New Paris considering additional projects

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NEW PARIS — According to Susan Laux of Mote & Associates, an Ohio Public Works Commission application for the Village of New Paris is due by the end of July. Laux attended the New Paris Council Meeting on May 1 to give council updates on their projects.

After updating them on Phase II of the Cherry Stret Revitalization project, for which a public hearing with Preble County Commissioners was held on May 10, Laux informed the village of the upcoming application deadline.

She said, “If you would decide that you want to submit something, we probably need to be deciding that in June or July. You do not have anything in the pipeline right now — if you put something in, it will be funded in 2020. I really just wanted to put that out there for you, because you need to think about if there’s something you want to do.”

After Laux spoke more about the timeline, she sought council’s input on projects they would like to consider. Mayor Rick VanWinkle suggested a water line, for which Laux replied they already have a cost estimate for.

New Paris Resident Brenda Richie attended the meeting with a simple plea. She began, “I’ve got a complaint about my neighbor. He is a pig.”

She added, she had pictures to prove it and reported the neighbor simply will not clean up his property. She was requesting that council do something about the situation.

Council member Mary Jane Thomas is in charge of sanitation and she explained to council she had already spoken to Richie about this issue and has prepared a letter to send to the neighbor.

Mayor VanWinkle said that the village’s process calls for letters to be sent out before any additional actions are taken. Once the NP Police Department delivers the letters, Thomas gives the resident 10 days to clean up. If they have not fixed the problem, they are given final notice and another 10 days.

Back in April, John Bell with Integrity Energy attended the meeting to bring council a quote for the village’s single-phase and three-phase meters. After his presentation, council resolved to look into the matter and decide at the end of the month. During May’s meeting, Bell was back to see what that decision was.

After discussing some of the intricacies of the deal, council agreed to a five-year contact, but only if they can get a better deal. If the deal is the same, the village wants to enter a three-year contact.

For gas, the village agreed to a three-year contact.

In other news:

•New Paris Police Department received a letter from a victim of domestic violence thanking them for their assistance.

•Council discussed getting a security camera for the park. They are going to get a trail camera and see if that works, and if not, they may have to consider a security camera.

The next New Paris Council meeting will be held on Monday, June 5, at 7 p.m. in the Village Office.

By Kelsey Kimbler

[email protected]

Reach Kelsey Kimbler at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @KKimbler_RH

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