Mayor Gives “State of the Village” Speech to Council

This is a written copy of Mayor Janet Goldner’s “State of the Village” address presented at the Village Council meeting January 16, 2018:

• Hello, my name is Janet Goldner and I am the Mayor of the Village of North Baltimore. North Baltimore is the largest village in Wood County and we provide a solid foundation in the Southern part of our county.  Our location is ideal for transportation of goods as we sit at the crossroads of Interstate 75 and State Route 18.  We have our own water and sewer plants with large capacity and we have much to offer anyone who comes to our area.

Good Evening.

“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

I would like to welcome everyone to my third “State of the Village” address.  On a personal note, I am astounded how quickly these past two years have gone and I am excited looking forward for the next two years.  I have strong roots in this Village, roots grow fast, deep, and sturdy here in the Black Swamp.

Our Village was incorporated February 7, 1876 and will be 142 years old on that date in 2018.

We are the largest Village in Wood County and provide a solid anchor for the South end of the county.  We are part of Henry Township and work with the township as frequently as we can for the betterment of both.

According to ZIPWHO.COM the current population within our city limits is 3,529.  The median age here in the Village is 35.1 years and we cover approximately 2.5 sq. miles.  Our daytime population is a bit larger due to the workers who come into North Baltimore to work at CSP, PolyOne, DS Brown, NBLS, HPJ, Roll Rite (formerly Pull Tarps), HWE, Keystone Foods, and Bakery Feeds.  Every person who comes to this town to work, shop, or see a movie helps spread the news that North Baltimore is a forward thinking and moving place.

The possibilities for future growth and economic development are bright and there are plans to utilize the assets we have available to us to continue to create jobs and revenue for the Village.  Council approved the Job Creation Grant in December of 2016 and CSP took advantage of the income tax savings when they created 200 new jobs in their factory.

Several changes in personnel occurred during 2017:

• Holly Emahiser-Ryder who was appointed to fulfill an unexpired term moved out of the Village and we were able to appointed Leisa Zeigler to fulfill the last 2 years, 2018 and ‘19 of that Council position.
• We said good bye to two long-term members of the Village council – Rick Van Mooy after 12 years as clerk and 2 years as an appointed member of Village Council. Leslee Thompson who had completed 12 years as a member of Council and also served as Council President.  We also said good bye to Rich Rose who served for 4 years on council.
• As we said farewell to those public servants we welcomed several new Council members: Matt Beegle, Tim Engard, Aaron Patterson, and returning for another 4-year term Art Patterson III.

2017 was a busy year for us in the Village as several projects were planned, engineered, and completed.

Infrastructure

1. Waterline Replacement in 100 block of North Main St. – $301,000
   1. Completed: May of 2017, Buckeye Excavating was awarded the contract to replace the Main St. Waterline between State St. and Broadway St.
2. Waterline Replacement in 200 block of North Main St. -$235,000
   1. Completed: November of 2017, Underground Utilities was awarded the contract the village successfully moved on to the next funding round in their OPWC application to fund the replacement of the Main St. Waterline between Broadway St. and Walnut St.
3. ADA Sidewalks in business district downtown – $32,000
4. Paved 4 Streets & 4 Alleyways – $81,000
5. Planted 62 New Trees in village – $14,000
6. Removed 32 Hazard Trees in village – $15,000

 Village Park

1. New play set – Wood County Park Grant $21,000 (2017)
2. Concession Stand Remodel – CDBG Grant $56,000 (spring 2018)
3. Basketball, Tennis Courts – Natureworks Grant $60,000 (spring 2018)
4. New Roofs Open-air Shelters – Wood County Park Grant $5,000 (spring 2018)
5. 8” of Safety Mulch – Wood County Park Grant $9,900 (spring 2018)

• ** The Village will be able to complete $151,000 worth of improvements in Village Park for an investment on our end of $30,000

Trees

Our Urban Forest continues to grow and add to property values, beautify our street right of ways, and help the environment by slowing water moving into our storm sewer system.

1. In 2015 the Tree Commission and Village Council approved the planting of 58 trees
2. 2016 we added 30 trees
3. And in 2017 25 more were added. For a total of 113 trees that replaced trees removed for the SS Projects and were cut as hazardous trees.
4. The Tree Commission planned a celebration for Arbor Day at Powell Elementary School. A tree was donated from the Village to the Giving Garden which is a project honoring the memory of Kim Conkle.

 

What does the future hold for our Village? 

1. Downtown Revitalization – $600,000 (Fall 2019)
   1. TMACOG federal funding
2. Safe Routes to School – $310,000 (Fall 2019)
   1. ODOT grant $310,000
3. Waterlines 300-700 blocks of North Main St. $1 million (2018-2020)
4. Main St. Road Reconstruction – 100 block- $354,000 (Fall 2019)
5. Main St. Road Reconstruction – 200 block- $285,000 (Fall 2019)
6. Main St. Road Reconstruction – Walnut St. – Quarry Rd. – $750,000
7. New Water Tower – $1.5 million
8. Southside Safety Station – $ 1 million
9. New Holiday Décor for Downtown – $40,000 (Christmas of 2019)
   1. Rotary-led fund raising

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities”
― Stephen R. Covey

While we don’t always agree with each other on some of the details, we are committed to working together to build on what has been done previous to the current administration.  I count on Each Village Council member’s goal to keep the residents best interest in mind.  Questioning and open minds lead to informed decisions and our differences help broaden the knowledge shared to make those decisions.

As we venture forth into 2018 my goal is that we continue to build on the foundation left for us by former administrations and look to planning the stewardship of our resources for the future.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Mayor Goldner