GREENFIELD, Ohio — Recognitions and hearing about a potential new business were among the topics of business that came before the Greenfield Village Council at its regular meeting Tuesday.
Master Sgt. John Wilson was recognized as August’s citizen-of-the-month. Wilson leads the McClain Cadet Corps, a program he began at the high school a few years ago.
Wilson was nominated for his hard word, leadership, and mentoring of the cadets. City manager Todd Wilkin noted that there isn’t a month that goes by that the young men and women in the cadet corps aren’t seen in and around the community doing great work.
Wilson said there’s been nothing done in this community that he has done alone, so he accepted the award on behalf of the cadets he leads.
“These kids are amazing,” Wilson said, adding that the cadets have already logged approximately 300 community service hours since June.
“It’s amazing to me,” he said, the cadets’ energy to serve the community.
Council members and the city manager added their own comments regarding the work of the cadets and how they have some part in so many things in town and beyond.
“With that in mind,” Wilson said, “we all ought to feel very good about the future of our community.”
The August Employee-of-the-Month is Sgt. Michael Fryer with the Greenfield Police Department. Fryer has been with the department for five years and was recently nominated for the award by GPD Chief Jeremiah Oyer for his hard work at the jail.
Wilkin said that over the last year Fryer has worked hard to improve the jail and make sure the yearly inspection was excellent.
“He has made many improvements to the jail under his leadership,” Wilkin said, “and we would like to recognize him for his superb work.”
Mike Seely was recognized with a proclamation, making Aug. 18, 2021 Michael Seely Day in Greenfield. The proclamation was made not only to recognize that Seely Portraits is celebrating 40 years this month, but also to recognize Seely for his tireless coverage of the village and its residents. The proclamation notes how Seely has captured so many milestone moments of the residents of Greenfield, as well as so much of Greenfield and the area, and is always willing to share his work with other organizations and publications.
Council member Brenda Losey, who lost her daughter Hannah before she graduated, gave an emotional thanks to Seely as he made sure that Hannah had a graduation picture.
“I will be forever grateful for that,” Losey said.
In other business, Leah Burke spoke to council about a new business that she is hoping to bring to Greenfield. Called Madison Child Nurturing Center, the child care center will “provide safe, affordable, high-quality childcare,” Burke said.
Burke said the center, intended to be located at 1026 Jefferson St., will be inclusive, and that it will support families and the community by offering this much-needed service, which in turn supports local industry.
She plans to offer all shifts of childcare and spoke about an extensive screening process and trial period for all prospective employees.
Law director Hannah Bivens in her report said that 311 North St. has been approved for demolition by Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss. As the property is in receivership with the Greenfield Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), that organization will be able to move forward with that.
The property at 425 Olive Street, which has been through the same process as the North Street property, will now likely be going a different route as Bivens discovered an error in how the property was initially filed, which means it would all have to be done over again with the correct information. However, since the village council earlier this year approved handling blighted properties through a foreclosure process, which is much easier and more efficient than the receivership process, the property should be able to be moved through that avenue more quickly and the blighted property finally able to be taken care of.
Bivens also reported that a letter of concern approved by council during its last session regarding the proposed Ross County solar farm project was sent to the Ohio Power Siting Board ahead of its Aug. 12 adjudication meeting on the project. Bivens said a judgement on the project has not yet been made.
For more information regarding the project, go to opsb.ohio.gov. The Ross County project can be found in the “Pending Cases” tab. Once that page opens, scroll down to the “Ross County Solar” tab.
Wilkin also reported that the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) has $250 million available for infrastructure work in the state. Each project can apply for up to $5 million. Projects are ranked by county engineers before moving onto the state level for consideration. Wilkin said Greenfield will be applying for grant money through this.
There are two events slated for this Saturday, Aug. 21.
The first is the Adam’s Hope walk at Felson Park from noon until dark. This annual event will also feature special speakers, music, food, and more. It was all started a couple years ago to honor those lost to addiction and to provide support to those affected by addiction. For more information, go to the Adam’s Hope Facebook page.
Also on that day and from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Greenfield is G3’s Ice Cream Social. The event will feature not only ice cream, but food trucks, local vendors, live music, and other treats. For more information, go to the Grow Greater Greenfield Facebook page.
The Greenfield Village Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers on the third floor of the city building. When possible, the meetings are also live-streamed on the village’s Facebook page. For information and updates, go to greenfieldohio.net or the Village of Greenfield, Ohio Facebook page.