Mayor Rich Johnson presided over the meeting, which began with the approval of April 11 meeting minutes and bills (see attached).

PUBLIC COMMENT

Lyle Henry addressed council on the larger national context of thin blue line flags.

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

Village administrator Jesse Blackburn provided council with updates on the April 11 Public Hearing regarding construction drawings for Chestnut Lane residential development. (See attachment).

Storm water drainage, utilities, and vehicle turning radius changes were reviewed.

TREE COMMISSION

The village will hold an Arbor Day celebration at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 at the Village Arboretum, which is located at the corner of Lake St. and CR 15.

Mercy Health is donating a tree in memory of Officer Dominic Francis at Village Park.

See the attached document for tree trimming and tree planting locations.

ADMINISTRATION

Blackburn and assistant village administrator Bryan Lloyd provided a review of the following:

Lawn and Jackson Street Water, SR 103 Sanitary Replacement

• Bids will be opened May 12. Supplies may not be available for some months. An addendum was suggested extending completion date into next year.
• Supply chain issues could also affect the Bentley Rd. alignment project. The village may move this up to August to help insure materials availability.
• Council approved a motion to extend completion date.

2022 Swimming Pool Employment

• Applications are still being accepted. Slide attendant positions have been filled. Still hiring lifeguards.

2022 Street Paving

Bluffton paving will begin work on April 26. Residents are asked to use off-street parking this week. Locations:

• Richland Dr, Bentley to Shannon
• Hillcrest Drive
• Crystal Place
• Polo Dr.
• Bentley Rd, Elm to corporation limit
• N. Spring st, Riley to Snider

Annual program cost will be approximately $220K if paving if stays on budget.

Broken curb spots on Main need paving. Blackburn noted that there is “a lot of grey area on curb replacement policy” regarding assessing property owners. The topic was recommended for committee review.

Hydrant Flushing

Hydrant flushing will take place for the next week and a half (approximately May 4).

Disc Golf Course at Village Park

All 19 holes have been installed in the disc golf course. The public works department will be digging out tee boxes for concrete.

Lloyd noted that the course is definitely being used. DPS will be grinding brush to mulch the pathways in the woods.

Complete Streets Task Force

All three workshops completed.

Steering Committee

This new comprehensive planning group meets April 27 with Bri Buzzard, from Allen Co. Public Health. Regional Planning will assist with tasks and assignments.

SR 103 Pathway

Three parcels remain to be secured for the bike and pedestrian pathway. The purchase deadline is in June.

Spring Clean Up Dumpsters

Cleanup week will be held from May 24-26 at the Spring Street brush dump. (Watch the Icon for guidelines.)

FISCAL OFFICER

Kevin Nickel reported there is a new standard allowance for any municipality receiving under $10M in COVID relief funds. Expenses will be reported as “lost revenue.” First report will be submitted this week.

NEW BUSINESS

Mayor Johnson presented the following special event permits, which were approved by council:

• Bluffton High School street painting on Friday, May 13 from 5:30-10:00 p.m. It was noted that there are restrictions including no profanity and all paint used must be latex.
• Baccalaureate ceremony for the Bluffton High School class of 2022 on May 26 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.
• June 4 Arts & Crafts Festival at Blended Roots, 246 Cherry St. The festival will include 6:00 a.m.-6 p.m. closing of Cherry St. and Railroad St. Parking will be at the grain elevator.
• June 17 Bluffton Lions Club Festival of Wheels. Street closings on Main St. from Elm to Franklin and Cherry and Vine Streets between Main and Jackson.

EMS DEPARTMENT

Chief Jan Basinger reported 46 runs in the month of March, which is closer to past averages. Has been much higher recently. Special event season is starting, with EMS presence at events such as graduations.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Chief Jon Kinn noted that it was good to back after an illness. He is interviewing a couple of volunteer fire fighter candidates who have been through school.

More remediation work is being done by BJM at the Marathon gas station, 205 S. Main. This will be an extended process that could take years.

Both fire station bathrooms need work and may be updated by the crew. Will involve replacing floor and toilet, and possibly reconfiguring to one unisex bathroom with a janitor closet.

NEW BUSINESS

Blackburn welcomed guest Jim Enneking, who is the new Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce CEO. Enneking noted that the Bluffton Farmers Market will open on May 7.

The meeting adjourned at 7:11 p.m.