August 2014 News

August 2014
Newsletter
740-965-2484, www.galenaohio.org
109 Harrison St., Galena OH 43021
Council Proceeds with
Levy on November Ballot
At the Village of Galena’s July Council
meeting, Council approved the final step
in a multi-step process to place a four-year,
two-mill replacement property tax levy on
the November ballot. The levy is a
replacement for a two-mill levy that
expired in December 2013 and is collected
through December 2014. It would
generate approximately $38,000 for
Village operating expenses such as local
matching funds in grant applications.
The grants typically bring $.75 on the
dollar in funds to the Village for $.25 on
the dollar the Village spends. The grants
have paid for trails, park equipment,
Village Hall improvements, and road
projects.
On the Streets
In her report, Village Administrator
Jeanna Burrell noted that contractors have
finally completed Walnut St. Phase 3 work
that began in Spring 2013. Repairs were
made around three storm water basins,
bricks were reset at both ends of the street
and around two sewer manholes, sidewalk
repairs were made, and bare spots were
reseeded on lawns. The Village has
added fine gravel to the road twice to fill
in areas that settled.
Council agreed to collaborate with the
Delaware County Engineer’s office on a
grant application to widen Old 3C
Highway from West Shore Drive south of
town into downtown Galena. If funded,
the project would add a pedestrian and
bike lane to the road in 2018.
Village Hall Grant
Galena received great news from
Delaware County that the Village will
receive a Community Block Development
Grant (CDBG) to fund a $104,370 project
to add more Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) restrooms on both levels of the
Galena Village Hall.
Parks & Trails
Burrell has worked through additional
information needed from the Ohio
Historic Preservation Office (OHPO) and
the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) to
complete the grant process for the Clean
Ohio Trail Fund Grant. A letter of
support was received from OHPO. Galena worked with local firm Coldwater
Consulting to complete an environmental
survey for submittal to ACE that there
were no wetlands or jurisdictional waterways being impacted by the project. ACE
responded that no permit would be
needed from them for the project. This
clears the final environmental reviews for
the project. Delaware County Friends of
the Trail have contracted with CT Consultants who have begun survey and
design work for the project which will
build an access ramp from Dustin Rd. to
the Galena Brick Trail, pave the trail from
Dustin Rd. to Holmes St., and replace the
bridge deck over Little Walnut Creek.
Burrell also reported on all the impacts
from the June 25th flood in Ruffner Park.
The Village received 4" of rain but areas
north draining to Big Walnut Creek
received much more. The ball field was
significantly impacted with batting cages
damaged and the outfield fence ripped out
of the ground. Safe surface around the
sliding boards was destroyed. Ball field
clay and playground mulch were all
washed away. An insurance claim was
filed and Burrell is investigating state
disaster relief funds. A great deal of time
has gone into repairs.
maintenance violations have been brought
into compliance. Two additional violators
were given extended time to correct
problems. The 51 Middle St. property will
be forwarded for action in Delaware
Municipal Court. The Village is working
with Trinity Homes on a model home and
sign in the Blackhawk subdivision and on
signs for Journey Fellowship Church. A
variance hearing has been scheduled for
August 20 on an accessory building at 369
N. Walnut St. The Village is also working
with the owners of 315-319 Harrison St.
on a lot split for the commercial property.
Village officials have conducted several
inspections regarding drainage concerns
in the Walnut Creek subdivision on Joe
Walker Road. Several issues should
resolve with final grading and sod work at
new homes under construction. The final
home in the development is being built.
Wastewater News
Fiscal Officer Marty Mazzie reported
that late fees were added to delinquent
second quarter sewer accounts and letters
went out to 21 property owners. Eight
people brought their accounts current.
Council voted to certify nine properties to
the Delaware County Auditor to have tax
liens placed on their properties to recoup
past due sewer bills. If sewer bills are two
quarters behind and payments are not
being made, a lien will be placed on the
property. Third quarter sewer bills will go
out August 4th for the August, September,
Galena Dates
The City of Columbus’ boardwalk was
finally reopened after winter ice damage
was repaired. Then the boardwalk was
under water during the flood and was
closed again until mud and debris were
cleaned off. The popular local attraction
is open again.
Local Boy Scout Andrew Hopper has
completed the first phase of his Chimney
Swift tower construction in Miller Park.
He will also add a sign kiosk around the
structure which is his Eagle Scout project.
Zoning & Property News
In zoning and property maintenance
news, it was reported that four property
The following are Village Council and
committee meeting dates as well as other
local events. Village meetings are open
to the public and are at 7 p.m. in the
Galena Village Hall, 109 Harrison St.,
unless otherwise stated.
Holiday changes
* = trash day moves to Saturday;
** = Council meeting changes.
Aug. 1
Trash Day
Aug. 4
3rd Quarter Sewer Bills
Sent Out
Aug. 8, 15 Trash Days
Aug. 20 Zoning & Planning
Commission
Aug. 22 Trash Day
Aug. 23 Summerfest, 11 AM-11 PM
Aug. 25 Council Meeting
Aug. 29 Chipper Day, Trash Day
October quarter and are due Sept. 10.
Residential sewer bills are $53.64/
month ($160.92/quarter). Since the
Village bills quarterly to save customers
money, paying on time is crucial. Be sure
to pay your bills in a timely fashion to
avoid late payment penalties, property tax
liens, and other legal actions. Sewer
billing is on the following calendar:
Bill Sent For Quarter
Bill Due
Feb. 1
Feb./March/April March 11
May 1
May/June/July
June 10
Aug. 1
Aug./Sept./Oct.
