Minster seeks funds for street project

MINSTER - Village officials are looking to make up $499,999 in funds for a planned Seventh Street improvement project after receiving word of a $2 million error by the Ohio Public Works Commission.

Village administrator Don Harrod said during Tuesday's village council meeting that $499,999 in grant funding they'd originally thought was going to be coming from the OPWC was unavailable due to an agency calculation error.

The 13th district of the OPWC had informed Minster officials, and reportedly officials in several other communities, that the money that had been earmarked for different community projects was unavailable due to the mistake.

The village was going to use the funds to improve Seventh Street, including curb, gutter and water line work and installing new sidewalks and asphalt, Officials had hoped to start work as early as July 1.

Choice One Engineering estimated the project to cost between $1.4 million and $1.5 million. The village had earmarked a little more than $1 million for the project from the capital improvement fund and had been relying on the state funding for the rest.

The OPWC's 13th district can recommend projects such as the Seventh Street project for funding through the Small Government Program, which village officials had intended to pursue, Harrod said. OPWC officials believed the agency had more money than it did and had decided to fund the street project and several others rather than forwarding them to the Small Government Program, Harrod said.

The village can still seek Small Government funds, however, and Harrod said officials planned to apply at a Feb. 5 district meeting.

Harrod said if the application is forwarded to the state, he is unsure when local officials will hear if funding is approved. He told council member Nicole Clune during the meeting that he didn't believe the project would need to be delayed if the funding was secured.

In other business, resident Craig Sherman appeared before the council to suggest possible measures when the Dannon Yogurt plant has an odor issue or violations for suspended solid waste.

Two December incidents at the plant left residents calling for a meeting with Dannon representatives. The first issue was a problem with the company's treatment plant, resulting in the company's going over the limit for suspended solid waste sent to the village. The second issue was a broken fan over the area where Dannon hauls out sludge, resulting in odor complaints from neighbors. A date for the meeting has not yet been arranged, according to Harrod.

Sherman said while he doesn't have a background in food processing, he has years of experience in manufacturing as a plant manager for Honda. He acknowledged that Dannon had worked to get to the root issues and find a solution. However, issues keep arising. Despite different Dannon managers saying they would tackle the problem, Sherman said it seemed clear the company couldn't adhere to a "zero tolerance" policy for odor issues.

Dannon reportedly was charged $1,987 for sending extra waste to the village after the one incident in December, but Sherman questioned whether that amount was an adequate penalty for a multibillion-dollar company. It was not his desire to "levy punitive fines against companies in our community," but he asked officials if something was keeping them from charging Dannon more.

Harrod said the surcharge was based on a cost analysis and covered the additional cost put on the village to process the additional waste.

Sherman also suggested the community, including council members, create more documented feedback and ask for a root-cause analysis when issues do occur. In reference to the broken fan, Sherman said he would like to know why the issue happened and what countermeasures the company was taking, such as keeping more spare parts on hand to speed up repairs.

He had contacted a representative of the Ohio Environment Protection Agency who reportedly said odor issues were not something OEPA could enforce. However, because it presented a quality-of-life issue, residents were encouraged to call OEPA and report odor issues.

Documented reports could help OEPA officials encourage Dannon to make changes and could be useful if residents eventually consider a class-action lawsuit over the issue, Sherman continued.

Council member Rick Schwartz said he believed a log of incidents would be a powerful tool and agreed the community should get involved in reporting odor issues. However, he also acknowledged that Dannon had made strides over the years to address the problem. As for the most recent issues, whatever the cause, he said it could be difficult for the company to control what every one of its hundreds of employees does.

Council members also,

• moved to allow the third annual Minster Food Truck Rally to take place from 3-10 p.m. June 6. The event will be on Fourth Street between Frankfort and Cleveland streets.

• heard from Dave Bambauer, a Republican candidate running for Auglaize County commissioner. Incumbent Don Regula is not seeking re-election. Bambauer said he has always had an interest in local and county government and served as fiscal officer in Washington Township for 23 years. He is active in his church and on the board of directors of Agape Ministries. A proud Auglaize County resident, he said he believed limited government was better than extended government and wanted to help continue ensuring tax dollars are being spent wisely.

• passed under rule suspension a resolution to provide utility services to an 18.441-acre property upon its annexation. The parcel is owned by several different entities, one being Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, whose officials have not signed the petition for annexation. As a result, the village is required to host a public hearing with the Auglaize County commissioners before annexing the property. Harrod said the commissioners had set the hearing for 10 a.m. Feb. 11.

• passed under rule suspension a resolution entering into a contract for fire coverage with the Loramie Fire District and declaring an emergency. The district will pay the village $14,975 for the year for fire services.

• approved paying a $94,484 invoice from Paulus Excavating for work in the Route 66 Industrial Park.