Old Arcanum city building undergoing restoration

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ARCANUM — The Arcanum Village Council met Tuesday evening to discuss the Arcanum Preservation Society’s efforts to restore the old city building, and the finishing plans for road work on Alt. 49.

The meeting began with comments from the public in which a resident notified the council of an almost four foot deep hole near the sidewalk in front of their house. The hole was left as a result of previous work that was done to update crosswalks in Arcanum.

“I realize that the sidewalks are not done, as I was told,” said the resident. “My only question is, what is the liability issue?”

Village Administrator Bill Kessler responded by explaining that village residents are responsible for the upkeep of the sidewalks and curbs on or near their property.

“The state takes care of all ADA compliant walkways, so primarily the crosswalks,” said Kessler. “If someone falls on your sidewalk, they’ll come after you, but if they see the town hasn’t cited you for it, that makes the town liable, as well.”

The resident offered to fill in the hole if need be, but continually noted that the hole was left from work done on the nearby crosswalk. Kessler assured the resident that he would have a look at the hole and take any issues he has directly the state and company that worked on the crosswalks.

Council briefly revisited the work being done on the old city building to prepare it for tours. It was recently designated as a historic landmark in the State of Ohio, so the Arcanum Preservation Society has been hard at work to return the building to its glory days. Mayor Bonnie Millard noted that she was very impressed with the turn out of the first clean-up date, and praised the work being done to restore the building.

Moving forward in the meeting, the council highlighted that the work being done to Alt. 49 will be entirely finished by August 31. The main issue, as many residents have complained about, is that the manholes were protruding out further than they should. This makes for a very bumpy drive, and one that could potentially cause damage to vehicles. Council reassured residents this issue will be resolved in the coming days.

Council approved the hiring of two full-time police officers — Angela Wood and Sergeant Kyle L. Yount. Both Wood and Yount have part-time experience in Arcanum, and Police Chief Marcus Ballinger stated that they will be excellent additions to the staff.

The fire department plans to swear-in a new group of firefighters on Sunday, September 13, at 2 p.m. All village residents and council members are invited to attend.

The meeting concluded with the council revisiting ordinances to regulate trees, shrubbery, weeds, and grass in the village. They visited new business in the form of coronavirus relief measures. They adopted Resolution 2020-19, which affirms that the village will follow all applicable guidelines concerning the funds they received from the county coronavirus relief distribution.

Also in new business, the town adopted, and declared an emergency, Resolution 2020-20, which authorizes the mayor to enter into a personal services contract for the operation of the village’s water treatment and sewer facilities. This relates to the six-year training required of water treatment management positions, and seeks to address a staffing vacancy for the position that will arise in the next three years.

The old city building in Arcanum was recently designated as an Ohio historical landmark. Efforts to restore the building are currently in progress and the village council has been pleased with efforts thus far.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_oldtownhall.jpgThe old city building in Arcanum was recently designated as an Ohio historical landmark. Efforts to restore the building are currently in progress and the village council has been pleased with efforts thus far. Nathaniel Kubik | The Daily Advocate

By Nathaniel Kubik

DarkeCountyMedia.com

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