By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
With Bucyrus less than five years away from celebrating its bicentennial, Mayor Jeff Reser delivered a five-year plan to City Council Tuesday evening that would send Bucyrus into its third century in style.
With the opening of the Millennium Park, and with the Schines Art Park slated to be completed in 2017, Reser suggested adding another park to the city, Bicentennial Park. If approved by council, the park would be located just north of the bridge on Sandusky Avenue. Reser noted that the blighted area has potential as a green space with a lead-in to the new bike path and to Harmon Park. Dedicated to the founders of Bucyrus, the park would also feature a monument as well as plaques dedicated to the most influential Bucyrians of the city’s first 200 years.
Reser also added that he would like to see improvements to the city’s other parks.
At Harmon Park, Reser proposed removing and replacing dead trees, adding a bike/walking loop around the perimeter of the park with exercise stations and intervals.
Reser proposed adding a Splash Park to the Aumiller Park pool, as well as a new slide, finishing the parking lots with asphalt, replacing the tennis courts, as well as adding another closed shelter for rentals.
On the city’s north side, Reser proposed using Plymouth Street’s upcoming renovation as a model for future city streets with a tree canopy.
In his proposal Reser wants the city to commit to a bike path that would go from Aumiller Park to Lowe-Volk Park along the Sandusky River, with the possibility of the entire county being connected into the bike path.
Reser added that he would like to have Bucyrus certified as a Tree City USA, which would develop a plan to plant new trees.
Lastly, Reser proposed that the city add an archway in honor of the city’s 200th birthday at Charles and Mary Street that would read “Bucyrus founded 1821” on the arches.
The mayor gave a five-year timeline for the plan with the completion of the Art Park, Plymouth Street improvements and the planting of 40 trees in 2017. Pool improvements would begin in 2018 along with the completion of the Plymouth Street plan, planning of the bike path, and planting 40 trees. The year 2019 would see the beginning of the North Sandusky Avenue project and bike path construction projects, along with planting 40 trees. In 2020, the city would realize a continuation of the bike path project, the beginning stages of Bicentennial Park, and planting 40 more trees. In 2021 the bike path and Bicentennial Park projects would come to a close, 40 additional trees would be planted making 200 trees planted, and the Bicentennial Arches would be erected.
Reser noted that with the taxpayers fronting the burden for the water treatment plant as well as EPA mandated storm separation improvements, they deserve a city with good parks and appearance. Reser explained that the cost of these improvements would be roughly $1 million to the city at $200,000 per year with the help of grants and private donations.
Reser noted that these improvements would be a good step towards reinvigorating the city, and making it a more attractive place.
“We are nurturing a new generation and we are not going to be in these seats for that many more years,” Reser said to council. “We want to be known as the administration and council that positioned this city to be a premier city in Ohio.”
Gary Frankhouse spoke before council Tuesday evening with a quarterly update from the Crawford County Education and Economic Development Partnership (CCEEPD).
In his report Frankhouse stated that of 400-plus applications to be labeled as a first site, Bucyrus made it into the round of 20. Frankhouse added that a few studies on items such as soil and water quality would be needed to be done to update the studies conducted in the 1990s.
Frankhouse spoke of the upcoming Crawford Conversation at Pickwick Place that will go over the recent health study. Frankhouse noted that he would like to use it to create an awareness to utilize corporate wellness.
In economic development, Frankhouse reported making a trip to Iowa to visit Henderson Trucking, to see what the area can do to help their business grow. Frankhouse added that Ohio Polytech is very optimistic about Bucyrus. Frankhouse also touched on the cutbacks at General Electric, and the recent purchase of Bucyrus Transco by Bucyrus Rail.
Frankhouse spoke highly of the Crawford Success Center in trying to help raise the 9.5 percent post-secondary education in the county, noting that by shifting the percentage up by 1.0 percent the total income of the county would increase by $2 million.
Frankhouse added that he met with another possible business prospect in the technology field that is looking at expanding into Crawford County.
Frankhouse noted that consulting would be ready to propose a fixed routing for public transportation.
Bucyrus City Council passed all ordinances unanimously with emergency. These ordinances include creating a 2017 Crime Victims Assistance Fund, appropriating $10,591 to the Crime Victim’s Assistance Fund, rezoning four parcels of land at 116 West Perry Street from Neighborhood Residential District into the Downtown Business District, authorizing the Service-Safety Director to enter into an agreement with ODOT for the city to plow some ODOT areas and the city to plow some ODOT areas, and authorizing the Law Director to enter into an agreement with the Crawford County Land Bank for the land bank to apply for and manage a remediation grant, and having the city take ownership of the former Clark Station on East Mansfield Street once remediation is completed.