Mantua – At the last Village Council meeting, residents Jay D’Aurelio and Luci Curtin from St. Joseph’s parish, asked council to approve a special event. The parish’s Sisterhood of St. Joseph’s will be holding a fundraising event to raise money to support the group’s charitable giving. To that end, they’ll be hosting a wine walk and wine tasting event on Saturday, October 19th. The event will take place at three village locations — Jake’s Eats, Restoration 44 Coffee, and Jake’s Market. Council approved this endeavor. It’s proposed that each location will house one to three wineries. With their ticket, participants will enjoy 10 tastings, appetizers, a commemorative wine glass, and the chance to win a variety of raffle prizes. For more information, or to purchase tickets for the event, contact D’Aurelio at (330) 569-8156 or Curtin at (330) 322-5770.
In other news, Mayor Linda Clark reported that the village is still in discussions with the county regarding operation of the water and wastewater treatment facilities. She noted that “nothing is set in stone,” and that the village and county are “still talking about the sticking points.” She noted, however, that residents can help the village in a simple way. She asked each resident take a photo of their water meter showing the pipes that enter their home. By forwarding that photo to the mantuava@sbcglobal.net, the Village can quickly ascertain whether the pipes are copper or galvanized. The village will use the photos to determine if any lead lines may still be in use within the system. Village Administrator John Trew was quick to add, “Let me reiterate — there is no lead contamination in our lines.” He explained that compiling this information will aid the village in qualifying for low or no interest loans to update their outdated system.
Trew went on to address a resident’s question about the replacement of a tank in one of the village’s reservoirs. Trew explained that the reservoir’s roof is in failure, and the 40 + year-old concrete structure has passed its expected life of 25 years. Village Engineer Rich Iafelice added that based on a video created during a diver’s inspection, structural engineers determined that the roof wasn’t sound, and was in danger of collapse. Trew noted that in this case, it was more cost-effective for the village to replace the tank than to undergo more-costly repairs.
In his Police Report, Chief Joe Urso noted that Lieutenant Ken Justus will retire from the department, effective November 1st. Sadly, Lt. Justus’s partner, K9 Vader, was put to sleep in September due to illness. The chief noted that the department is currently vetting a candidate for the full-time Student Resource Officer position, and hopes to have them in place in January. In addition, Urso hopes to hire another full time officer during that time frame as well. Lastly, the department welcomed two part-time dispatchers: Angela Hager and Kristin Walsh.
Lastly, the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation (DMRC), assisted by students from Crestwood High School, recently conducted a downtown clean up day. Students were excused from classes to head into the village to wash and decorate storefront windows, sweep sidewalks, and generally spruce up their hometown. Representatives from the DMRC provided the supplies and materials and assisted students with the efforts. They thanked them for their time and service to help beautify the community.
The next Village Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 15th at 7 pm; residents are encouraged to attend.
