LUC details funding available for heavy rainfall infrastructure damage
BY Tom Stephens
Examiner Contributor
Mayors from around Logan County and several other public officials gathered Wednesday evening, April 16, at the Bellefontaine City Council chambers for the quarterly Mayor’s Association meeting, where Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds also shared updates about local cases and staffing difficulties at his office.
Sheriff Dodds told the association that the recent break-ins at Thoman’s in West Liberty and the Marathon gas station in West Mansfield were linked to a series of similar break-ins in multiple counties throughout Central Ohio.
Detectives at the LCSO helped identify a pair of brothers whom they believe are responsible for these break-ins, and both men were arrested and are currently incarcerated awaiting trial in Franklin County.
The sheriff also reported that his office is experiencing difficulty filling open positions for deputies and that he expects to lose another two deputies to retirement in the next year. In addition, he noted that the Logan County Jail inmate population has averaged about 50 persons per day since the Covid pandemic.
The mayors learned the Logan-Union–Champaign Regional Planning Commission will soon have Logan County Land Bank grant applications to the available to the villages, and that public funds are also being made available for the repair of damage to infrastructure caused by the heavy rains that fell in Logan County from March 30 through April 10.
In his report to the association, Bellefontaine Mayor David Crissman said that he expects new housing applications in the city to reach about 200 this year, after receiving just 38 applications in for the entirety of 2024.
Belle Center Mayor Lance Houchin said that the new village building is now completely operational and that the village has sold the building that formerly housed the village’s administration.
Lakeview will soon be planting trees in honor of tornado victims from the March 2024 storms, said Mayor Elaine Fagan-Moore, going on to note that the baseball and softball fields are open and hosting ballgames.
Fagan-Moore also said the village will be selecting two senior residents who will get a visit from a team of Indian Lake High School seniors April 22 to offer help with clean up tasks, flower bed/garden maintenance. The village continues to accept nominees at the village building.
The Lakeview Mayor’s Court should be up and running starting in the starting in June, Fagan-Moore said.
Mayor Jason Miller of Rushsylvania said with the assistance and encouragement of the Logan County Commission, the village has applied for grants and monies to update the condition of the roads and parking near the Rushsylvania Village Park, which has long been a problem for the village. The mayor was confident the necessary funds were be forthcoming for the long-needed repairs.
Miller also reported on the Rushsylvania Food Council, which is not associated with village. The group is working with the Logan County Health District to encourage residents to plant their own gardens, establish seed banks and even perhaps start a farmers market in the village.
Mayor Brad Hudson of West Liberty said the village is the process of hiring a new village administrator and that interviews for the positions were taking place this week. The village is also applying for funding to shore up the banks of the the Mad River and other smaller creeks following the damage caused by that recent heavy rainfall and flooding.
The Logan County Mayor’s Association is scheduled to meet again at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 16.