By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
All summer long a garden tractor and rider could be seen making the trek through downtown Bucyrus, stopping at each flower basket along Sandusky Avenue. Even with the month of October quickly going by, those plants still brighten up the downtown area.
That’s why Mayor Jeff Reser chose to recognize Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club and the Willkommen Willkommen group before and during Tuesday night’s Bucyrus City Council meeting.
“They did a great service for the city,” Reser said. “All the flowers were 48 hours from death all summer long because the sun was so bright and hot, and the sky was cloudless.
“You kept it going,” Reser told the club members and volunteers in attendance. “We thank you for everything you did for us. They still look great today.”
Susan Maynard, president of Earth, Wind and Flowers, and Mary Lee Minor, with Willkommen Willkommen, were grateful for the recognition.
“We have had a wonderful time for taking care of (the flowers),” Maynard said. She added that her garden club spearheaded the project two years ago.
“Every single day somebody was assigned to be up there that week to water and trim and weed and pick up trash. We’re proud of our club. We’re proud to be a service to this great city,” Maynard said. “We’re just very happy to do something to show that pride.”
Minor gave extra recognition to Steve Harvey and Brandon Powell, who both volunteered to water plants for extended periods during the summer.
“This has been a wonderful year for stepping forward with new people,” Minor said. “It’s just so rewarding to have people honk their horn and wave like, ‘hey, you’re doing something awesome.’”
Minor added that they now have a 21-year history for hanging baskets in downtown Bucyrus.
Police Chief Dave Koepke submitted the third quarter report for the police department. The most notable numbers for that period compared to 2015 was the doubling of overdoses. The police department was called to 19 overdoses between July 1 and Oct. 1 of this year versus nine overdoses during that same period.
Traffic stops were reduced dramatically, however, from 304 in 2015 to 192 this year.
Koepke was not in attendance to address the report, though Council President Sis Love said he will be at the first council meeting in November.
Reser addressed questions about the flashing lights along Walnut Street. Though he didn’t know the exact cause of the change in lights, Reser mentioned that streetlight bulbs were being changed down by the bridge. He said they will be looking into fixing the problem.
The next joint committee meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday. On the agenda will be elected official salaries, a Codified Ordinances update, and the Failor Street vacation.
The council passed one piece of legislation during the meeting which appropriated $198.46 in the Victims of Crime Act fund.