New sign keeps locals informed

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | DGKN

A new sign that provides scrolling information to residents has been installed at Village Hall in downtown Dalton. Wolf Creek Graphics from Marshallville made the sign and Kidron Vinyl did the posts and mounting hardware. 

DGKN staff report

DALTON A new sign outside of Village Hall is almost complete.

Street Superintendent Dave Reynolds provided updates to Village Council at last month’s regular meeting. The new sign gives a nod to the style of the previous aging wooden sign and also provides an updated digital component. Important information such as leaf pickup dates are scrolled along the electronic part of the sign. Caps still need to be installed on the tops of the signposts. Mayor Dennis Finley said the sign already has received positive comments.

Council President Patrick Sword asked about a policy about what is permitted to be placed on the sign. Finley said the sign is for official business and events in the community. Council agreed to come up with a policy.

The interior of Village Hall continues to be renovated, thanks mainly to qualifying for federal coronavirus relief funds. Work has begun on a new bathroom on the main floor, and renovations to the second floor include cabinets, lighting and flooring, Reynolds said. A generator has been ordered for the Village Garage. Renovations will give the village the ability to have meetings on the second floor where people can be distanced more than the present council chambers. Over the past few months, Council has been meeting at the Village Garage.

The next renovation project will be this month, Reynolds said. Village Green Park restrooms are to receive touch-free urinals and toilets, as well as the police station.
Finley noted items needed to be upgraded anyway, but most of the renovations qualify under federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Sword asked Finley about the status of putting audio recordings of meetings on the website. Sword said he also would like to see about livestreaming meetings. Finley said he would look in to making meetings available to the public through Facebook Live and updating the website so recordings of meetings can be available.

In other business at the Nov. 16 meeting:

* Reynolds also reported that all property, buildings, equipment, parks, police station, etc. were inspected by the village’s insurance carrier and the village received “a very, very good review.” Reynolds said only a few items needed to be addressed in a building and on the playground, which was a vast improvement over the 2014 review when the village had quite a few violations, which were all addressed at that time.
* Village Council voted to accept an $8,000 check from Dalton Veterans of Foreign Wars to go toward a small pavilion at the park. Dave Septer, Richard Berg and Danny Santmyer donated the money that had a deadline to be dispersed. Reynolds said the men asked that the money would go toward an area in the village that was highly traveled and visited, so they settled on Village Green Park. A pavilion along with a table will be installed between the restrooms and playgrounds and may make a nice resting spot for grandparents and others.
* Council heard the second reading of the updated handbook.
* Councilman Jim Bucklew, who is the village council representative on the East Wayne Fire District board, said that at a recent meeting the board discussed COVID-related items EWFD is interested in requesting to purchase with funds available through local government entities such as some equipment, and a walk-up window at Station 1.
* During his Mayor’s Report, Finley said he received a letter of response from ODOT about state Route 94 and U.S. 30. He said a protected left-hand turn sign is intended but the project has been delayed because the electrician ran into a problem.
Finley also mentioned some downtown businesses are interested in having an open house the first weekend of December and plan to bring food trucks to the village parking lot along Main Street.
The parking lot will be closed beginning Thursday in preparation for food trucks. The parking lot also will be closed Friday and Saturday for food trucks, and on Sunday when the Dalton Holidays Festival Court conducts activities.