By Kimberly Gasuras

Bucyrus resident Richard Close voiced his concerns about several issues during the Bucyrus City Council meeting Tuesday evening.

Close said a previous request to the traffic commission to allow two-way traffic on South Walnut Street from Southern Avenue to Beal Avenue was denied.

“The commission said that GE did not want the street to be a two-way but I recently talked to the CEO at GE, and he said no one ever discussed the issue with him,” Close said.

Close, who lives on Shell Avenue, pointed out that an accident is likely to happen in the area due to semi-trucks and speeding vehicles traveling down the street the wrong way.

Council president, Sis Love, recommended the issue go back to the traffic commission.

Close also said that he feels Mayor Jeff Reser is being judgmental and wants the public to have all of the details on the situation with Bucyrus Fire Chief Jay Keller, who currently is on sick leave but also battling with the city on disciplinary issues.

“He has served this city for 29-and-a-half years and now he is bad? The public is being kept in the dark and we have a right to know what is going on,” Close said. “Everything is top secret with the fire chief. He is a public employee and so are you. The public has a right to what is going on.”

Close also wants to know the status of several city streets.

“Our streets are deplorable,” said Close, pointing out specific streets and intersections such as Southern Avenue, South Walnut at Oakwood Avenue and several others.

Reser said the project on Southern will resume in the spring so the street was patched temporarily for the winter months.

“We recently had to install a customized piece on Bland Avenue then install it. The ground then needs to settle before we can finish. These things take time and we let the public know last spring that several streets would be torn up for a period time and it will be that way this coming spring too,” Reser said.

Reser told Close he would notify Close of the date and time of the traffic commission meeting.

Carolyn Shireman and Joe Graham of The Positive Seekers requested that council and the public donate money to the group’s Pay It Forward campaign.

Graham said this year the goal is to pay around $500 to have the hair all of the residents at Altercare styled for Christmas in honor of Michele Johns, who worked at Altercare and died unexpectedly a few months ago.

“She was one of our biggest supporters and we want to do something to honor her,” Graham said.

Graham said the group will also be purchasing Kroger and Walmart gift cards to hand out randomly to people throughout the Christmas season, totaling $400.

Shireman used the opportunity at the city council meeting to publicly thank her long-time friend, Graham, for saving her life a few months ago when she suffered kidney failure while driving alone in her vehicle. She had pulled into the parking lot of Galion Hospital and Graham made calls and rushed to her aid to get her into the hospital’s emergency department.

“I spent four days in ICU. Joe saved my life,” Shireman said. “I am so thankful to be here and I love my city.”

Reser said the group has worked with the city and the Bucyrus Kiwanis to move their annual Red, White and Blues event to the Crawford County Fairgrounds in 2018 on the same day as the annual fireworks display.

In other council business, council approved an appropriation of $2,110.08 for the South East Street-Oakwood Avenue waterline.

The next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Dec. 19 and council committee meetings will be held at 6 p.m. this Thursday at Bucyrus City Hall.