Speeding, stop sign ticket revenues to go toward making park handicap accessible

SOUTH POINT— South Point Village Council voted to approve a new bid on the village’s wastewater clarifiers rehabilitation project at its meeting Tuesday evening, pending being able to get the financing approved.

Michael Williams, of E.L. Robinson, was at the meeting with the new bid of $683,000 from Tribute Contracting and Consultants LLC, of South Point, which was approved unanimously.

When the village first announced the project back in the spring, the amount it was looking at was $623,000. However, Williams came back and said it was going to cost roughly $100,000 more.

On Tuesday, the new bid of $683,000 was announced, with Williams saying the price was able to come down with keeping the existing wiers and baffles instead of replacing them, and changing the above ground electrical conduit from stainless steel, which was in the original bid, to aluminum.

Mayor Jeff Gaskin also mentioned the village’s effort to write more tickets for speeding and stop sign violations in the village, which was brought on by multiple complaints, emphasizing that in no way was it for the village to make money.

Gaskin said revenue brought into the village from the tickets given amounted to $15,000 into the village’s general fund, which will be used to make the South Point Park more handicap accessible.

“This was in no way for the village to make money. I didn’t make any more money from this, the police department didn’t get new cruisers,” Gaskin said. “We’re going to put that into expanded handicap access in the park.”

Along with the $15,000 for park improvements, the Lawrence County commission is also giving the village $5,000 for the park project, making a total of $20,000 going to making the park handicap accessible.

Gaskin also said that he plans on meeting with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) about the $50,000 grant the village received for a splash park to see if the village can get that money repurposed for the purposes of making the park handicap accessible.

Members of council also brought up two businesses in the village that may not be operating legally or up to code. Gaskin said he would contact state code enforcement sometime in the near future.

During audience participation, resident Susan Burck said she would like to set up a day of prayer in the village on Monday for the anniversary of Sept. 11 in coordination with the National Day of Prayer Task Force “Cry Out America.”

The service will be noon Monday around the flagpole in front of South Point Village Hall.

Gaskin also recognized longtime South Point resident Henry LeMaster, who passed away recently, and two women who live in South Point, Gertrude Hastings and Edith Freeman, who are 101 and 100 years old respectively.

Also at the meeting, council:

• Approved Resolution 17-07, a memorandum of understanding for shared services in accordance with ORC 8.482 shared services.

• Approved declaring vehicles listed as surplus to put in the September auction with Ritchie Bros. Auctions.

• Approved the transfer funds for the month of September 2017.

• Approved the clerk/treasurer’s financial report, revenue/expenditure account status report and the bank reconciliation ending Aug. 31, 2017.