By Jordan Studer
news@wbcowqel.com
What is going on with the whole retention pond idea? Many may be asking this question. At a meeting between the county commissioners and officials with the City of Bucyrus on Thursday, they all hoped to get some answers as well, yet no real progress seemed to be made.
The idea of the retention pond was brought up earlier this year and was proposed to be placed in the south parking lot of the county fairgrounds. The Crawford County Senior Fair Board previously shot down the idea with a resounding no. The proposal brought to the Fair Board included a maximum reduction of their runoff assessment fee. That, however, did not change any minds of Fair Board members.
Bruce Brandstetter, an engineer with Brandstetter-Carroll Inc., brought the drawings for the retention pond to the table on Thursday.
“We have surveyed that area, but we have not proceeded with design,” Brandstetter stated to the board.
The commissioners repeatedly proclaimed that they could make no further decisions until they had seen more detailed drawings and dimensions. The date was not decided as to when the drawings would be presented.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt to have a formal resolution. Some sort of agreement that states this is going to be done, this is going to be tiled, and this is going to be moved here,” Commissioner Jenny Vermillion said in reference to the drawings.
Despite the efforts to explain the project, done by both Brandsetter and Lyn Makeever, engineer with Makeever & Associates, Inc., nothing was established as of Thursday’s meeting. Makeever is also the engineer that is working on the Trillium Event Center project for the Crawford County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
With all this is mind, it was established that the project would not be started by this year’s Crawford County Fair or even the Bratwurst Festival. Although, it was indicated that the city had budgeted the project into this year’s budget, all that needs to be done first is to get the site approval.
Also presented at the meeting by Bucyrus City Law Director Rob Ratliff was the idea of indigent burials. He mentioned how an idea was brought up about asking the county if the county cemetery could be used for the scattering of ashes that no one claimed.
Stating that it is not a current problem for the city, they would like to have a plan in place so they could be proactive about the situation. The idea was only brought to the table, however, and nothing could be done with the matter at that meeting.