BUCYRUS — Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser and service-safety director Jeff Wagner released an administration report for the week of April 20-24, 2020.
“There is Little Success Where There is Little Laughter.” Andrew Carnegie
Is this a time to be lighthearted? It’s always time to be lighthearted, even in the midst of trials!
Reacting to the effects of COVID -19 still preoccupy much of our time at City Hall. We pledge to effectively lead our community through this unprecedented time in our history but we want you to know that we still take the time to laugh and we always look on the bright side of things. Yes, we are surely challenged but we will not let you down and we hope that you have confidence in us as we do in you. Remember to keep your spirits up and, as Art Linkletter said, “laughter is the best medicine.” Try it, it works!
Budgets and revenue are on our minds. We are working with our department heads searching for ways to reduce our expenditures and those meetings have been fruitful. We have instituted a new hiring freeze and have a spending freeze on all unnecessary purchases in order to save revenue.
The Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the Partnership for Crawford County have teamed up with our Administration to ensure that our small business community takes advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program from the CARES Act. We have posted information on our websites and Facebook pages and are making personal phone calls to offer assistance. We owe a huge debt to our local bankers and accountants whom are putting in long hours in helping businesses apply for the loans. It’s important to start now!
You will see that projects are continuing in Bucyrus. Friendship Lane and Arrowhead Drive projects began this week. Work also began on the Art Park stage installation. Remember that this is a grant that was awarded to us by the State of Ohio and this will be the last major piece of Schines Art Park and will be a tremendous addition to the Park. We can’t wait to have the first concert in the Park!
Our new fire truck arrived this week and this replaces a truck that was over twenty years old. The new truck was ordered in 2019 and is intended to be in use for the community for about 20 years.
Much of our time involves looking ahead as we begin to emerge from the stay at home orders. Webinars are a daily event with contacts from the White House and Statehouse as well as our local Health Department. We are also on a weekly Ohio Mayors Conference call where we share ideas and concerns. Rest assured that we are taking our guidelines from both the state and federal authorities but this time next week we will have a better indication about the planned openings of certain business types and we will keep you informed as to the latest developments.
A very special thank you to our “front liners,” health care workers, city employees, community kitchens, and food service. Thank you to Avita Health for watching out for us. We owe all of you a debt—thank you and stay safe.
We will be back next week but, in the meantime, remember to social distance, wash hands, and #BeKindBucyrus! May God bless us all.
Please email or call us with your thoughts. mayor@cityofbucyrusoh.us 419-562-6767 x 223 or ssd@cityofbucyrusoh.us 419-562-6767 x 224