Dear People: After the thaw, the cold returns again. I included a February poem by one of my favorite writers, Margaret Atwood at the end of this email. I've been enjoying long walks with my dogs, all bundled up, feeling the blessing of this healthy body that I too often take for granted, and thinking of Judith Hempfling, who has had hip surgery this week and is working on walking again. She is doing well, but she could use your good thoughts and support.I will, therefore, be leading the meeting on Monday (Exec. session is at 6:30; regular meeting is 7:00, in the Bryan Center), as Vice President; Judith will try to be present for the Goals discussion.
The Council Packet is online so do feel free to consult it in relation to any of the information below.
1) 6:30 Executive Session to discuss Village Manager evaluation and contract renewal.
2) 7:00 General Session
ANNOUNCEMENT: We have two special meetings before our next regular meeting (15th)
SUNDAY February 7th: Executive Session: Personnel: Clerk of Council Interviews: 12-5 pm
(Yes, we're interviewing folks on Super Bowl Sunday. Ironically, none of us noticed this until our Village Manager, Mark, pointed this out to us!)
TUESDAY February 9th: Special Meeting: First Budget Session 7 pm3) Minutes like crazy!--we're running a bit behind.
4) PETITIONS/ COMMUNICATIONS: We received petitions from local citizens:
Paul Abendroth, regarding downtown parking concerns--simple solutions for working with our current parking;
Dan Carrigan (2) re: putting an RSS feed on the website and asking for clearer maps of the CBE;
Harvey Paige re: airport noise (responses from federal government offiicials)
Financial Director Sharon Potter provided handouts for Council to use to better inform our Commissions about expenditure requests and procedures
5) PUBLIC HEARINGS / LEGISLATION
- 2nd reading/ public hearing on Ordinance 2010-01 Water Rate Increase For the last several years our Water rates have not kept pace with our expenses, and have not been raised since 2001, so we are raising those rates by 10%, 5% the next year, and then a constant increase of 3% per year for 2013, 2014, to be revisited at that time.
- Resolution: Business First Dues: $1500. This regional organization helps to retain and support expansion of businesses in the Dayton region.
- Resolution: Northern Gateway: Supporting a Grant Application to the ODNR (Ohio Dept Natural Resources)
- Resolution: New Village Treasurer: Rachel McKinley, an excellent and highly qualified candidate with excellent background in non-profit finance, has been interviewed and will be named our new village treasurer! Please congratulate, and thank her, for this public service.
7) SPECIAL REPORT:
Our Water System Concerns: Potassium Permanganate Project Report by Joe Bates, Superintendent, Water and Waste Water Treatment Plants. Oh, dear, folks--48 years of manganese buildup in the pipes down at the plant and in other places like the water towers needs to be dealt with. Joe is going to help us understand our situation and decide what to do.
8) OLD BUSINESS:
Update on the Clerk of Council position. We're interviewing 5 candidates on the 7th. We had an excellent pool.
Dog Park Proposal at Ellis Park: two YSHS seniors have approached Mark about a "free range" fenced-in, dog park, north of the parking area--divided into an area for small dogs (40' x 134') and a separate one for large dogs (260' x 150'). Most of the park would be outside this area. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Continuation of 2010 Goals Discussion We have 6 overarching goals that we polished at our last meeting. Now we are working on determining a few, concrete things that we want to accomplish this year. But we have about 100 ideas! The compilation of all brainstormed ideas is in the packet (linked above), but Mark is hoping to have removed all the repetition so we can start from a more specific, place.
9) NEW BUSINESS: None! So why not a poem...
POEM
February
Winter. Time to eat fat
and watch hockey. In the pewter mornings, the cat,
a black fur sausage with yellow
Houdini eyes, jumps up on the bed and tries
to get onto my head. It’s his
way of telling whether or not I’m dead.
If I’m not, he wants to be scratched; if I am
He’ll think of something. He settles
on my chest, breathing his breath
of burped-up meat and musty sofas,
purring like a washboard. Some other tomcat,
not yet a capon, has been spraying our front door,
declaring war. It’s all about sex and territory,
which are what will finish us off
in the long run. Some cat owners around here
should snip a few testicles. If we wise
hominids were sensible, we’d do that too,
or eat our young, like sharks.
But it’s love that does us in. Over and over
again, He shoots, he scores! and famine
crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing
eiderdown, and the windchill factor hits
thirty below, and pollution pours
out of our chimneys to keep us warm.
February, month of despair,
with a skewered heart in the centre.
I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries
with a splash of vinegar.
Cat, enough of your greedy whining
and your small pink bumhole.
Off my face! You’re the life principle,
more or less, so get going
on a little optimism around here.
Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.
Peace!Lori
--
Lori Askeland (lori.askeland@gmail....)
Yellow Springs Village Council
1640 Spillan Road
Yellow Springs OH 45387
http://www.askelandforcouncil.
http://www.yso.com
937.767.8116
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