BOTKINS — Botkins’ Parks and Recreation Board brought up the idea of setting up a Pickleball court to the village, and the idea was discussed during its council meeting on Aug. 28.
One idea is to convert a basketball court into a multi court, and another one is to turn a tennis court into two pickleball courts. They briefly discussed taking land to build an exclusive court for it.
Mayor Lance Symonds is concerned about pickleball being a fad, and doesn’t want to waste money taking away something the people of Botkins enjoy. Village administrator Randy Purdy said if the village goes through with it and the fad falls away, they could easily convert it to a shelter house or something of value to the Village.
The cost to build a pickleball court from the ground up will cost $45,000, majority of which is on the concrete.
Other items covered were:
• Fiscal officer Hannah Paul and Purdy drafted a contract with BS&A for new financial software.
• The new pump has been installed on the tanker truck. A new circular patch will be added to the firefighters’ uniforms.
• Police chief Mark Jordan is concerned about the safety of children riding electric scooters in the Village.
The next council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11.
Changes made to Jackson Center’s appropriations budget
Jackson Center made changes to the 2024 appropriations budget during its village council meeting on Aug. 26.
A total of $736 will be transferred from one “Tax Collection Fees” account to the other within the General Fund to pay for the expenditures of the Health Department for the second half of the real estate tax settlement distribution. A total of $22,749.51 will be transferred from “Contingencies” to “Other- Contractual Services” in the Sewer Operating Fund to pay for roofing services on the Wastewater Lab Building.
Other items covered were:
• A water leak has been fixed on the corner of East and Jackson Street. This was caused by the pressure fitting bursting.
• The sidewalk and curb are being prepped in front of Sip and Stream.
• The police department wants to let residents know that the school zone is active. The speed limit is only 20 miles per hour. They also wanted to remind them to watch for pedestrians and go slowly past parked cars.
• Trick-or-treating in Jackson Center will be Oct. 27 from 4:30 to 6p.m. Going forward, Council decided that trick-or-treating will always be held at this time on the Sunday before Halloween.
Minster discusses plans for Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area
Proposed plans for a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area in the village of Minster and changes to a state Route 66 crosswalk were topics of discussion at the Aug. 20 Minster Village Council meeting.
Council received an application to set up a DORA and agreed to go through the required steps to see if the public would support create a specified area of land that allows people to walk outside with alcoholic beverages.
The proposed DORA boundaries would start on 4th Street, between Cleveland and Garfield streets, and extend on the right side of Main Street to Willys Tavern, then follow South Garfield to Community Lanes bowling alley.
Village administrator Don Harrod said the next step is to post a public notice in local newspapers, then hold a 6 p.m. public hearing before the Sept. 17 council meeting. Then, council would have three readings of the DORA, beginning in October.
In other matters, it was reported that ODOT rejected suggested modifications to the proposed state Route 66 crosswalk. Dave Meiers and Mary Cordonnier told council they had asked ODOT to create cross lanes that were laid diagonally across the road and that the cross only cross one lane at a time. Instead, ODOT was asked to add yield lines and signs to the project, along with a speed study. The $126,000 project is expected to begin construction on Oct. 1.
The Park Street shelter house project had its second reading to award a $402,500 contract to Heyne Construction of Minster to construct the Paris Street Park Shelter House Project. Construction is expected to begin this fall and finish in early spring.
The new facility will have utilities including electric, water and sewer for lights and restrooms. The building will also house the equipment for the new splash pad.
In his report to council, Harrod said work on the police department building continues to move forward, with crews working on both the interior and exterior portions of the existing building.
Sidney Daily News freelance reporters Megan Lewis and Sandy Rose Schwieterman contributed to this article.
