Mingo Junction council hears about school traffic problems
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MINGO JUNCTION -- Mingo Junction Police Chief Willie McKenzie shared concerns with the Mingo Junction Village Council Tuesday regarding traffic issues by Hills Elementary and Indian Creek Middle schools.
In a report give to council members, McKenzie said he was shown drone footage, taken by resident Tom Fitzgerald Monday, of vehicles illegally passing other cars by driving into the wrong side of the road. In the footage, vehicles appeared to be doing so to bypass the line of cars idling in the school pickup line, which extended eastward on Wilson Avenue.
McKenzie reported that he reached out to the schools' resource officer about the issue. From now on, the village police and Jefferson County Sheriff's Department deputies on duty will conduct alternating traffic enforcement in the school zone to "try to eliminate someone possibly being seriously hurt."
Additionally, McKenzie reported that he spoke with Councilwoman Jodilynn Fitzgerald about coordinating a safety meeting involving council's safety committee and Indian Creek School District officials.
Separately, Fire/EMS Chief Brandon Montgomery recommended the village relinquish its property maintenance inspector role to an individual outside of the village. Unlike a fire inspector, he said, a license is not needed to be a property maintenance inspector, which handles violations dealing with grass, weeds, trash and bugs.
The fire department can't afford to take on the role because staff are already busy, he said, adding that the inspection work is "very hard and very time constraining." He suggested that a part-time employee could be brought on to do the work.
Also, the department was approved to receive $10,000 out of the village's capital improvements fund to help pay for several new filing cabinets and three new recliners, which will replace the same number of existing chairs. The recliners will be made from hospital-grade leather and be cleanable with bleach -- a necessity, given what first responders may get on their clothes, Montgomery said.
Additionally, Montgomery said he will be ordering U.S. flags for the village this week and have them posted the week before Memorial Day.
Council also voted to approve the fire department's new union contract, which goes into effect May 1 and ends April 3, 2027.
In other business:
• Village Administrator Darin Corrigan reported that the village will be undergoing an inspection meeting with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday, he will be having a meeting with the Jefferson County General Health District regarding pre-opening inspections for the village pool and cement work at the pool should be complete by next week.
• Council gave the second and third reading Ordinance 2024-6 through a declaration of emergency and subsequently passed the legislation, which amends the village's table of organization by adding two part-time positions, mechanic and custodian. The ordinance was fast-tracked to allow Corrigan to hire an individual he had lined up for the role.
• Three safety issues were brought up: Councilman Mark Baker said something must be done about the wooden panels on the windows of 606 and 608 Commercial St. that he said seem ready to fall out, to which Corrigan said he will attempt to contact the property owner; Councilwoman Patti Mannarino said individuals parking on Logan Avenue by Granitor Avenue could be a hazard to traffic and Mannarino also said a Logan Avenue resident is burning items constantly on his property, drawing complaints from neighbors.
• Councilman Jack Brettell said he is looking to get quotes for replacing two stretches of pavement in the Oakland Cemetery that are tripping hazards.
• Montgomery said he ordered an AED for the Mingo Ballfields, which will maintain the placement of its predecessor. He said it may be time for other village departments to replace the pads on their AEDs, which last roughly three years and may be expired -- the cost of each is $300, and they are specially ordered to match pads the village fire and EMS department uses.
• Mayor Judy Ruckman thanked Judy Keenan for applying for, and subsequently receiving, a roughly $18,000 grant for remodeling supplies for the Mingo Junction Senior Center. Ruckman said Keenan will be the contact between the village and the grantee, the Jefferson County General Health District, to whom she will submit receipts. A line item will be created for the grant funds.
• Diane Pernick, secretary of the senior center, said the center is continuing to serve free hot meals to seniors on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Afterward, a bingo game will be hosted.
• Ruckman dispelled a rumor that the village's U.S. Post Office is not opening due to fears about the next-door building's roof. Rather, she said, construction is complete and the opening date should be next week, tentatively.