A tax hearing was held just prior to the regular meeting of the Adrian Board of Aldermen to make an annual adjustment which may have sparked fear in those who pay however, Mayor Matt Cunningham wishing to quell rumors by pointed out the increase is literally about $1 per property. Good news- the increase was brought about by a high amount of new construction in town.
There will soon be new signs near the city park that will clearly indicate hours of operation, rules and other information that according to Wescote might include a digital signboard that can be used for additional information during special events. The largest sign will be at the main entrance to the park, sized 5x10 feet with two smaller signs located near the football field and soccer fields.
It was brought up that many years ago, donations were made for a swimming pool but unfortunately, it's not nearly enough. There is about $7,000 in the special account and it was questioned what to do with it. While there will be ongoing discussions, one suggestion was to put it toward a splash pad or something water recreation related.
There is a lot of excitement regarding the new golf/driving range that will be located on the west side of the Adrian city lake, just east of Frontier Village. Mayor Matt Cunningham modeled a sample of turf that will be used on the tee boxes which comes with a special feature- you can use your own tee as opposed to using the little rubber tee found commonly at ranges. All said, there will be a total of 18 tee boxes and thanks to Ferguson Farms was expressed for doing the dirt work for the project. The city is shooting for a grand opening of the range around the second week of September.
Work is still in progress on an ordinance modification regarding 4th of July fireworks. A rough draft was presented to the aldermen however, there were questions- including one from Matt Sears who noticed the omission of anything in the ordinance related to the 4th of July celebration held in Adrian on the Saturday before the holiday each year. That, with other questions left the discussion to be tabled until possibly the September 8 meeting.
During last month's meeting, guest Jim Osborne, water plant operator, made a plea for holiday pay for permanent part time employees. Osborne said "None of us deserve full holiday benefits as full time employees do. But if we work (on the holiday) we don't get paid for it as a holiday. I believe if we work (on Christmas, the 4th, etc.) we should get paid for it accordingly." It appears the aldermen will make the change, adding that the financial impact would be quite small and the final decision will likely come in next month's meeting.
City holidays were included in the discussion, and it was questioned if Good Friday should be included as it is not currently. At this time Adrian city employees receive 15 days off per year to observe holidays and the subject was tabled pending "a look around" to see how many days other
Some may not be aware of 12th street in Adrian, but it will be official soon. The road is located just south of the Christian Church and it appears that even as the road was gifted to Adrian from the church some time ago, it was never officially recorded; but will be very soon.
The cost of gravel needed around town has gone up significantly and the aldermen are looking at ways to trim a little. Possibly the best solution would be to go ahead with an agreement with the Adrian quarry who said they would re-open temporarily to help the city as long as the city trucked the rock themselves; it's likely this plan will be used.
Remember, the Adrian Board of Aldermen meet on the second Monday, 7 pm at city hall. The public is highly encouraged to attend.
