Hiram – At the last meeting of the Hiram Village Council, Hiram Mayor Lou Bertrand acknowledged the Hiram Fire Department’s Save of the Year recipients. The team was honored for the successful resuscitation of a full cardiac arrest victim on Vaughn Road in February. On that snowy morning, the Fire Department received a call to assist a man, Mr. Dave Loader, who had fallen. Upon arrival, the team found him not breathing, with no pulse. The team was able to resuscitate him, but could not transport him via Life Flight due to poor weather conditions. They braved icy roads to transport Mr. Loader to Geauga Hospital, where he made a full recovery. Mr. and Mrs. Loader were present at the award ceremony to show their support and appreciation to the crew.
Those honored by Hiram Fire Department’s Medical Director Dr. John Keary were: Fire Chief Bill Byers, Firefighter Josh Wilde, Firefighter Jason Groselle, and Firefighter Floyd Harris. Firefighter Alex Maglionico and Firefighter Doug Engelhart were also honored, but not present that night to receive their awards. In addition, Fire Captain Gary Bott received the Certificate of Appreciation.
In Departmental news, Council approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of a 1988 fire truck from the City of Aurora. In addition, Fire Chief Bill Byers noted that his department is asking council to authorize legislation to allow the department to renew an existing tax levy for EMS, and an additional tax levy for fire fighting purposes. If the resolutions are passed, both issues will be on the November ballot.
In similar news, Fiscal Officer Susan Skrovan shared that the Portage County Board of Elections has moved the Hiram Village and Township voting precincts to the Martin Field House on the Hiram College Campus. This change will take effect for the May election, and continue into the future. The Board of Elections will notify voters via mail of the change.
Later, Police Chief Ed Samec asked council to authorize the application for and acceptance of grant funds, should his Department receive them, from the Hiram Community Trust. He also asked Council to accept an awarded JAG LE grant in the amount of $3,500, which was awarded to replace the light bars on two Police Department cruisers. In addition, Chief Samec shared information about a pancake breakfast his Department will hold on April 19th at the Hiram College Kennedy Center. All proceeds will benefit the “Shop with a Cop” program.
In other news, council accepted a bid submitted by Dominic Gualtieri, Hiram Village Zoning Inspector, to purchase a 2.57acre land-locked parcel of land, which the Village had advertised for sale. His bid of $2,505.00 was the higher of two bids the Village received. Mayor Bertrand reported that the Village has received an estimate to construct new sidewalks in Hiram. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $336,000, with the majority of the cost paid for through an Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) grant of $268,000. The Village will need to provide an estimated 20%, or $67,200, to complete the project.
Lastly, Council agreed to hold a joint work session with the Hiram Township Trustees on April 8th at 6 pm to discuss resolution of outstanding tax disputes with Township employees. The next regularly scheduled Council meeting will be held at 7 pm that same evening. Both meetings are open to the public.
