By Matt Clevenger
For Miami Valley Today
WEST MILTON — The village of West Milton has announced its summer paving schedule for 2021, including major projects on North Main Street, Hamilton Street and North Street.
“We’re looking at Main Street from Hayes Street to Market,” service director Ben Herron said during the village council workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 27. “You all know about the hump on Main Street; you can’t park at the post office without your door slamming.”
“North Street was due,” he said. “I think the surface is 31 years old.”
Other projects planned for this summer include the installation of basins to drain excess rainwater at the dead-end of North Main Street, paving the village’s service complex. and the installation of new sidewalk ramps throughout the village, to comply with guidelines in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“ADA ramps; we have 24 of them in the paving program,” Herron said. “We got that down to $1,500 per ramp.”
The village plans to start on the ramp installations sometime in mid-May, and other paving projects will be started in July.
“We’ll probably be paving after July 4th,” Herron said. “We don’t want to be in the middle of it when the Fourth happens. Right now, I would say maybe the second or third week in July.”
Council members had budgeted approximately $225,000 for the summer paving program; so far, the paving projects will cost significantly less than that.
“Paving actually came out to $157,016.50,” Herron said. “We do have a little bit of money to cover any overages.”
In other business, council members also officially welcomed Jeff Sheridan, who attended his first council meeting as the village’s new municipal manager. Council members also discussed the hiring of an additional part-time employee to work at the municipal building, assisting the village’s full-time staff members.
“There’s no back-up,” Herron said. “We’ve had conflicts with vacations. We would be caught completely off guard if we don’t do this.”
The village has already selected a candidate for the position through the Staffmark staffing agency.
“Staffmark actually sent us two really good applicants,” Herron said.
Council members also made plans to draft a resolution honoring IGA, which is celebrating its 98th anniversary this year, and heard an announcement that members of the Revive It! non-profit group will deliver a presentation to the West Milton Rotary Club this week.
“The Rotary Club invited project revival,” council member Sarah Copp said. “They’re interested in partnering with us and helping fund some things downtown.”
Council members also discussed the village’s police and fire levy, which comes up for renewal this November. Council members will have to pass two additional resolutions in order to ensure the levy will be included on the ballot.
“Five years ago, we tried to pass it as a permanent levy,” Mayor Anthony Miller said. “We passed it that fall as a continuing levy.”
The village council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May, 11 at the West Milton Municipal Building.
