With the passage of the March one-quarter income tax levy the village is gearing up for major water line replacement work. The projects address problem water mains in the village have are believed to cause rusty colored water.

Jamie Mehaffie, village administrator, outlined the replacement procedure with Bluffton council members on Monday evening.

He said that the village service department is reviewing the plans and is 95 percent finished with that step of the process.

In May bids will be advertised. Bids will be reviewed in June. Contracts will wait to be signed after July 1 because the State of Ohio is involved in some of the project and the state's fiscal year begins on July 1.

Mehaffie said he hopes the first waterline replacement project is underway by the end of summer or early fall.

In other council business the parks and recreation committee (Dennis Gallant and Everett Collier) will meet at 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 1, in the first floor conference room. On the agenda is selection of summer employees for the Bluffton Community Swimming Pool.

Council heard a report from the newly formed park advisory committee. The group met on April 11. According to Dennis Gallant, council president, the group discussed various needs at the parks. The group hopes to hold monthly meetings.

Bluffton's Tree Commission will hold an Arbor Day observation and planting at the Buckeye at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The council meeting had a special guest, Peyton Gallant, a second grader in Bev Stockman's class. Earlier this month Dennis Gallant spoke to the second grade class about what Bluffton council members do and how council meetings operate. Peyton told The Icon that following the presentation he decided to attend a meeting to observe it for himself.