by Sue Miklovic
On January 21, 2020 North Baltimore Mayor Janet Goldner presented the “State of the Village” report to the Village Council and others who were present.
Here are the encouraging words she shared last Tuesday:
Good Evening. Welcome to the members of our Village Council, Mr. Brillhart our administrator, Tony Swartz our finance officer, members of the press, and residents.
Thank you for attending this meeting of North Baltimore Village council. In 2019 we said Good-bye to Art Patterson and Ty Carles as council members and welcomed Mike Soltis who was appointed by Village Council to complete Art Patterson’s term and Mike Julien who was elected. Also returning are council person Leisa Zeigler for her second term and Kathi Bucher was re-elected as our Village Clerk. This group meets two times a month for regular meetings and one time in between those two meetings for our Committee of the Whole. During the COTW meeting each committee chair shares ideas, resident concerns, and other pertinent information for discussion with the other council members.
This is my first State of the Village address to start my second term of office. I would like to take this time to Thank all the residents who voted for me and have trusted me with the oversight of our Village. I have information to share regarding the projects from 2019 and what is coming in the future.
Our Village was incorporated February 7, 1876 and will be 144 years old on that date in 2020. A post office called North Baltimore has been in operation since 1874 so our village was ‘here’ before we were incorporated.146 years old
We are the largest Village in Wood County and our goal is to provide a solid anchor for the South end of the county. We are part of Henry Township and work with the township on projects as frequently as we can for the betterment of both. Currently the Village and the Township work together to make certain there is fire and EMS coverage for our area. Because we participate in Mutual Aid agreements with surrounding communities, we also will leave our area to provide assistance as needed.
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, National Beef, and Bakery Feeds. New to the Village Yoder and Fry Auctions along with Midwest Recovery Services on State St. Every person who comes to town for a job, attend school or school events, have a meal can help spread the news that North Baltimore is a forward thinking and moving place.
Current and Future projects and plans:
Installation of cameras at the Village Office and continuing work to install them at the Village Park.
Arbor Day tree presentation at the High School – it was a very rainy day.
Streetlights at the round-a-bout were upgraded to LED bulbs. This made the area much brighter and has provided a cost savings for the Village.
- Downtown Revitalization –
- TMACOG federal funding
- Main St. Road Reconstruction –
- Almost completed – new traffic lights and poles to be installed this spring.
- Safe Routes to School –
- ODOT grant $310,000
- Completed and being utilized by students as well as residents
- Neighborhood Revitalization Grant – $500,000 – 6 Village Enhancement Projects will be starting in summer of 2020
- The former Whistle Stop Parking Lot
- Paved, train viewing platform, landscaping, water feature
- Walnut St. Paving Project
- Mill and Pave E. Walnut St. (Main -Gillette)
- Renovate Shelter House #1 (to match #2 and #3)
- Remove the chimney, new roof, new windows and doors
- ADA Parking spots at Park
- 2 paved parking spots outside doors of shelters
- Additional Parking at Village Park
- Paved area for 40 cars within the park
- Northview St. Paving
- Mill and Pave Northview
- Engineering costs for the entire project
- The former Whistle Stop Parking Lot
- Main St. Road Reconstruction – 200 block Main St. 2020
- Sidewalks, streetlights, street reconstruction
- Future Water/Sewer projects
- Waterlines 300-700 blocks of North Main St.
- New Water Tower
- Broadway
- Water St.
- State St.
Future Street Projects
- Main St. Road Reconstruction – Walnut St. – Quarry Rd.
- New Holiday Décor for Downtown – (Christmas of 2020)
- Lions Club and Rotary-led fund raising
These highlights from 2019 show what a busy year we had and I look forward with anticipation to see what 2020 will hold.
“We have great challenges and great opportunities, and by working together, we will meet them and make 2020 the best year in our history!”