Mary Alice Reporting –
A Uhrichsville committee made recommendations related to permits, fire inspections, and adding stop signs.
Minutes from the Safety, Health, and Services Committee indicated that fire inspections should be conducted for businesses, schools, and other entities, and it was recommended to ask the fire chief to set up an annual plan.
Councilwoman Leigh Ann McCray relayed the information on behalf of committee chair Steve Patterson, who was not in attendance, adding the need for further implementation of a permit system for use of city property. This came about after a review of alleged safety violations during a 2023 event held in the downtown area. McCray said that Patterson had been researching other municipalities permit process and spoke with a fire chief, who’s with numerous departments in the Stark and Summit County area and an instructor at Stark State College, who said there was a number of code violations.
“Which included, but were not limited to, liquor permit violations, no fenced off or gated area, the center of 3rd Street was blocked with an 18-foot trailer stage for over 12 hours, as well as chairs, activities, displays, and vendors. Emergency vehicles did not have access to the road to respond if there was an emergency. There was an open fire pit in the center of 3rd Street.”
Other cited issues included no map or number system of vendor tents, no food truck permits, or liability insurance, along with sidewalks being cluttered with merchandise not allowing adequate walking space, and off-duty police being paid individually but wearing Uhrichsville police uniforms.
The committee also recommended the consideration of adding stop signs on N. Water Street at the East 1st intersection to become a three-way stop, on Eastport Avenue at 12th Street and at 11th, with posted speed limit signs through the entirety of Eastport. Stop signs asked to be removed is at the intersection of N. Main and E. 10th.
Uhrichsville stop sign proposal map.
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