Plans continue to materialize for the community’s July 4th celebration. It’s shaping up with a pickleball tournament Friday and Saturday. On the 4th, the fire department will host a $10 breakfast beginning at 7am. A handful of food trucks will be in the park beginning at 11am.
Before a 30 minute executive session, trustees (minus Nikki Jacobs and Miranda Kuykendall who were absent) approved a road use agreement with Pivot Energy for their solar farm north of Crossville. Additionally, the village amended the motor fuel tax spending due to prices going up. It will affect the oil and chipping project due to start this Thursday. Rather than pay more, the village opted to keep the expenditure under $25,000 and village employee Derek Spicer says they would do a hair less, in his estimation, about “half a road, if that” less. They will also increase patching. Village President Rick Kuykendall recommended the village to take advantage of renting a dumpster again from Bulldog Systems for a city-wide clean up saying the last time, it was appreciated and well utilized. Trustees agreed to the $700 expenditure. A date and location are still to be determined. The village approved a $754.60 expenditure after a request from Fire Chief Lance Clevenger for 14 new polo shirts with embroidery for the department. And lastly before recessing into a closed door session to discuss personnel, trustees approved 3 permits, two for fence projects requested, one each for Trustee Nikki Jacobs and also Village President Rick Kuykendall. The other permit granted was for Tom Hundley who intends to demolish the property at 308 North Hammell.
Following executive session, leaders heard from a pair of residents, both of whom have spoken out at recent meetings. Jordan Ambrous expressed frustration over recreational fires saying he told Chief Clevenger of a fire across the street from the village hall during the executive session and saying nothing was done and he felt he was being targeted.
Clevenger: Well the fire can continue to burn until sunset. If it’s still burning at sunset, we’ll go over there and have them put it out.
Ambrous: Well that’s not what I was told that night.
Clevenger: That’s…in the ordinance paper that I handed you the other night.
Ambrous: I understand that’s maybe what the ordinance says, but that’s not what you told me. You said I needed to put it out.
Indecipherable due to talking over each other
Ambrous: No, you said no burning…I’ve got it on video.
Beyond that, Ambrous also brought up his mother’s ongoing property dispute and said he was tired of being harassed.
Ambrous: All I’m trying to do is clean up my area.
Kuykendall: Jordan I guarantee if I wasn’t mayor, I’d be shaking your hand, but I’ve got things I’ve got to do.
Ambrous: And I understand that.
Kuykendall: You’ve done a lot of work and I want to commend you for that. But we’ve got to…
Ambrous: We’ve got to work together absolutely. But when I’m getting nothing but backlash for every little thing I do…
Kuykendall: And I don’t like that either.
Ambrous: That’s not ok. And now you guys are targeting other people in my family. After this has gone on for how many years?
Kuykendall: Seventeen is what I was told.
Ambrous: Absolutely…seventeen years…and now it’s a (censored) issue?
Kuykendall: Well it just come to my attention like…
Ambrous: And why was it not presented to the board before it was ever sent out? That’s the issue I have.
Kuykendall: It was a policy issue…doesn’t have to be presented to the board.
Ambrous: After seventeen years, it should’ve been presented to the board before any decision was made.
Village Clerk: Rick…
Kuykendall: Ok, point well taken. I appreciate you coming and we’re going to consider everything you’ve got and I hope in the future moving forward hoping we can work together.
Zack Cotton was also back saying he’d tried to work out a mailbox location dispute with a neighbor, but it wasn’t getting resolved. Cotton said he’d tried to be amicable offering to buy a post and concrete to relocate it and it was met with refusal. Cotton says when he’s just driving his truck it’s not a problem, but trying to get his trailer onto the property is impossible with the neighbor’s mailbox location. Kuykendall said he’d make it a priority and try to talk to the neighbor Wednesday.
The board also received documentation from Police Chief Mark Wheeler seeking advisement on an ordinance with regards to electric scooters. Two seasonal workers, Troy Cox and Trenton Chambers have been hired and began work on Monday.