Village of Greenfield, OH

Angela Shepherd (center) was nominated and chosen as Greenfield’s March Citizen of the Month. She is a member of some local volunteer organizations including: the Greenfield Rotary, Greenfield Foundation, Tree Commission, Peace Officers Dependents Fund Board, and the Adena Community Council. She also writes articles for the Greenfield Exempted Village School District and the Village of Greenfield/Greenfield City Council.

By Angela Shepherd 
Village of Greenfield

 

While it has been reported that Greenfield’s historic Elliott Hotel was soon to be demolished, it is quite another thing to see it actually on the ground, but on the ground it is.

The demolition has been going on the last couple weeks. It began with the structural shoring of the building to the north to ensure its structural integrity. Now, the whole of the old hotel is laying in a heap, soon to be carried away, according to city manager Todd Wilkin during his report to the Greenfield Village Council during its regular meeting March 20.

While there may be some lament over the removal of a landmark, it has been clear for some time that the once beautiful building had become unsafe, hazardous and an eyesore that had to be remedied for the safety of the public and the surrounding structures.

Bricks are to be salvaged from the structure and will be later offered for sale to the public. The corner lot that the Elliott has occupied for more than 130 years will be seeded and strawed to become green space for now.

In other business, wastewater treatment plant superintendent Tim Beach is March’s employee of the month. Nominated by police chief Jeremiah Oyer, Wilkin said Beach has been instrumental in getting things done, particularly with projects as spring approaches.

The citizen of the month award went to Angela Shepherd for her years of serving the community through covering council meetings and writing the good news of the village, her years of covering school events, and her involvement in many community organizations.

Several pieces of legislation came before council members, which included an up to 3-percent raise for village employees. It’s something that the village has been able to offer the last couple years, Wilkin said, and it is built into the budget. Monday was the first reading of the ordinance.

Another ordinance was to allow for the sale of the old, historic windows that have been replaced in the City Building. Wilkin said most are in good shape and are being kept in storage. There are no weights or frames with the old windows, but they’re something that the village didn’t want to throw away. Council will work out more details in the coming weeks. This was the first reading of the ordinance.

A resolution authorizing the purchase of two trucks for use by the police and street departments was approved. As explained by Wilkin and Oyer, the towing capacity of the vehicles must be such that the village’s heaviest equipment must be able to be safely and securely hauled.

Another resolution was regarding a blighted property, one in which Greenfield’s Community Improvement Corporation is the receiver. The property is at 602 N. Fifth St., and according to documentation provided to council has now been approved for demolition by the courts.

Wilkin said it is hoped the company handling the Elliott Hotel demolition can handle this demolition as well.

The last resolution of the meeting provided direction to Wilkin to give notice to the school district regarding an Enterprise Zone agreement, a tax abatement for a given number of years for a new business coming to town. Given that the school district’s funding is affected by the taxes, by state law the affected school district board must be notified, then it can vote on the matter.

Council chair Phil Clyburn said he received emails asking about natural gas aggregation, something Wilkin said is being put on the upcoming ballot. If anyone has questions they can contact the village. If anyone has questions about the electric aggregation program, call Art Deininger of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio at 216-548-7936.

The Greenfield council meets in regular session on the first and third Monday of each month at 4:45 p.m. in the council chambers on the third floor of the City Building. Meetings are typically streamed live on Facebook.