Council Moves to Sell High School Building, Youth League Uncertain about Future

MIDDLEPORT – Middleport Council held a meeting on June 23, 2014, with council member Roger Manley being absent. The main focus of the night’s meeting was the sale of the former Middleport High School Property and the future of the Big Bend Youth League.

To start out the night, bills were paid in the amount of $4,217.63.

Council discussed Ordinance 93-14 to auction the former Middleport High School which was advertised the required five times before having the auction. While the auction may yield different results, many hope the senior citizens will be able to purchase the property and make it into the new senior center. In a previous meeting Beth Shaver came from the Meigs County Council on Aging and told the community of their intentions for the building, they said regular services will continue if they get to move into the building, but they also have a list of new and exciting things they would be able to not only offer the seniors, but the whole community. The new services would be things such as, a banquet hall for the community, full service laundry, conference room, adult daycare, music room, senior theater, being a place for the community to have plays, music concerts, etc., fenced outdoor area for seniors, expanded catering service, full scale bakery and cafe, meeting rooms for community organizations, after school programs for kids, and many other things.

The mayor started out the discussion addressing the concerns of some citizens saying, “The youth football league is not being asked to move, the senior citizens have no reason to interfere with that.”

At the previous meeting Shaver was at she also said this about the youth league on behalf of the Meigs County Council on Aging had, “no intention in taking the football field from the Big Bend Youth League, and they would be happy in helping maintain the field and stadium and would help them with finding grant money to improve the field and their program.”

Sarah Pullins was there on behalf of the Big Bend Youth League to voice the league’s concerns to the council and try to sway their decision. She started by saying there are currently around 400 children, a total of around 2,000 people in attendance each game, and that Athens is also considering joining the league which would make nine schools in the league. Pullins asked, “how can you guarantee things will go on as normal and the league will be able to use the field? How is it that that it will benefit the town to sell the feild?”, and went on to say, “We bring families to this town, not riffraff, we bring families.”

In response the Mayor stated that nothing is ever guaranteed in life but that it would benefit the town because, “senior citizens also brings in a lot of people, both the seniors and the youth league can co-exist here.”

Part of the council’s decision to want to sell the field was based on the property taxes which costs the village $7,000 a year; which is not paid by the league, however, the league does pay the village $1,500 a year for use of the field. In a final plea from the league to council Pullins said, “I want council to consider not selling the field, and just sell the building.”

When this didn’t seem to be an idea council was interested in she finished saying, “is it okay with council if we take the league and leave the town? You’re going to drive this out of Middleport like everything else. You are signing an end to this youth league.”

Council member Emerson Heighton made a motion to wave the three readings of the ordinance to be able to auction the property, all members of council voted yes to this motion.

Heighton also made a motion to approve Ordinance 93-14 with all members of council voting yes. The auction for the building and the field will be held on July 28 at 10:00 a.m.

Council member Richard Vaughn asked again about putting port-a-johns in the parks. The cost would be a one time installation fee of $25 and $70 a month after that. Council decided to have them installed after the 4th of July through October. A motion was made by Emerson to put one in Diles park, and one in Hartinger park, all members of council voted yes to this.

Vaughn also brought up Ordinance 72-14, which was previously tabled, to makes changes to the sewer bills and asked, “Who says we can’t do it?”

The mayor said the OWDA says they can’t change the sewer bill rate, to which council member Older said, “the OWDA said council is the one who sets rates.”

Susan Baker explained that was true as long as they were able to pay back their debts to OWDA and keep things in running order, which Ohio Water Development Authority has said the village will not be able to do if the proposed changes were to be put in place. Council member Dixon said council still needs to know how is paid out of the water and sewer accounts. The discussion was ended with Older saying, “Make sure it’s in the minutes that we made the motion and were denied being able to vote.”

Vaughn said the office for the economic developer and some other employment details for the job needs to be determined. Council decided to have a special meeting to discuss this on June 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Hall.

Council member Doug Dixon said the Meigs Independent Press needed to make an apology for false statements Dixon believes were printed about the discussion of hiring an economic developer during the last council meeting. Dixon stated, “We did not state we got together and decided who to hire before the meeting.”

The Meigs Independent Press addressed this saying, “the mayor did ask you individually if you had reviewed the resume before the meeting and decided.”

To which Dixon replied, “No we did not say that, and there’s a lot of false accusations going around because of this and I want to see it retracted from your article, if not I will get the solicitor involved and see where I can go from there,” he continued on saying, “in your article you mention Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Hoffman, and you only say she, who is she? How can you directly make a point to make sure everyone knows who he is and not tell who she is?”

The Meigs Independent Press said, “I don’t believe you said her name in the meeting. If you did, and I didn’t hear it then that’s my fault.”

Dixon continued on with, ” I don’t need to meet with others to make a decision. I don’t know what you know about me, and what you don’t; I served thirty years in the military, my last eighteen years in the United States Navy. I recruited, interviewed, and enlisted men and women enlisted in the United States Navy, that’s over thousands and thousands of people, I’m qualified to look at resumes and make a decision on my own on who I think is best qualified for the position. You can print that if you like.”

To address this situation the Meigs Independent Press would like to take a moment to explain that some of the problems Dixon had with the article were from an original copy that was not finished or ready for print, but due to a website malfunction was printed early. The Meigs Independent Press reviewed the last meeting and determined that the other applicants name was not in fact stated as Dixon said it had been. It was also determined that what was written about the last meeting was correct and the Meigs Independent Press will stand by what it had said previously. While this website and all it’s employees would gladly correct a mistake when made, no mistake has at this time been made and the Meigs Independent Press will not write and apology for printing the truth. The Meigs Independent Press does take note and apologize for the article that was inadvertently published before it was finished, but not for the finished article.

Continuing on in the meeting, council member Penny Burge said lines needed to be painted on the new paving that was done on Middleport Hill. The mayor said this would be taken care of.

Council member Heighton asked if the lights on main street could be changed to change at the same time. It was determined that this would be looked into.

Council member Burge moved to adjourn.

(Editor’s Note: The Meigs Independent Press would also like it to be known that it does not have a goal to paint council member Dixon, or any other council member, in a bad light. The only goal the Meigs Independent Press has is to report the truth to the citizens of Meigs County and will continue to do so.)