BUCYRUS — Bucyrus resident Henry Howell came to the Bucyrus City Council Joint Committee meeting Thursday evening to voice his opinion about a train car being proposed by Mayor Jeff Reser as an option for a stage at the Schines Art Park.
“I work for a railcar company and have for about five years now. I think it’s a bad idea, all the way around,” Howell said. “There are contaminants that go with railcars, they’re dirty and rusty, they’re unsafe.”
Howell said the mayor has mentioned welding a railcar to a track at the park.
“You can’t do that, it’s not that simple,” Howell said. “You’re going to have kids playing on it, falling on the rails. Not to mention, it will be like singing in a tin can.”
Howell said a conventional stage should be built and that the kids at Pioneer Career and Technology could possibly help with the project.
Council member Mark Makeever pointed out that the council is not directly involved with the project.
“It is private,” Makeever said.
Council member Dan Wirebaugh said that the city owns it, so Howell did come to the right place to voice his opinion.
Council approved for the mayor to go out for bid on the project with a cap of $130,000, the amount of a grant that was received. Only one bid was submitted, and it was more than the limit.
Reser was not present for the meeting but City Service Safety Director Jeff Wagner was.
“We are just looking at options right now,” Wagner said. “We have until 2020 to do the project.”
Wagner said he is not sure what the requirements are for the grant and would have to find out if it is even a possibility to enlist the help of Pioneer students.
In other committee business, Arrowhead Drive resident Fred Miller said he wanted to know what the options are for zoning variance notification procedures.
“Can a letter be sent out to more than just the people that live within 200 feet of a property,” Miller asked.
Makeever said the board of zoning appeals is discussing several options on procedures to notify more neighbors to a proposed project, including placing a sign in the yard of the property for 14 days before the zoning variance hearing.
“I don’t know if 14 days is long enough especially if someone is out of town for a week or two,” Miller said.
Makeever said he is possible to have the sign up for a longer period and that the board is continuing to look at options for notification procedures.
A resolution to approve a water pollution control loan fund application for the city was kept to a first-reading during the council meeting Tuesday evening when Wirebaugh voted no on the issue and two other council members were absent.
The issue has now been sent back to the finance committee and tabled until further information on whether the application had been previously approved is obtained.
The finance committee approved two appropriations and a reduction per the city’s auditor to be voted on at the next council meeting March 19 at 7 p.m.