GALION — Galion City Council passed multiple ordinances again during its meeting Tuesday evening, including ordinances for bids and rezoning.
The first being Ordinance No. 2019-54 which entitles the safety service director to advertise for bids and to enter into a contract with the lowest and best bidder for a Galion Depot windows and painting project. There previously had been an ordinance passed allowing for other repairs to the depot. The ordinance passed Tuesday is gives the go-ahead to finish some painting. This was passed with an emergency clause so the repairs may be completed in the construction season.
Ordinance No. 2019-57 is entitling an ordinance rezoning the entire zoning district currently known as manufactured home residential (MHR) to single family residential (R1-D). The ordinance creating the new zone has already been created and passed, and this ordinance changes the terminology for city records.
The next ordinance passed for the evening was Ordinance No. 2019-60 allowing the safety service director to advertise for bids and to enter into a contract with a bidder for the live line tree clearing to proceed and authorizing payment. The total for this project is not to exceed $100,000. The ordinance was passed with an emergency clause in order to preserve the public peace, safety and welfare of the City of Galion and its inhabitants.
Council passed two additional ordinances on to their next reading in order to have more questions answered on them and to find out what funds will be paying for them.
The first is Ordinance No. 2019-53, which would allow the safety service director to enter into a wetland mitigation purchase agreement with Stream + Wetlands Foundation for the purchase of wetland credits for property located at Ohio 598 and U.S. 30. Council would not pay more than $55,550 for this, with the purchase of 1.1 acres forested wetlands mitigation credits through the Wetland In-Lieu Fee Program.
The other ordinance was Ordinance No. 2019-58 and it would authorize the purchase of real property located in the city of Galion, with all improvements, and would authorize the safety service director to execute agreements and forms pertaining to said purchase. The land would be used to construct a bike/walking path and the land needed would be 4.626 acres at approximately $13,200.
Also during the meeting, Galion resident Jim Hedges addressed council to let its members know Galion’s Oktoberfest is Sept. 26-28 and will feature food vendors, craft tents, tractor pulls for kids, pie-eating contests for kids and adults, an ugly dog contest, potentially wrestling or boxing. The festival also will have tribute bands, including Ultimate Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Dirty Deeds AC/DC, and Bon Scott Tribute.
The festival hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Another Galion resident, Brett Bennet, from the League of Riders Motorcycle Club Nation, which he assured council is a law-abiding group, addressed council about the league trying to add two business to Galion.
The first is Downtown Vapor Lounge.
“I am not a smoker, never smoked a day in my life or did drugs. I promote vaping through what I have learned over the years about it because it is a healthier option to smoking.” Bennet said. “What they are talking about in the news, just to clarify before I go on, is the THC that they release, which we have no part in, is a synthetic problem and it has nothing to do with the stuff that we get because we get legal, certified stuff that has nothing to do with the drug part.”
The next business is a tattoo shop.
“We are very professional, and our places are very clean and always will be,” he said. “The tattoo artists that we are looking to get are professionals and upper-class ones.”