8 The Herald

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

www.delphosherald.com

2nd annual Betty Honigford Christmas Decorating Contest Council

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Best Yard Display This award went to the Tom and Carolyn Pittner house, 670 William Avenue. Many people were impressed with the decorations, especially the number and variety of items in the front yard. The Christmas tree surrounded by presents was appealing to many voters. Judges felt the red spotlights on each end of the house gave a balanced but nice background to the other decorations placed in front of them. The judges also felt the house was whimsical but liked its neat overall appearance. The Pittners received $50.

Best White Light/Elegant Display Diane and Clint Gable, 508 W. Second St., took the prize in this category. Voters were impressed that the Gables changed up their decorations from last year while maintaining the classic feel of their decorations from the previous year. The judges loved the bulbs on the back evergreen and the way believe was projected on the wall of the house. The pillars wrapped in red lights highlighted the beautiful architecture of the home. The giant Charlie Brown tree on the side porch was a favorite. The Gables received $50.

Ottoville

Township Trustee Jerry Gilden told The Delphos Herald last week the trustees were seeing the same cuts in funding the city has and was concerned the city reduced the number of firefighters at the station on any given shift. We cant spend more than were taking in, Gilden said. We want to pay for our fire and rescue protection but we want to pay our fair share. They are billing us about 10 percent of their total costs and I think we are only getting around 7 percent of their services. Now they have only one firefighter on duty on any shift. That isnt the same service we had before. Gallmeier also said Gilden had questioned the number of firefighters on duty. Councilman Rick Hanser said the township had been trying to get the contract amount lowered prior to the citys decision to reduce the number of firefighters on duty and he wanted township residents to know he felt their trustees had not bargained in good faith. Delphos collected approximately $35,000 from township residents for ambulance runs last year and can bill residents and businesses insurance companies for fire calls. The Washington Township fire and rescue contract was the same as the last three years with zero increase for the next three years. The township pays $32,299 per year with residents. The three-year police union contract included no raises for three years with a reopen clause for years two and three. Sick leave and personal leave remained the same with the addition of five personal days for senior personnel with 25 or more years. Insurance paid by employees will match the percentage paid by all city employees. Resident Tim Honigford, a regular at council meetings in the past months, asked to speak on the police contract. Honigford asked why they would approve such a contract when other city employees had taken furlough hours and pay cuts. He then turned and began to question Police Chief Kyle Fittro, who was in the audience, and was asked to stop by Council President Kim Riddell. You can address council, this is a city council meeting, she said. You cannot berate the police chief or be disrespectful. Honigford argued his right to ask questions and was invited to have coffee by Fittro. Council also passed the transfer of $52,000 each from the Income Tax Fund to the OWDA Fund and the Water Fund to the Water Improvement Fund to cover interest assessed by DEFA and the OWDA for the deferred loan payments in December. Auditor Tom Jettinghoff explained the two entities were asking for capitalized interest. The next regular council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Jan. 6.

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Best Theme Display This prize goes to Vicki and Roger Gossman, 531 E. Fourth St., for their presentation promoting peace on earth. The judges loved the simplicity of the peace wreath with the flag banner beneath. They thought the lighting enhanced the presentation and liked the placement of the wreaths on the windows of the home. The judges felt the decorations enhanced the overall style of the home. Voters and judges alike thought the peace theme was important and poignant enough to stand on its own. The Gossmans received $50.

Best Multi-Colored Display This award goes to Dave and Sue Ricker for their house at 204 N. West St. The judges liked all the multicolored lights and the amount of lights used to decorate the house in comparison to its size. Voters thought the decorations were reminiscent of Christmases of the past. Many liked the inclusion of the Nativity set. Emails about the house mentioned its classic Christmas appeal. The Rickers received $50.

Chamber of Commerce President Adam Schnipke said his personal concern was about the rumors and he wanted to know what was going on. I do not think it (a Dollar General Store) looks nice, some of them are very run down, Schnipke said. They are not franchises and run by local owners who give back to the community. Schnipke suggested that a Dollar General would not provide the community with groceries. Its frozen and canned foods, he detailed. Schnipke referred to the loss of their local grocery store, The Village Market, in August 2012. If the community needs a grocery store, why not look at that building (Village Market)? Schnipke questioned Additionally, Schnipke discussed the villages entrance signs which were installed over this past year, which costs were to be split by council and the chamber. We ran into more expense than we anticipated, he said. The Lock 16 sign needs completed; flags, lights and gravel. Schnipke also said in addition to the electrical hookup for the LED lights, they incurred extra costs with the flagpoles. We chose to do those and weve depleted our checking account, he said. Many of us volunteered a lot of time on this project. Council received notice that a final settlement for the petroleum spill has been made in the sum of $31,853, which will be forthcoming in January and will need signed off on. The sum is what the village spent, less the grants, to clean up the spill. An estimate of close to $5,000 to repair heaved manholes in the village roadways was received. Street Supervisor Barry Koester said he has only been able to secure on estimate and could not get a return phone call from another business that does the same types of repairs. Council member Tony Langhals asked Koester how soon the work needed to be done. We can do it in the summer, Koester said. Fiscal Officer Jeanne Wannemacher asked for the approval of temporary appro-

priations, which passed unanimously. The resolution allows Wannemacher to set temporary appropriations for the first three months of 2014 and permanent appropriations for the year will be set in April. Council also approved two change orders one which increased the cost of the Auglaize Street project by $9,566 and one that decreased the project by $11,033 for a final cost of $574,467 which was $13,466 over the bid. Wannemacher then asked council to approve transferring the overage from the general fund to make the final payment to Miller Contracting Group, which was unanimously approved. Delphos resident and Buckeye Trail member Sam Bonifas returned to address council concerning developing a hiking trail on the towpath portion of the canal the village owns. He explained the towpath on 500 feet of the old canal bank the village owns would become part of the continuous looping hiking trail of 1,444 miles encircling the state. Buckeye Trail Director Andrew Bashaw spoke with council members and explained the crew of volunteers would work on the trail Sept. 27, 28 and 29 and clear small trees and brush to create an footpath approximately three feet wide. Moving the trail off road will create user safety from the Mill to Road 25P, he said. It will promote better recreational use. Previously there have been questions about the liability of use for the village. If the landowner provides recreation on land without charge, the owner is not liable, Bashaw stated. Wannemacher said that Ottoville High School student Ryan Kemper has offered to design a new web page for the village at a cost of $100 and charge $20 per month to maintain it. Council members approved the terms. Langhals suggested to council that agendas for the council meetings be emailed out in advance before the day of the meeting. Id like to know what we are going to talk about when we get here, he said. The next council meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27 in council chambers.

Best New Entry Display This prize goes to the home of Steve and Theresa Goodwin, 712 N. Main St. Judges liked the old-fashioned flair of the decorations at this home. The lighting around the top of the porch enhanced the shape of the house and the wooden figures at the edge of the porch were well made and welcoming. Voters liked the many items of interest on the front porch and found the home very inviting. The Goodwins received $50.

Answers to Mondays questions: When it comes to weather, the SWEAT index is an acronym for Severe Weather Threat Index, a formula devised by the Air Force that uses instability, wind shear and wind speeds to predict the potential for severe storms. The real name of the Cookie Monster on TVs Sesame Street is Sid. He made the revelation in a 2004 episode in which he recalls that Sid was his name before he tasted his first cookie. Todays questions: Where in its body does a camel store water which it can drink 20 gallons at a time? What is the only diploma hanging on the wall of billionaire Warren Buffetts office? Answers in Thursdays Herald.

Trivia