The lot on Chestnut Street may not look like much now but it is the proposed location of a new railroad park in Swanton.
Drew Stambaugh | AIM Media Midwest
Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe last week updated Village Council on the railroad park proposed for Chestnut Street.
The grant that was approved a couple years ago was to expire this month, but will automatically renew until the end of next year. If money isn’t raised locally by then the grant funds will be lost, Toeppe said at the June 13 Council meeting.
The state awarded $150,000 for the project.
“The good news is that we have a major committment from a company that wants to build the viewing platform,” he said. Toeppe added that could be worth six figures and would really jump start the program.
The name of the company was not given.
The historical society is now looking for an engineer to do the drawings for the platform.
Toeppe also reported that the state has updated rules on Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas (DORAs). Now communities with fewer than 50,000 residents only need two liquor licenses in the area instead of four. There are three on Main Street now with Benfield Wines, Hub’s, and the VFW.
As a result, a DORA will be proposed to the mayor and should be brought before Council for approval in the future.
Also, four candidates for the village administrator position were set to be interviewed. The previous village administrator Rosanna Hoelzle resigned early this month.
Toeppe also told Council of the Yellowstone Trail and its organization. It is an automotive trail that runs from Massachusettes to Washington.
“They were formed back in the day of dirt and mud roads,” said Toeppe. “And the purpose was to encourage economic development and tourism.”
The Yellowstone Trail organization is now trying to draw more attention to the trail. They would like to provide signs for the village to put up designating State Route 2 is a Yellowstone Trail route. The exact location has not been determined and the signs will not cost the village anything.
Toeppe said Delta, Wauseon and Archbold will also be placing these signs.
Also at the meeting, Council passed the third and final readings of ordinances related to trees in the village. The first amends chapter of codified ordinances on boards and commissions with tree commission information, and the second creates a chapter in the codified ordinances laying out how trees will be dealt with in the village.
An emergency ordinance was approved by Council amending a previous ordinance for engineering services. Sewer separation project 12 was added to the ordinance which originally included only projects 3 and 11.
Project 12 is for Main Street south of Airport Highway, a stretch of road that is in poor shape.
First readings for leaf collection and street lighting assessments were also approved.
Reach Drew Stambaugh at 419-335-2010
