ATTENTIVE — Members of Mingo Junction Village Council and the mayor listened to an individual in the audience during Council’s regular meeting Tuesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — Officials agreed Tuesday that decorum in the council chambers during Mingo Junction Council meetings must improve.

During the safety portion of Village Council’s regular meeting, Councilmember Jodilynn Fitzgerald noted comments from Clerk of Council Tammy Ruckman about how meetings “seem to have turned very hostile.” During Ruckman’s discussions with Police Chief Willie McKenzie III, the idea of metal detector wands had been proposed.

Fitzgerald said concerns stem from the “tone” of some recent meetings — which have seen interruptions and one individual’s near-ejection.

“We need to find a way to get along or at least be civil, be respectful, and be courteous, be present,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t even know what else to say other than, for me, it’s definitely been different coming down here for a while — a good while, too long a while — and things need to change.”

Mayor Judy Ruckman stated her agreement, with her and Clerk of Council Ruckman both adding, “Amen.”

Separately, Village Administrator Darrin Corrigan said he’s been in contact with the village’s playground equipment supplier, Playworld, about new fixtures for Aracoma Park.

Corrigan said the supplier is putting together a proposal in a time-sensitive manner. He advised that Council focus on improvements for Aracoma Park until security cameras can be installed at satellite parks to ensure equipment is cared for.

“I would concentrate more on Aracoma than I would the outposts because the outposts are the ones that get hit the hardest. The kids are just busting holes, and they’re spray painting very, very nasty stuff on it. … I hate to see us going to spend $11,000 or $12,000 if it’s gone in one year.”

In other business:

• Crews will soon begin mowing grass in Oakland Cemetery, so Council advised individuals to remove any Christmas decorations from graves. The village’s previous deadline to have items removed has elapsed, and some items have already been removed.

• Council voted to bring forth an ordinance implementing a new rate structure and age requirement for the village pool, as suggested by the recreation committee. An ordinance has yet to be drafted but would raise the pool party rate from $200 to $225 and $250 if attendance reaches more than 100, requiring a third lifeguard to be present. The ordinance would also mandate any child 11 years old or younger to be accompanied at the pool by an adult at least 18 years old.

• JB Green Team’s two community cleanups for Steubenville Township will take place in June, Corrigan said. Residents of Belmont County or Jefferson County can utilize any of the solid waste authority’s cleanups, full schedules for which can be found at www.jbgreenteam.org/special-collections.

• Fitzgerald said that, due to recent high winds, residents should be on the lookout for three missing veteran flags: Richard Yates, formerly located on Commercial Street; William Starr, from Battle Run Road, and another from near Josephine’s.

• Kyle Moffat, chief operator of the village sewer plant, reported that a vehicle crash on state Route 151 caused electrical issues that wiped out the program for his plant’s raw pumps, leading to flooding in the basement. He said issues have been fixed and the company that resolved the issue credited the problem to the wreck in its report.