Mary Alice Reporting –
With a third reading of special events permits looming, questions were still presented to Uhrichsville council, along with concerns over potentially dangerous branches at the city park.
There’s a possibility that council will vote on ordinances regarding special events and mobile food service at their next meeting on May 23rd; however, at the latest gathering, community members once again spoke up what they said was concerning language pertaining to the sale of alcoholic beverages on city owned property, which includes the roadway.
Co-Founder of the Uhrichsville Farmer’s Market (UFM) and Christkindle Market, Whitney Manson, stated not being able to sell alcohol would hinder the non-profit to turn a slight profit to support the market next year, and noted that last year, they had obtained an Ohio F2 permit, which requires a multitude of qualifications.
Mayor Jim Zucal said that vendors selling alcoholic beverages would be permitted, but opening it at the event will be prohibited.
“I’m opposed to alcohol on city property period. Family food, fun events don’t need alcohol. Alcohol leads to other problems. It leads to liability issues. In my experiences I’ve seen multiple accidents and drunkenness. To me, I stand on the position of no alcohol.”
Another market founder, Laura Gray, reiterated that UFM still has not been asked to share their experience in obtaining license and permits for 2023, and that UFM is not against a permit system, liability concerns are reasonable, and taking action to address that is warranted.
“We are concerned that the ordinances were hastily reviewed by the safety committee. We are concerned that city council has limited knowledge of food licenses and related costs. UFM has not received no requests for information from any member of city council. We have repeatedly offered to provide evidence to refute the safety committee violations discussed on March 27th.”
The ordinances also indicate that a fee schedule will be implemented; however, what the cost will be was unknown as it’s still under discussion.
Meanwhile, a Uhrichsville residents spoke on the feeling that there is a lack of trust and integrity between city representatives and citizens. The non-hiring of the former mayor’s son, who sought re-employment at the water park, was again brought up with the mayor saying the previous hiring should not have happened based upon Ohio code.
“For the previous mayor to hire his son is an ethic violation. There is a whole list of ethic violations that were reported. The city’s decision not to hire a certain individual along with quite a few other individuals was an administrative choice for the best interest of the city. It was advised to me by our legal counsel.”
Dave Mello, representing the Twin City Youth Baseball Organization, told council that he and the organization is getting multiple messages, bordering on harassment, about the park bathrooms not being open unless a game is going on. He also voiced concern, again, about park tree and what he considers dangerous branches that have not been addressed but pose a liability to visitors. The organization also said they took it upon themselves to mow the ball field but also in the surrounding area due to the high grass.
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