Sept. 10
Nov. 1
Nov./Dec./Jan.
Dec. 10
The following applies for delinquencies:
• Upon one day of being delinquent, a
ten percent late charge will be assessed.
• Thirty days or more delinquent will
result in a lien being filed, including
administrative fees and costs, and a
lawsuit may be filed to collect overdue
fees.
• At 100 days past due, the sewer service
will be terminated. Once terminated,
the property owner will have to pay a
reconnection fee as well as all past due
fees.
There are several payment options:
• Drop-off payments at the Village Hall,
109 Harrison St. during office hours
Mondays-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4p.m. or in
our 24-hour drop box on the building.
• Mail payments to the Village of Galena,
PO Box 386, Galena, OH 43021. Call
us with any questions at 740-965-2484.
• Set up monthly sewer bill payments
with no additional fees at the Delaware
County Bank’s Galena branch. Bring
your sewer bill with you the first time.
• Set up automatic payments to have
$53.64 debited from your checking
account at any bank on the 8th of each
month. Forms are available in the
Village offices and on the Village’s web
site at www.galenaohio.org/forms/
autowithdraw.pdf. Remember that if
fees increase, you need to contact your
bank to authorize an increase in your
automatic payments.
Summerfest
It’s here! It’s time to have some fun at
Summerfest, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., August 23.
Come celebrate our community with food,
music, and friends. The Greater Galena
Civic Association has a great lineup of
bands, food, vendors, local organizations
and tons of fun for the little ones in the
KidZone! Check out the flier attached or
visit www.GalenaSummerFest.com.
The Village will again offer its popular
history and parks wagon tours at 12, 3, 5,
and 7 p.m.
Moving with the Spirit
The Galena United Methodist Church
(GUMC) is hosting its annual Moving
with the Spirit 5K Run/Walk at 8:30 a.m.,
August 16. The event begins for those 12
and over at the church at 2777 Sunbury
Rd. A kid’s run for those under 12 begins
at 9:15 a.m. Proceeds go to Big Walnut
Friends Who Share. For more information, visit www.galenachurch.org.
4th of July Parade
Mayor Thomas Hopper and his wife
Sally represented the Village in the
Sunbury 4th of July parade. The
Summerfest Committee also promoted the
August 23rd event during the parade.
from Galena’s history or a monetary
donation. All donations are tax-deductible!
You may contact President John Bland
at (740) 965-2081 or email him at
jwbslb@embarqmail.
BW Nature Club
At the Big Walnut Nature Club’s July
meeting, members gave updates on local
species. While it appeared that both
Osprey platforms’ chicks hatched, more
recently only one chick has been observed. The wet weather was initially
good for the Prothonotary Warblers but
the June 25th flood inundated many nest
boxes killing some females and chicks.
Chimney Swift Nights Out will be Aug.
8-10 and Sept. 12-14. Come out to the
Galena Village Hall (GVH) to count the
migrating swifts. They drop into the
chimney at sundown in a dramatic
tornado. The club will also sponsor a
Chimney Swift program at 8 p.m. at the
GVH during Summerfest.
Join the club at their next meeting at 7
p.m., August 21 at the GVH. For information, contact [email protected].
Local Art at the Vault
During August, the
Galena Vault at 9 W.
Columbus St. will
feature Big Walnut
students’ artwork. Stop
in and check it out.
For more information, visit
www.galenavault.com.
Historic Foundation
The Galena Historic Foundation, Inc.
would love to introduce itself to you at this
year’s Galena Summerfest on August 23rd.
Stop by their booth downtown from 11
a.m. to 8 p.m. They will have artifacts on
display along with a game for the kids, a
raffle, and items for sale such as unique
birdhouses and historical pictures of
Galena.
Join them and their guests for their
“First Annual Heritage Day - Antique
Roadshow.” The event will be at the
Galena Village Hall on Saturday, October
4th, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. To participate in the
event you will fill out your event ticket
upon your arrival at the door and simply
bring your treasure(s) to be appraised.
There is a limit of two items/treasures per
person. You will present your treasure to
the guest auctioneers who will give you an
appraisal of their estimated value. While
you wait you’ll enjoy meeting fellow guests
and seeing their special items. They have
invited Auctioneers Steve Green and Rick
Helwig to give the appraisals. Food is
provided. See you at the show!
The foundation always greatly appreciates any donation whether it is an artifact
Electronic News
Get our newsletter by email by contacting [email protected].
Important Contacts
Village Offices
740-965-2484, FAX 740-965-5424
web:
www.galenaohio.org
Jeanna Burrell:
[email protected]
Josh Cherubini:
[email protected]
Thomas Hopper:
[email protected]
965-1024
Dave LaValle:
[email protected]
Marty Mazzie:
[email protected]
In an emergency, dial
911
BST&G Fire District
965-3841
www.bstgfiredistrict.org
Big-O Refuse
888-924-2446
Cable: Time-Warner
800-617-4311
Columbia Gas
800-344-4077
Del. Co. EMS
833-2190, www.delcoems.org
Del-Co Water
548-7746
Dog Warden
368-1915
Electric: AEP
800-277-2177
Galena Post Office
965-2371
Health Dept.
740-368-1700
www.delawarehealth.org
Immediate Urgent Care
965-8305
101D W. Cherry St., Sunbury
Phone: Century Link
800-407-5411
PUCO
614-466-3292, 800-686-PUCO (7826)
www.puco.ohio.gov
RITA (income tax) 800-860-7482, www.ritaohio.com
Sheriff
833-2800
Sunbury Post Office
965-2471
Wastewater Plant
740-513-9943
Lift Station Emergencies
740-972-8646