Village of Greenfield, OH

Eagles - Greenfield Eagles is this month's citizens of the month for the organization's ongoing support of the Greenfield community. Assistant secretary Deidra Hamilton and president Scott Bentley are pictured receiving the award at Monday's regular council meeting. Pictured to the left of Hamilton are (l-r) council members Phil Clyburn and Cory Taylor. To Bentley's right are Brenda Losey, Carlos Ooten, and city manager Todd Wilkin. (Photo by Angela Shepherd)

By Angela Shepherd
Village of Greenfield

 

The need for housing, while an issue for some time even beyond Greenfield, is something the Greenfield administration is focusing on this year. 

Over the past month, city manager Todd Wilkin said in his report to council on March 18, the village has met with Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) regarding housing needs in Greenfield. The village has also met with Julia Wise and Tara Campbell, both of Highland County Community Action, in the hopes of partnering with the organization for the purpose of building homes in the community.

“Housing is a critical goal for us this year,” Wilkin said. 

Currently the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) is conducting a housing study for the Appalachian region, which will highlight the need for housing in the whole region. While Greenfield is a part of that region, Wilkin said the village should conduct its own study. Documenting those findings could help attract needed development in the community, he said. 

In other business, phase one waterline replacement continues across the village, Wilkin said. This project is replacing several water mains, service lines, fire hydrants, and valves throughout town. This project will also now include a new water line on Short Dickey, which was not initially a part of the original scope of the project, however, due to issues in that area, Wilkin said it will be added in through a change order. The phase one waterline replacement project is being accomplished with a 50/50 grant through the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA).

Grants have been crucial to helping needed work get done in Greenfield, and the village very recently learned it has been awarded a $500,000 grant that will take care of the needed maintenance to the water tower and clear well. Wilkin said this grant was applied for more than a year ago. The village was readying to move forward with the work anyway, but now will not have to secure a loan to get the work done thanks to the grant, which is being funded through a congressional district spending request through Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office, Wilkin said. 

In other grant-related improvement matters, council adopted a resolution authorizing Wilkin to execute a contract with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an approved generator grant that has been awarded to the village. This will pay more than half the cost for a generator for the water pumping station, which has never had a generator, Wilkin said. It is something that will provide a safe backup in the case of power loss, helping to ensure necessary water pressure can be maintained and water utilized throughout the village, not just in residences, but in case of a fire emergency as well maintaining pressure and avoiding a boil alert across the village due to a loss in pressure.

On the workforce development front, Wilkin said last month the village attended Manufacturing Day, “... a day of connections and bridge building” for all five school districts in Highland County. The event, Wilkin said, is a product of the Workforce Leadership Council and included the participation of several businesses from all of Highland County who were able to inform students of opportunities available to them right here in their home county.

In other meeting business, the Greenfield Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 1325 has been recognized as March's citizen of the month. The organization was represented at Monday's council meeting by president Scott Bentley and assistant secretary Deidra Hamilton. The Eagles were nominated for the award for the organization's ongoing community support, most recently with a donation of $5,000 to help with the organizational establishment of Greenfield's Main Street program, which has been and will continue to be a driving force in the revitalization of Greenfield's downtown. 

The employee of the month is Sherry Parker, the village’s director of public works. According to Wilkin in his report, Parker was nominated for her work helping the Main Street program get up and running. Parker also recently was largely responsible for the application process, and therefore the subsequent awarding of a $300,000 urban forestry grant for the village of Greenfield.

FInance director Gary Lewis provided February’s financial report, which included: month-to-date revenue - $903,089; month-to-date expense - $758,309; year-to-date revenue - $1.29 million; year-to-date expense - $1.03 million; and a general fund balance as of Feb. 29. 2024 of $497,084.

Legislation coming before council included the third reading and subsequent adoption of a hotel/motel excise tax that would apply to those renting short-term accommodations within the village. Also having a third reading, and ultimately being passed by council members, was authorization for the city manager to submit all necessary paperwork to the solid waste district for the community cleanup grant.

Greenfield council meets the first and third Monday of every month at 4:45 p.m. in the council chambers on the third floor of the city building. Most meetings are also streamed live on Facebook. For information and updates, go to the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page and to the village’s website at greenfieldohio.net. 

The employee of the month is Sherry Parker, the village’s director of public works. She was nominated for her work helping the Main Street program get up and running. She was also largely responsible for the application process and subsequent awarding recently of a $300,000 urban forestry grant for the village of Greenfield.



Greenfield council members (l-r) Cory Taylor, Phil Clyburn, Carlos Ooten, and Brenda Losey are pictured during the March 18 regular council meeting. (Photo by Angela Shepherd)