FREDERICKTOWN — The gallery was full at Monday night’s regular session of the Fredericktown Village Council, when the Knox County Commissioners asked village officials if they were open to the possibility of allowing wastewater connections from the Knox Lake community to connect to the village sewer system. The commissiosners also asked what the cost would be for such a project.
The commissioners were told the village charges out-of-town customers a 60 percent surcharge on top of the village rate, which means a wastewater bill of about $75 bimonthly for those customers. Commissioner Tom McLarnan said cutting that surcharge from 60 percent to 20 percent would help.
Mayor Roger Reed asked about the fairness of creating a special rate for Knox Lake customers.
“What do we tell the other people who we are charging 60 percent?” Reed asked.
“I think we have to be consistent across the board,” Council President Dave Glass said.
“We both have a dog in the race here,” said Commissioner Allen Stockberger. “The main thing here is if we’re going to work with Fredericktown, we have to negotiate in the best interest of the users. If it’s too expensive, we’ll have to look elsewhere.”
Stockberger said the commissioners have two objectives.
“We have to service their needs, and be cognizant of their financial situations,” he said of Knox Lake homeowners.
Representatives from ADR and Associates showed on a map where they have investigated building a small decentralized sewer plant in the Knox Lake area that could service 185 customers. Manager Todd D. Willis said the price projection for such a plant is around $5 million.
Stockberger said the EPA has not yet mandated the connection of a sewer system to the Knox Lake area, but such a mandate could happen in the future.
“The intent is to be proactive rather than reactive,” he said. “Our purpose in meeting here tonight is to try to determine if the village is inclined to negotiate in the matter.”
“What I would recommend is that I refer this to the utility committee,” Reed said. “Let us kick it around and do some figures.”
Council members agreed, and the matter will be reopened for discussion at a later date. Village Administrator Gary Gallogly suggested that Berlin
Township officials also be included in the discussion.
In other business, council passed Resolution 2008-1 setting the regular village council meeting times as the first and third Monday each month at 7:30 p.m.
Resolution 2008-2 was also passed, naming Glass and Gallogly as the village representatives to the Knox County Regional Planning Commission. Reed and Police Chief Jerry Day are the alternate representatives.
Glass was elected for another year as council president. Council members Paul Seymour, Jim Tharp and Dave Munk were named to the safety committee. Glass, Alan Kintner and Tharp were named to the street/utility committee, and Floyd Savage, Glass and Paul Seymour will serve on the finance committee.
Andy Fox will serve again as zoning inspector in 2008. Day was appointed to the Emergency Squad Board, Don Wilson was appointed to the Fire Department Board and Reed to Emergency Management.
Ed Erick, Jim Fox and Mark Bombardier will begin four-year terms on the planning commission. Ivan “Pete” Handwerk, Marilyn Stout and Ed Tefs will serve four-year terms on the library board, and Scott Smith and Dr. Joe Poole will serve three-year terms on the recreation board.
Carolyn Seymour and Nancy Diehl were appointed to three-year terms on the Shade Tree Commission, and Dallas Popham and Bill Rupp will begin six-year terms on the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Gallogly told council that village employee Nate Overholt will be leaving to take a position with the health department. Gallogly also said he is still waiting for delivery of the new village plow that is to be delivered from Newell Equipment in Galion. Reed said that it was “beyond ridiculous” for the company not to respond to the numerous phone calls that have been made by Gallogly requesting the overdue delivery.
