By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
The tropical bird situation in New Washington is at the very least at an impasse, and at the most this saga may have reached a conclusion. The proposed nuisance ordinance, Ordinance Number 964, was voted down in a short-handed meeting Monday night.
During public input at the start of the meeting, husband and wife Roger Throckmorton and Suzanne Wuthrich expressed their dissatisfaction that summer had arrived and the situation still did not have a conclusion.
“We have to say we’re disappointed,” Wuthrich, “Our energy level has come to an end.”
In response to the charges of no conclusion, council member Brian Agin raised a point.
“In fairness, we were in motion to pass this (nuisance ordinance), and you asked us to stop,” Agin said.
Agin was referring to a May Village Council meeting, when Wuthrich, Throckmorton, and Darrell LaVenia asked that Council table the nuisance ordinance, which had been passed on a first reading. At this point, the noise levels had been down from previous years, and the group was reluctant to push for legislation if it was not necessary.
At the last meeting in May, the group returned to council asking for the ordinance to resume its march toward passage. In the intervening time, noise levels had gone back up and they wished for the ordinance to be reconsidered.
Discussion of the ordinance once again turned to its enforceability. Council member Jerri Lucius was particularly critical of its practicality.
Lucius has been in contact with Wuthrich recently, and has made several trips to the neighborhood when she was told that the birds were being noisy. In Lucius’ opinion, when she reached the area, the birds were not at nuisance levels. This led her to raise the question that even with a law on the books, a police officer would have to be in the right place at the right time to capture the birds in the act of creating such a nuisance.
Scott Hiler agreed with Lucius when he added, “I just don’t think this ordinance is right for this community.”
The ordinance received a short-handed vote during old business. Paul Forster and Ben Lash were absent from the meeting. Lash does not possess a vote, but his absence forced Joe Blum to take power as president of council, meaning he was without a vote for the evening. This left only four voting members, Lucius, Agin, Hiler, and Gert Durnwald. All four would have had to vote yes for the ordinance to pass its second reading. At the end of the day, only Durnwald voted in the affirmative.
A bid from Ted Waldock construction was accepted for reworking the picnic pavilion at the park. The work, which will encompass reworking the roof and the poles, will cost $4,407. An additional $700 will be needed if all new sheeting is required for the roof.
Council gave permission for several events for late summer and into the fall.
Melinda Teynor and Andrea Pressler, of the Crawford County Young Professionals Association gave a brief presentation for the backpack program. This is something that was started two years ago in Bucyrus, and since then has spread to Crestline and Galion. This program provides non-perishable food items to children who may be lacking in nutrition outside of school hours. This is especially important for the weekends.
Their event will be a public, outdoor movie in the New Washington Park on Aug. 9. All that is required to attend is to bring a canned good donation for the program. Also, concessions will be sold on a donation basis to benefit their Crawford County Scholarship fund. Council gave permission to the Aug. 9 date, with Aug. 23 being the rain date.
Also gaining approval were the annual Buckeye Central Homecoming Parade, and the Community March put on by Together We Hurt Together We Heal for November.
The Hatchery Festival begins this Thursday and runs through Saturday.
The next council meeting will be June 23.