CARES Act funds earmarked

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Greenfield Village Council passed legislation at Tuesday’s meeting marking Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds for specific expenditures.

With approximately $320,000 in CARES Act funds, the pinpointed items some of that money will go to include proper ventilation and promoting social distancing as the pandemic continues.

One resolution is for an agreement with Commercial Cleaning Solutions Inc. to clean and disinfect all three floors of the City Building twice a week. The company, which will begin cleaning this week, will use hospital-grade electrostatic misting equipment with chemicals approved to fight COVID-19.

Another resolution is an agreement with Atomic Computers and Design to supply laptops for council member and employee use. As stated in the resolution, this “will improve council members’ ability to remotely attend public meetings, improve public employees telework capabilities, and help comply with COVID-19 public health precautions …”

The third resolution is for an agreement to upgrade the water and wastewater treatment plants’ computers and software, something that will not only allow for the improvement of telework capabilities, but also will cut down on overtime, city manager Todd Wilkin said, since the upgrades will allow the system to be monitored and manipulated remotely instead of employees having to come in during evening and weekend hours, as is normal practice.

While council member Eric Borsini was excused from the meeting, all other council members voted to approve the three resolutions.

One of the other items discussed, which was not a piece of legislation but was given the approval of council to move forward on, was replacing the make-up air unit at the City Building, which doesn’t work. Wilkin consulted Highland County Health Commissioner Jared Warner, who he said agreed that the unit not working hinders the proper exchange of air and presents a health concern, especially during a pandemic. This would be an allowable expenditure, according to the state, Wilkin said.

There is a limited time to spend the funding, and all CARES Act money must be spent on things impacted by the pandemic and will be audited separately by the state to ensure proper spending.

One other piece of legislation approved will allow the city manager to apply for funding through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) for capital improvements on Fayette Street. This was applied for last year, but was not awarded to the village, so the Fayette Street infrastructure improvements were not made.

In other business, citizens and an employee were recognized for the October round of awards.

October’s Employee of the Month Award went to longtime village employee Roberta Karnes. Wilkin described her as “very patient, considerate, and a pleasure to work with.” Also noted was her meticulous record keeping, her dealing with hundreds of calls a week with a smile on her face, her willingness to work with others, and her caring nature.

The Citizen of the Month Award went to First Presbyterian Pastor Mike Anderson. His positive influence on Greenfield’s youth, his patience and care, and his heart for his community were among the reasons mentioned why he earned the award.

The Fall Home and Garden Award was presented to 936 Spring St., the home of William and Lakrisha Wheaton. Wilkin spoke about the amount of nominations the home received and commended the Wheatons on their decorating. The physical award, a wooden door-hanger, was made by Susan Howland.

Upcoming:

Oct. 24 — G3 is having a pumpkin carving contest with winners receiving cash prizes. Voting/judging will be done downtown and will begin at 6 p.m. Go to the Grow Greater Greenfield Facebook page for more information.

Oct. 29 — from 6-8 p.m. is Beggar’s Night.

Leaf pick-up will begin in November. It will begin on Mirabeau Street and continue on the south side of town going east to west first, then north to south. Once the south side is complete, leaf pick-up will begin on the north side of Mirabeau Street, again with east to west streets done first, followed by north to south. The leaf pick up crew is scheduled to make two passes through town. To ensure efficient collection, comply with the following: 1. Rake leaves to the area between the sidewalk and curb, or bag them and place the bags in the tree lawn. 2. Do not mix trash, branches, stones or other materials that could hamper the collection. If leaves are bagged, residents may call the village offices at 937-981-3500 and a pick-up time will be scheduled.

Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the village of Greenfield.

Greenfield Village Council members (l-r) Kyle Barr, Phil Clyburn and Mark Branham, are pictured at this week’s regular meeting.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2020/10/web1_Greenfield-council.jpgGreenfield Village Council members (l-r) Kyle Barr, Phil Clyburn and Mark Branham, are pictured at this week’s regular meeting. Photo by Angela Shepherd
Greenfield announces award recipients

By Angela Shepherd

For The Times-Gazette

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