Council takes first look at 2008 YS Village goals

By Diane Chiddister

Finding a way to encourage more meaningful community participation in Council business. Developing an energy policy which includes voluntary conservation measures for individuals and businesses. Building up the green space fund. Creating an economic development plan that focuses on village strengths, including the arts and education. Changing the Village zoning code to enable more creative housing options.

These were some of the ideas Village Council members suggested during their Dec. 3 meeting preliminary discussion of 2008 Village goals. Council members brainstormed ideas, and also heard input from community members. Council will continue the goal discussion, and narrow down to specific goals, at its first meeting of the new year on Jan. 7. For that meeting, Village Manager Eric Swansen will present information on resources needed for the suggested goals.

Council also heard from representatives of a variety of village organizations.

Representing Tecumseh Land Trust, Bob Barcus urged Council to put $50,000 a year into the green space fund, which currently has a relatively low balance. Council in 1999 used about $325,000 toward the purchase of Whitehall Farm, and the fund has been depleted since then.

Having a large chunk of Village money available for green space acquisition made all the difference in the successful effort to save Whitehall, according to Barcus.

The next 10 years will offer many more opportunities for acquiring green space, according to Barcus, because baby boomer farmers are aging and beginning to think about how to protect their farmland.

“A lot of these farmers are interested if we have a pool of money available. We can take advantage of these opportunities to keep Yellow Springs a rural community,” he said.

Representing the faculty at Antioch College, Pat Mische urged Council to include in their goals opportunities for collaboration between the college and the community, including involvement of Antioch students and faculty in greening efforts, student involvement in entreprenaurial activities and shared use of college resources, such as the gym and theater.

“We see our futures as linked,” she said.

Villager Sue Abendroth asked that Council “make a commitment that before you take actions, you make a conscious and deliberate investigation into the economic effects on villagers and the affordability of living in Yellow Springs.”

In other Council business:
• In other new business, Council members unanimously expressed support for a recommendation by Swansen that the Village take a more proactive stance toward state legislative activities, especially regarding issues which affect municipalities. Such a stance might include meeting with state legislators to communicate Village concerns, Swansen said. He will prepare a resolution on the issue and present it to Council at an upcoming meeting.

• During the citizens’ concerns segment of the meeting, Accessibility Committee member Ray Olds asked the Village to enforce village ordinances that require property owners to make repairs on damaged sidewalks so that disabled persons are not put at risk. The Accessibility Committee has for years urged Council to take action, Olds said, and little has been done.

“I hope the Village government will develop more courage and ask village residents to fix their sidewalks,” he said.

In response, Swansen said that the Village has completed a survey of all village sidewalks, and will over the winter contact villagers about repairs needed on sidewalks on their property. Villagers will decide whether to do the work themselves or pay the Village to do it. Work on repairing sidewalks will begin this spring, he said.

• Also during citizens’ concerns, Bill Firestone stated that villagers should be better protected during the weekly Saturday noon peace vigil. In recent weeks a group of Iraq war supporters and veterans, whose members refuse to identify themselves, has staked out its own corner for a pro-Iraq war vigil. According to Firestone, the pro-Iraq war demonstrators have made threatening remarks to the peace vigil participants.

“We do a great job of protecting the rights of out of town people, but the citizens in our community are not adequately protected,” he said.

Yellow Springs Chief of Police John Grote said he had received complaints from participants on both sides of the vigil regarding the behavior of those on the opposite side.

While suggesting that Yellow Springs police should have a greater presence during the peace vigil, Swansen said that, “It would be better if both sides were a little more civil.”

• Council set Jan. 15 as the date for a special Council meeting, with participation from the Smart Growth Education Task Force, on the proposed AMP-Ohio Meigs County coal plant. The meeting will include representatives from AMP-Ohio, the Electric System Task Force and the Natural Resources Defense Council. While the Smart Growth group had originally planned to sponsor the meeting, and Council had planned to hold a separate meeting, the two groups decided to merge their meetings into one. The event will include presentations, opportunities for Council questions and opportunities for community questions and dialogue.

• Council approved the appointments of Brian Chase to the Cable Advisory Board and Doug Bailey to the Environmental Commission.

• Council’s next meeting is Monday, Dec. 17. Council will address the 2008 Village budget, among other items.

Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com