By Matt Clevenger
For Miami Valley Today
WEST MILTON — The village of West Milton has announced plans to re-surface a large section of Main Street this year, as part of its annual summer paving program.
“We are going to have a couple of much-needed infrastructure improvements,” municipal manager Matt Kline said Wednesday, during village council’s regularly scheduled tri-agency meeting with the Milton-Union board of education and the Union Township board of trustees. “It’s really going to be Main Street this year. Our biggest paving program is going to be North and South Main, from Hayes Avenue to Market Street.”
Council members also heard an update on the Stillwater Crossings development. “The project is coming along really well,” Kline said. “They’ll be trenching up OH-571, then after that they’ll be trenching up where the water line’s going to be going.”
“From what I’ve been told, their schedule is to have asphalt down by September for the first streets,” he said. “The Randall Company has chosen an architect for the design of the Randall Residence. The design for the senior cottages has been approved.”
Council members announced several upcoming events, as well, including a new date for the village’s “Rock the Hill” concert, which will be held on August 22 this year. “It was always intended to be an end of summer bash,” Kline said. “The bands have not been completely set yet for this year, but we do have a date.”
On May 11, the village will hold its third annual open house from 6 pm to 8 pm at the municipal building, and council members also announced a planned return of the Miami County Dental Clinic this summer. “They were looking for a new location here in town,” West Milton Mayor Anthony Miller said. “Right now, it’s looking like a June timeframe.”
In other business, council members also heard several announcements from the Milton-Union board of education. The Milton-Union Education Foundation will hold its second annual “Spring Sling” event on Saturday, March 14 starting at 9 am. A pancake breakfast will be served in the Milton-Union schools cafeteria from 9 am to 11 am, and inflatables will also be available in the gym. Crafts and other activities will also be provided by the Milton-Union Public Library.
“Our show choir is going to perform,” Milton-Union schools superintendent Dr. Brad Ritchey said. “We do inflatables in the gymnasium, and that is totally free.”
There is a small cost for breakfast. “We bring a guy in,” Dr. Ritchey said. “He sets up his grill, and he’ll sling the pancakes at you.”
The district is also planning two upcoming parent engagement nights. Deputy Brian Lyons will host presentation about internet safety for families on Thursday, March 5, and on Tuesday, March 17 author Lisa Combs will lead an interactive workshop for children, parents and teachers.
“She provides a lot of really good information,” Dr. Ritchey said. “She is going to talk about social and emotional learning through literature.”
The district is also planning the upcoming North Dayton Regional Job Fair, tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 19. Details are still being worked out, but so far the event will feature approximately 40 local employers and around 400 local high school seniors.
“It’s a job fair experience designed for seniors, with the point being immediate employment,” Dr. Ritchey said. “Entry-level jobs that our kids could fill immediately.”
Seniors from Milton-Union, Trotwood, Vandalia, Huber Heights and many other districts will ride buses to attend the job fair. “We have schools coming in from our area,” Dr. Ritchey said. “We’re looking at about 200 or so kids in the morning and about 200 or so kids in the afternoon.”
Council members also heard announcements from the Union Township board of trustees, which will conduct its annual cemetery clean-up throughout the month of March. “We put the word out,” board president Dennis Albaugh said. “Pretty much anything left in the cemetery, sitting around on the markers or anything like that, it’s probably going to get picked up. Just a reminder; if you want it, take it home for a month then bring it back when we’re done cleaning up.”
Council members also heard an update on the recently-formed Project Revival non-profit group. “We just had our first meeting,” council member Sarah Copp said. “There’s a group of seven of us, who are going to start hosting events downtown every third Thursday of the month. We’re going to be starting that in May.”
The organization is also planning several other events, including a wine walk, and is already working on its first project, getting a new mural painted downtown. The group is also seeking donations to raise funds for other events in the future.
“We are going to try to revitalize the downtown,” Copp said. “There are grants; we just need to find a grant writer.”
