Garrettsville – Village Council voted unanimously to sell the Irwin Hardware building to Garrettsville Ventures, LLC. The 1800s-era property, located on Main Street in downtown Garrettsville, has been a source of contention in the village for several years as the former owner let the building’s condition deteriorate. Council had the arduous chore of figuring out if the building could be preserved, or if the landmark should be demolished. Council voted back in 2010 to preserve the building and invested more than $40,000 in stabilizing the failing structure. The village officially acquired the property this year after paying the remaining $4,576.13 of delinquent taxes two county entities refused to waive.
The village is selling the property for $4,577, 87-cents more than the paid off tax lien. During the public hearing before the regular council meeting, Michael Maschek of Garrettsville Ventures, LLC shared with council his plans to renovate the property.
In other business, council approved allowing distilleries, breweries and wineries in the C-3 (commercial) zoning district. The approval stems from the purchase of the Portage Motors building by Pete Kepich plans to turn part of the building into a distillery. Some concern was raised about the potential stench of having this type of operation in the village. Mayor Moser stated he didn’t believe it would be a problem. He further stated all EPA regulations will be followed.
Council voted to amend existing Ordinance to allow the inspection of apartments located over commercial establishments to change from a one-year permit to three years.
Resident Gary Cox voiced concern when the subject of curbside recycling was brought up. He believes “forcing mandatory changes onto every homeowner” is inappropriate. He stated the current system now allows option and is fair for the village residents. The village currently is taking a survey on the subject, available online at www.garrettsville.org.
Council passed an ordinance limiting the length of grass on properties in the village. The new ordinance limits the height to six inches, the Mayor stated it would be at the discretion of the Police Chief to issue citations.
The Mayor asked for and council approved authorization to advertise for bids for waterline replacement that is needed on State Street. The Mayor said the current lines between Dairy Queen and Wheeler road are over 100 years old.
A brief discussion was held about the planned demolition of Paul’s Grist Mill and the formal submission for a community development block grant by the private owner to the county for that project. “The village can’t bail out everyone” came from the audience over concern that too many properties falling into disrepair from private owners were becoming burdensome to the village.
If you’d like to know more of what is happening in your community, please attend a meeting. Village Council will next meet June 13, 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall.
