feature a nine-foot tall werewolf, are just the beginning, Meredith said, as they have many more decorations to put out for next week for all the trick-or-treaters. 

The Halloween Storefront Decorating Contest winners are: in first place, Robbins Village Florist; in second place, Black Cat Tattoo; and in third place, Old Town Pizzeria II. 

In other matters, Wilkin briefly discussed the community calendar that is getting closer to implementation. It has scraping technology, which means the new program will pick up events from other local entities which will be added to the calendar. A QR code, which will be posted throughout the village, will be available for the calendar and will be a quick way to view all the events on the village’s calendar. 

Businesses and organizations have had the opportunity to join in webinars concerning the calendar. Any business or organization that did not receive notice about this and would like to should contact the village offices.

Finance director Gary Lewis delivered the most recent finance report. Those numbers are: month-to-date revenue – $356,144; month-to-date expense – $107,712; year-to-date revenue – $4.06 million; year-to-date expense – $2.18 million; and a general fund balance of $604,175.

Upcoming events:

— Oct. 25 - The Halloween Parade – line-up will be at the colonnades on Fifth Street with the parade beginning at 6 p.m. Trick-or-treat at downtown businesses will follow the parade.

— Oct. 27 - Beggar’s Night - trick-or-treat throughout the community will be from 6-8 p.m.

— Leaf pickup will begin the week of Nov. 1 and run through December. Holidays, weather, equipment breakdowns and day-to-day operations may cause delays. Pickup will begin on Mirabeau Street and continue on the south side of town going east to west first, then north to south. Once the south side is complete, leaf pickup will begin on the north side of Mirabeau Street, again with east to west streets done first, followed by north to south. The leaf pickup crew is scheduled to make two passes through town. To ensure efficient collection, comply with the following: rake leaves to the tree lawn area (the area between sidewalk and curb) or bag them and place them in the tree lawn; do not mix trash, branches, stones, or other materials that could hamper the collection; if leaves are bagged, residents may call the village offices at 937-981-3500 and pickup will be scheduled.

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. 

Steve Pearce was recognized as the October Citizen of the Month for his years of service to the community. He is pictured Monday with (l-r) council members Phil Clyburn, Cory Taylor, Mary Ellen McMurry, Brenda Losey, Jessalyn Hunter, and city manager Todd Wilkin. (Photo by Angela Shepherd)

Greenfield Council members are pictured during Monday's regular meeting. Shown are (l-r) Mary Ellen McMurry, Cory Taylor, Phil Clyburn, Jessalynn Hunter, and Brenda Losey. (Photo by Angela Shepherd)