The Georgetown Village Council met to discuss various events in the village at their regular meeting on August 12.
Mayor Dale Cahall opened the meeting after the Pledge of Allegiance with public comment where Georgetown resident Chris Korczyk addressed his concerns with public parking on South Main Street during the Brown County Fair. He said that safety is an issue with lack of visibility for pedestrians, as well as drivers who have limited visibility due to the number of cars on the street.
“South Main Street gets dangerous during the fair,” he said. “If we could close parking on that street, it would be a huge safety upgrade.
He recalled hit-and-runs, close calls, and other events that are dangerous for foot and vehicle traffic. He suggested closing the stretch of the street that runs from UDF to the curve. Mayor Cahall suggested the topic move to the village’s safety committee, and Captain Matt Staggs commented that the lack of visibility is an issue during the heavy-traffic week.
Village Administrator Art Owens discussed the current projects the village is tackling, including accepting a bid from Brown County Asphalt to pave Hamer Road from east of Highway 68 past the old Stanley Toolworks building. He said that the stretch is in need of paving, as there is grass growing through where the old pavement is cracking.
He also addressed the work that will be completed on the water tower on Home Street, which will include sandblasting and painting the exterior, welding parts that are in need, and re-coating the interior to maintain safety standards. He said that much of this work is preventative maintenance. He mentioned fence painting around the utilities substation, as well as moving electric lines to new posts to replace old, worn electrical posts at the station on Free Soil Road.
The council moved to solidify the date for Georgetown trick-or-treat, which will continue to be held on October 31, which falls on a Sunday this year.
Council Member Andy Clift addressed his concerns with traffic on North and South Main Streets, and the safety of children who trick or treat during the holiday. He suggested to the council that they consider street closure for the event, to ensure the safety of the thousands of pedestrians who collect treats during the hour and a half trick-or-treat. Council Member Jeremy Varner cited an incident on North Main Street where a child was struck by a car while darting in and out between parked cars on the busy road. Captain Staggs agreed that visibility is an issue with the vehicles, and said he was willing to help create a safer environment for families.
“Anything that would make it safer for the kids, I’m for it,” he said.
Fire Chief Joey Rocky took to the podium to deliver a report displaying the department’s cost and number of runs compared to this time last year. He said that with new reporting demands, the department is conveying information and details from runs and financial reports more accurately. He said the department is 40 runs busier this year than this time last year. He also said that there have been over 100 runs to The Villa at Georgetown, and while not all calls are emergencies, the department cannot deny treatment or transport assistance regardless if the patient simply needs a blood test. He said that private companies have refrained from making some runs because of lack of payment for their services. The council will discuss options for receiving payments, and whether an agreement can be arranged with the rehabilitation center. He also apologized for a lapse in the department’s pharmacy license, which lasted one week. He said he thought the license expired with another one after five years, but only lasts two. As soon as he recognized the issue, he renewed it, and the department did not suffer in terms of available resources.
Village Solicitor Joe Braun shared that the village will be receiving $70,000 as a part of a nation-wide class action lawsuit against three pharmaceutical companies who produce opioids. The money is supposed to be used to remediate opioid usage and abuse. He said that the funds will likely be used by the fire and police departments, since they see many of the issues with opioid abuse on their daily calls. The funds will come in 18 installments, and Solicitor Braun said he would keep the council up to date as to when it will begin distribution.
Some notable events mentioned by the council will be the grand opening of InFocus Realty on August 20. They will have their doors open from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to the public as they open their newest location in Georgetown. There will also be a Variety Show with proceeds benefiting 318 Ministries, who carry out mission trips to the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona. There is also a Fair-themed house/window/yard decorating competition happening now, and within each five categories a winner will be named and will receive two passes to the fair as well as $100 to be spent at the event. Street sweeping will also begin overnight on August 19, and residents on North and South Main Streets, East and West Streets are asked to remove cars from the roads. These sweepings will occur every third Thursday of the month.
The council also discussed moving their team-building event date, and have agreed to postpone the session originally scheduled for August 21 to a yet-to-be-determined date.
Council Member Nancy Montgomery brought to mention local issues with parking along the section of Apple Street behind the courthouse. She said that residents are taking issue with larger vehicles that are parking in the “compact car only” spaces, which force oncoming traffic to veer into the opposite lane to accommodate them. She also addressed an issue that a Georgetown bus driver has with the crosswalks near the school. She cited the at the crosswalk near the Eagles and Dominos, drivers are not fully stopping at the crosswalks. Administrator Owens said that A & A Safety will be painting these crosswalks with thermal paint to enhance visibility.
Owens also addressed an issue he said was a false and fabricated story through the village. With the change in administration from his original tenure in 2015, the next village administrator made changes with an engineering project for the water tower. With Owens’ most recent role, the plan has changed again, and no longer includes the previous plan. He said he had never applied for grants or loans for the program, and has not lost any potential funding for the water tower.
“My door is always open, you’re welcome to come to my office anytime and I will give you an honest answer,” he said of those worried about the speculation.
Just previous to the closing of the meeting, Council Member Clift reminded the public that a matching fund is available up to $1,000 for any resident who wishes to repair or replace their sidewalk. Mayor Cahall said that there is between $10,000 to $12,000 in this fund, and replenishes once every fiscal year.
The council will hold its next regular meeting on August 26 at 7:00 p.m.