Eyink named village manager

COLDWATER - Councilors and village personnel welcomed Jason Eyink as the village administrator/engineer, effective Oct. 13.

Eyink will replace Eric Thomas, who had the position for 23 years. Last meeting, he submitted his letter of retirement, to be effective Oct. 12.

Following a six-minute executive session, council accepted hiring Eyink, who was the previous finance director, as the new village manager. Council also promoted Dylan Schwieterman to finance director.

Councilors and village personnel thanked Thomas while welcoming Eyink.

"We at the police department would like to thank Eric for his dedicated service to the village of Coldwater and its residents," Police Chief Kevin Wynk said. "It's not easy being the public servant. Between the phone calls, the call-ins, the easy decisions, the hard decisions …but I believe every goal for an administrator is to leave the office better than you received it. I think you definitely accomplished that."

"Eric, the time that you have put in here and the effort, everything that you've done for the village, the community, all the residents, even outsiders coming in … you're a major part of it, along with everyone else in the community," Mayor Doug Bertke said. "You really put a lot of guidance into this community where in the past we've lost some of that at one point. You've done tremendous steps for us that has excelled us more than we ever have been. I have learned a lot from you."

Thomas thanked councilors for their service, citing the village as a wonderful place to live and work.

"I just want to thank everybody for being part of the team," he said. "It's been a fast 23 years but when you're in it, you don't look back until the end and see what all you got accomplished with the help of everybody in town."

Thomas said the village was able to maintain the swimming pool "probably longer than any other municipal swimming pool that's been in existence." He said park workers, pool managers, and fire and police personnel have made his job easier, noting they've played a major role in maintaining operations.

In other business, councilors untabled and approved the third reading of an ordinance accepting the final plat of Wenning Acres Subdivision section 7. The final reading was held after transfer of the detention area and after the electric was installed. The section is about 13.932 acres of land situated west of North Second Street in Wenning Acres.

Councilors also passed first and final reading of an ordinance to accept the final plat of the eighth addition of the subdivision.

Coldwater Village Council meets next at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at the village hall.