ARCANUM — Arcanum Village Council voted its approval of measures to kickstart plans for a new municipal building for the village during its Tuesday night meeting.
Council voted to approve agreements with WDC Group, LLC and with WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. to begin laying the groundwork for the new building, with the likely site located on village-owned grounds near the Arcanum VFW building. The agreements will allow the village to pre-qualify architects and have a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) environmental study performed.
“We’re trying to qualify for grants and funding,” said Village Administrator Bill Kessler, “We’re trying to secure the finance, the means to pay for it. It really doesn’t commit us to build it, but we want to get USDA dollars, so we have to have this environmental study.” He noted the pre-qualification for potential architects will save the village time and effort when the bidding for design services starts by narrowing down a list to the most suitable candidates.
Council also voted to approve an agreement with Barnes Wildlife Control of Troy, Ohio, to count bats and seal up the current town hall. The bat infestation, in addition to other environmental dangers present there, has pushed village employees out of the building and into temporary quarters at All American Clothing Company, 1 Pop Rite Drive.
The company originally provided Arcanum with a quote of $7,385. However, this price did not provide a guarantee the bats would not return. Kessler sought a quote which would include a guarantee, and council instead agreed to pay a total of $8,436 to Barnes, in which the company guarantees no bats will return over a three-year time span. To help offset the cost to the village, Twin Township Trustees agreed to pay for a third of the bill, as well as a third of the initial $2,800 already spent on the issue.
Barnes is expected to begin its work on the building in February.
In other business, Council tabled the third reading of an ordinance which would have charged residential and commercial customers a flat fee of $30 for water and sewer services. Some citizens who attended the meeting expressed concerns with the measure. The flat fee is intended to offset costs of the village’s new wastewater treatment plant. Those who have never tapped into village water and sewer will not be charged a fee, while a fee of $100 applies to customers who are being disconnected or reconnected to services. Council is expected to again consider the legislation at a future meeting.
As well, Council approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communication System) pagers for the village fire department. The expenditure of $19,307.42 will enable communications compatibility between the fire department and countywide fire, EMS and law enforcement agencies, with April slated for the system to go live. By purchasing the pagers now versus later, the village will save an estimated $3,900 as a three-year warranty for the pagers is being included in the package for free.
Arcanum Village Council’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, February 13 at 7 p.m.
