SOUTH BLOOMFIELD, Ohio — South Bloomfield Council has a new member, and Mayor Aaron Thomas says the long-running paving project on U.S. 23 through the village is finally finished, according to the mayor’s September newsletter.
Council appointed Tasha Bowman at its Sept. 8 meeting to fill the seat vacated by Councilwoman Lisa McDorman. Bowman, who has lived in the village for a decade, officially took her seat at the Sept. 21 regular council meeting.
Thomas also confirmed that the state has completed the final paving of U.S. 23 through South Bloomfield, work that fell to the Ohio Department of Transportation once the village’s own road-widening project wrapped up. The village funded half the cost of a new center turn lane on the corridor, with the state covering the rest, according to the newsletter.
Thomas said he has since organized a meeting with Pickaway County leadership, public safety officials and the deputy director of ODOT District 6 to press for continued safety improvements along the corridor, an effort tied to the Protect Pickaway Alliance, a coalition the mayor has been building among area communities and decision-makers.
The mayor’s newsletter also gave residents an update on the proposed Sod Farm development, a major residential and commercial project expected to come before the village Planning Commission soon. Thomas said he has told the developer the plan will not be rushed through council under emergency legislation and will instead go through the full three-reading process. He said he plans to hold an informational town hall before the first reading so residents can hear directly from those involved and ask questions before any vote.
A separate proposal, the Crites Farm development, remains in earlier stages but would follow the same public review process if it moves forward, according to the newsletter.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Village of South Bloomfield.
