The Village of Continental Council meeting was held on Tuesday, May 22, 2018:
— Marc Hollinger of Aspen Energy, an electricity broker from Columbus, Ohio, addressed council on Aggregation. He explained how it works and the procedure needed to enact and place on the ballot. The advantage of aggregation is in its bulk purchasing of the generation portion of a resident’s power bill. He negotiates with companies to lock in rates for the residents of aggregated communities. At present, energy prices are low, so the savings may only be $30-40 per year for the average home, but when energy prices go up and a resident is locked in to a lower price the savings can be more substantial. Part of the process of putting the issue on the ballot includes public meetings. If the village decides to put it on the ballot, letters to all residents who are not already under contract will be sent out and every home will have the option to opt out. There is not a penalty for opting out at any time. An added bonus is a rebate grant for capital improvements for the village that can be used for any project the village likes as long as it does not go toward salaries or fringe benefits.
— J & M Excavating has completed the repairs on the S. Main Street storm sewer. Everything south of the repair looks good.
— ODOT has begun repairs of SR 634 in preparation of grinding the pavement to maintain the curbs. Patching was done where the road was cut for the above storm sewer repair and at the catch basin on N. Main and Rice Street. ODOT will also slope the intersection on S. Main and E. Oak to the South to help drain that corner to the catch basin. They look to be completed by the end of July depending on scheduling.
— Update on Stop Signs at Railroad spur: Mayor Miller has spoken to a representative of Norfolk & Southern about these signs and was told that in 2013 the village had the option to petition to opt out which apparently never was filed. He has filed the petition and hopes it doesn’t take too long to get the signs removed. But until the signs are removed, they must be followed.
— Building Permits: 1) approved for a patio replacement 2) Extension approved to install siding and 3) Approved for a new home to be built.
— 2nd Reading held on Resolution to apply for a NatureWorks Grant of $10,000. 75% of this amount will be grant and 25% will be the village’s portion which can include volunteer labor. The grant will be used for items at Sparling Park on North Main St.
— Mayor would like to advertise for part-time summer help with the idea of hiring a recently graduated high school student. The work will be on an as needed basis and will pay minimum wage.
— Village Clean-Up will be Thursday, May 31st & Friday, June 1st and will have dumpsters at the Rice and North Sixth Street lot.
— Mayor is getting estimates to do some drainage work in the Maple/Oak First Street area in advance of the upcoming paving project.
— 2nd reading of Amendment to the Community Reinvestment Area Ordinance held.
— 2nd Reading of the Annexation on East Rice Street by Kurtis and Chelsea Brown.
— An Emergency Ordinance was passed to accept the Vacating of an Alley on Elm Street passed by suspending the rules requiring three readings.
— Hydrant Maps created by Jamie Kuhlman were viewed. He has spent a lot of time on these maps and they will be invaluable to the village and the fire department.
— Maps of the Neighborhood Revitalization grant were also reviewed. Work should begin later this summer on these projects.
Susan Darby,
Fiscal Officer
Village of Continental
