CENTERBURG — At the Centerburg Village Council meeting Monday night, hot items were the proposed Kno-Ho-Co housing development, and strong sentiment regarding the statements made by Mayor George Shaw in an article that appeared in the Centerburg Gazette.
Knox County Commissioner Allen Stockberger and Mike Stephens, chief executive officer of Kno-Ho-Co, spoke to council about the proposed development. At last month’s council meeting, the project was not approved because Kno-Ho-Co proposed commencing construction before completed infrastructure was in place and the council did not agree with the plan.
“Tonight’s decision ... will determine the fate of the project of Heart of Ohio Homes,” said Stockberger.
Stockberger said it was apparent that Kno-Ho-Co personnel and others, including himself, had assumed that everyone involved knew all of the information about why the project was delayed. Stockberger reiterated that the project’s delay was out of the hands of Kno-Ho-Co and involved paperwork for environmental and wetland issues. However, he said, people, including Centerburg Village Council members, might have not known all the facts as well as he and Kno-Ho-Co had assumed. Stockberger continued, saying that he and others had tried to address the concerns of the village.
Stephens also took the opportunity to speak and said that Kno-Ho-Co was trying to meet the needs of the village and that they weren’t going to hide from their responsibility to the community.
Later in the meeting, Village Solicitor Kyle Stroh introduced a measure approving Kno-Ho-Co to begin construction in May. The resolution stated that construction would not proceed past the foundation stage until infrastructure — specifically water lines and roads — were in place. The motion passed 5 to 1, with Councilman Jerry Hess dissenting. Kno-Ho-Co has now been cleared to proceed with the project and will begin construction in May.
Centerburg resident Bob Griffith addressed council concerning a Jan. 25 article in the Centerburg Gazette. Griffith said that in the article, Shaw alleged that Griffith received money for the proposed Whistlestop development project; Griffith said he did not. Griffith said he wanted Shaw to retract what he said in the article, but that Shaw did not comply. Griffith said he was therefore asking council to pass a resolution stating he had never received any money from council.
Centerburg resident and former Councilman Andy Wharton said Shaw had failed to make amends for his actions and that no money had gone to Griffith. Wharton also said that because Shaw had not yet apologized for what he said in the article, he “elevates himself over and at expense of council members.”
Reading from a statement, Wharton said that when Shaw was a member of the Fire Board, he accepted payments from the Village Council and the Fire Board for attending the same meeting. Although Wharton admitted there was nothing illegal about these actions, he questioned Shaw’s actions as “morally reprehensible” and asked the council to demand Shaw’s resignation.
Asked why he had not retracted his statements, Shaw said the events set in motion by the article had affected him a lot. Stroh attempted to clarify the issue by explaining what happened with the Whistlestop development project, and said it was purely a business deal, with Griffith representing Whistlestop’s interests, not his own. Stroh said he had never known Griffith nor Shaw to act against the interests of the community.
Council ultimately passed a resolution stating that Griffith did not receive any money from council.
Other items on the meeting agenda included:
•Don McCracken requested council to approve a Fourth of July parade route. The parade is scheduled for June 28; McCracken needed approval from council in order to proceed to the sheriff’s office and the Ohio Department of Transportation to get full approval for the parade. Council approved the parade.
•Pat and Taffy White of Whitey’s Car Wash requested the village consider reducing their water and sewer rates because of the high amount of usage at their business. Shaw encouraged the Whites to attend the public service meeting later this month to discuss the issue in more detail.
•Village Administrator Phil Lohmeyer reported the village was billed for extra snow removal because of the blizzard on March 7 and 8. Lohmeyer also reported on the parks, saying he wanted to remove the hedgerow at the back of the gazebo park because it was becoming a nuisance to maintain. Volunteers also want to place lighting on the bell in the park across the street from the gazebo. Lohmeyer said his department was in the midst of patching potholes.
•Clerk-Treasurer Teri James presented a bill from the county for an extra payment for sewage service, according to a prior agreement with the county. The payment was approved by a vote of 5 to 1, with Councilwoman Aimee Humphrey dissenting.
•Shaw reported that Centerburg had lost its tree city status, but said it could be restored by approving a proclamation declaring the village a tree city.