By Megan Lewis
For the Sidney Daily News
JACKSON CENTER — There was a second reading of the rules and regulations for the Jackson View Cemetery, formerly known as The Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery. There are still some issues that need discussing, but the project is running smoothly. They hope to have a final draft ready for a vote at the next meeting. Once the rules are ready, Ed Maxwell will begin applying for grant money to fund the project further.
Council discussed an ordinance authorizing adjustments to the 2023 annual apropriations. Village Administator Bruce Metz did a second look-over and decreased the general fund by $800,000. The issue was discussed, but not passed.
Council disussed a resolution urging Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to restore The Local Government Fund to Pre-Recession Levels. Jackson Center is not the only district talking about writing to the governor about this issue. It was discussed as well, but not decided on whether they were going to go through with the action.
None of the ordinances/resolutions were approved as there wasn’t a quorum for the meeting. All will be brought back to council at the next meeting.
The Old Museum/Seventh Day Baptist Church is being restored to its former glory. The sub-floor and joists, and bathroom were restored, the HVAC system was updated, and new siding is in-progress. To complete, they must first safely remove the bell tower.
The owner of the Brickhouse Pizzaria and eatery officially closed its doors for good after the new proprietor left in December. He tried multiple other avenues to bring in business, but none were successful. It is currently up for sale if anyone is interested in starting up an eatery in the village. The sale of the building includes the equipment inside.
The village has ended the CRA (Community Reinvestment Agreement) it had with Lippert Components Inc. After their fire on Jerry Drive in December 2021, they decided not to return to the village and listed the property. Maxwell says there may be an interested buyer moving into that building, but nothing has been decided.
Bruce Metz gave an update on the service studies he has been running on the public utilities. The water study is struggling because of the construction of a new water plant. The man hole lining and South Ohio Street project are almost complete. With summer coming up, he brought up increasing the minimum wage for the pool employees since the state minimum is now $10.10 an hour.
Council was asked if they had any plans for handling any potential side effects involving the chemical spill and train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Metz responded by saying that the village has a plan in place for both, but says we might feel none of the aftereffects of the disaster.
“The trains that go through town haul hazardous waste, but because of maintenance and care, we haven’t had a derailment in decades. The Village of Jackson Center averages six trains a day, almost all of which are for Plastipak,” he said.
