Village of Greenfield, OH

 

 

Bruce Snavely is May's Citizen of the Month! At Monday's council meeting, he was surrounded by some of his family as he received the recognition. Mr. Snavely is a veteran, a 24-year member of the Concerned Veterans of Greenfield (and 20 years its president), and with that group organizes the annual Memorial Day observance in town and travels across the state to conduct veterans' funerals. Also, he was one of "The Gang of Nine" that years ago saved the baseball program at Mitchell Park.

Congratulations to Brewer's Creative Design, which has been recognized as the Small Business of the Year! Thank you for all you do for our community!

Congratulations to first graders Quinn Smith, Hazel Vesey, and Violet Ralph from Mr. Roller's art class for sharing their vision for a future business with the whole village. These students, along with others in Mr. Roller's class, all made drawings of what kind of business they might want when they grow up. These three were chosen as the top three. Each student received a gift card and an art set. Excellent work!

By Angela Shepherd 
Village of Greenfield

May is Small Business Month, and honoring that, Economic Development Coordinator Susan Howland delivered a report recalling Greenfield’s transformation from empty storefronts to a much more lively downtown also recognized some of the village’s entrepreneurs.

Howland began her report remembering what it was like just a couple of years ago when 80 percent of Greenfield’s storefronts were vacant and there were plans for concealment projects so Greenfield wouldn’t look like such a “ghost town.”

But now, these couple of years later, Greenfield isn’t such a ghost town anymore.

“So many dominos had to fall in place for us to be where we are now,” Howland said. With the First Friday events came a lot of inquiries about storefronts, and then businesses moving into those storefronts; businesses that moved from a booth at the events to having their own space in downtown Greenfield. The addition of the incubator space at 228 Jefferson St. has provided another opportunity for small businesses to have a storefront and become more established. The facade improvement program has generated even more interest and helped the downtown come back to life.

Howland said that in 2022, the business inquiries continued to come in once the village created a DORA Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) district “and neighboring towns took note of all the events we were holding and the support we give small businesses.”

While leaner times have come recently, Howland said, it’s all the more reason to support the small, right-here-in-Greenfield local businesses, and help keep their doors open and the town growing and vibrant.

Another part of Howland’s focus on Small Business Month was recognizing one particular small business as the Small Business of the Year. People had a chance to nominate Greenfield’s small businesses, and she said this particular business won “by a landslide.”

That business is Brewer’s Creative Design. Howland said the nominations for the business were full of praise for not only its products but its constant support of the people and organizations and groups that are part of the Greenfield community.

Danielle Brewer addressed the council after she and Debbie Brewer received the award. She also gave an emotional thank you to the community and to their customers.

“We couldn’t do what we do without them,” she said.

Howland also recognized three first graders from Greenfield Elementary, the “mini entrepreneurs” who were chosen as the top three from drawings done by Bill Roller’s first-grade art classes that showed what kind of business the kids would like to have someday.

Those winners were: third place, Violet Ralph and her Violet’s Hobby Horses; second place, Hazel Vesey and her Hazy’s Daisys Berries Stand; and first place, Quinn Smith and her Cat Shop. Each child received a gift card and an art set. The pictures that were submitted can be found in a post made earlier this month on the Village of Greenfield Ohio Facebook page.

Council Clerk Sherry Parker delivered a report to the council that included May’s awards for citizen and employee of the month.

Bruce Snavely, a grandpa of 14 grandchildren, has been recognized as May’s citizen of the month. The military veteran consistently shows his devotion to the community,, and one of those ways is with the Concerned Veterans of Greenfield, of which he has been a part for 24 years and president for 20 years. This group is responsible each year for the Memorial Day observances in Greenfield, which include a parade and ceremony to honor the fallen. The group also travels throughout Ohio to conduct funerals for veterans. Snavely has also volunteered countless hours during his time as one of “The Gang of Nine,” which was a group of nine men that stepped up to save the baseball program at Mitchell Park.

Following the recognition, Snavely, who humbly accepted the award, was applauded by the council, with council chair Phil Clyburn thanking Snavely for his dedication to making sure military service members are honored.

Snavely said he does what he does, not for recognition or glory, but “because it’s the right thing to do.”

The employee of the month is Justin Sword, a Class I Sewer Operator. He’s been with the village for more than five and a half years and began that career as a seasonal worker. He recently passed his Class II Sewer Operator licensure. Sword is willing to help out wherever help is needed, even if that help is needed in another department. He recently did just that by helping put military banners up and put away supplies last week when another department was shorthanded.

In other meeting business, two pieces of legislation were voted on at the meeting, with both relating to allowing applications for grant funds for sanitary sewer improvements. Each item was voted on as an emergency measure, meaning that the council voted to suspend the rule of three readings and pass the measures immediately due to the grant application deadlines being timely. Parker said both of these are seeking grant funding to repair failing sanitary sewer lines on South Street.

The preliminary numbers for the month as reported by finance director Gary Lewis are: month-to-date revenue – $430,228; month-to-date expense – $450,252; year-to-date revenue – $1.56 million; year-to-date expense – $1.16; and a general fund balance of $459,752.

The last couple of weeks have been full of good things happening in the village. On May 5, the first First Friday event of 2023 was held and the attendance was great, Parker reported.

May 12 saw students and staff turn out across Greenfield for community service projects, all a part of the annual MHS Day. Projects included planting flowers, mulching, painting, window washing, clean-up and more. Also on this day, the village hosted its third annual job fair, which was another success with many businesses reporting that they were able to recruit new employees throughout the event.

On May 13, Grow Greater Greenfield hosted its annual Wine Walk, which filled the sidewalks and shops with people enjoying the event.

Also, Saturday, May 13, was the first Dumpster Day of the year. Two large dumpsters were filled with miscellaneous items that would not have fit into regular trash cans otherwise. The next Dumpster Day is scheduled for mid-August and will be sponsored by the Highland County Health Department. More information will come as the date gets closer.

May is Small Business Month, and as part of that, Greenfield’s Main Street program is having a scavenger hunt through May 26. You can find more information on this on the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page, or you can pick up a form on the third floor of the city building.

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. For information and updates, go to greenfieldohio.net or the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page. The village offices may be reached by calling 937-981-3500.



Justin Sword is May's Employee of the Month. He is currently a Class I Sewer Operator, but just passed for licensure to be a Class II Sewer Operator. He has been with the village for more than five and half years, and is always willing to help out, even in other departments.