A crowd of roughly 30 residents turned out for the July 6 Galva City Council meeting that touted a full agenda.
On that agenda was a review of the recent decision by the Henry County Board to place a 12-month moratorium on carbon sequestration in the county.
Big River Resources, in Galva, working in partnership with Lapis Carbon Solutions, filed an application with the U.S. EPA earlier this year that would allow the companies to capture and inject hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide beneath Galva into the Mount Simon Sandstone. The county moratorium blocks the companies from doing so at least for the next year.
Discussion ensued, with concerns from residents about the county board members setting the ruling aside. One resident questioned just how long an initial moratorium can be put into place.
Galva resident Dustin Williams, who has been outspoken in his opposition to the project, shared his understanding that such a ruling has a 24-month maximum.
Mayor Rich Volkert read the moratorium in its entirety to the audience. Following that, the council voted unanimously to accept the moratorium with the same wording agreed to by the county board.
Cole McDaniel from Hometown Consulting made a brief presentation on the projects underway within the city, and others considered for the future. He noted that Astrid Haryati from Allenia Space is the general contractor for the painting of the downtown buildings and the decorated crosswalks. City Administrator David Dyer explained that the funds for the painting come from the TIF program.
McDaniel shared that other clients of his company are impressed with the building make overs and crosswalk designs and want to put those projects in place in their towns. He also discussed the concept of a “Rail View Plaza” in the downtown area, and how it would provide a park-like area for residents and guests. Grant funds will be sought and the right place to put it will be determined later.
He said that the council will be given a survey of 30 questions about what they want to see happen in Galva. Following that, he will take the top 10 or 12 and put them on the city’s website so that the public can weigh in on what is most important to them.
“We hope to have that part up for people to use by Aug.1,” he said.
Jane and Michael Martin, who split their time between their home in Galva and in Moline, spoke about the work they are doing to promote the Levitt AMP concert series and other musical events in town. Michael, who produces videos of the concerts to post on Facebook is currently rehabbing the Century Estates mobile home park, and his Galva residence on 3rd Avenue.
“Jane and I would like to see Galva benefit from all the music it has to offer,” he said. “And we wonder if it’s time for a new logo to identify the city and replace the current ‘Galva, City of Go’.” The couple donned T-shirts with the slogan, “Galva, Where the Music Lives,” and the tagline, “Small Town; Big Sound.” They asked that the council include a discussion at next month’s meeting.
During the public comment period, several residents spoke. Williams, who heads the Galva Area CO2 Awareness Group, thanked the council for the unanimous vote to agree to the moratorium previously passed by the county board. He thanked Dyer for his work on city business but questioned if his position gave him the right to sign agreements, such as the one Dyer signed with Lapis Carbon Solutions that would give Lapis land-use rights of property owned by the city if the company is successful in obtaining the needed permit.
“That kind of power should be with the council,” Williams said.
Lance Smith had an audience member read a letter he prepared, citing his concerns on the readiness of the city’s ambulance service. He mentioned that he had EMT experience and felt that the wait times for the ambulance are too long. His letter also mentioned that he is planning to run for mayor in the future.
Some discussion followed concerning emergency services, and the council agreed that such a safety net is expensive, and hard to maintain in rural areas. One of the audience members responded that they had good service and felt the current Stark County Ambulance does a good job.
Chief of Police Kraig Townsend spoke about the citations that were given out to residents concerning unlicensed vehicles and lawns with garbage and said that the number of AWTs (Administrative Warning Tickets) had lessened over the past several weeks.
“We are hoping that the new administrative court system will help both residents and law enforcement,” the chief said.
Williams spoke again about the number of calls concerning animals that the police have to answer. “Is there any way the city can have an officer, even a part time one, to take care of such incidents?”
While Mayor Volkert agreed that it is a problem, finding such a person and the funds to pay them is difficult.
Townsend said that the police department is looking at replacing two squad cars, and that one of them is in really poor shape. He said that being able to put the current special equipment into a new vehicle can save some money. “However, not all appropriate vehicles will allow such things to be added, as they won’t fit,” he said.
The council voted unanimously to allow Townsend to purchase one new squad car which should be ready in 27 – 40 days.
Richard Plummer, Street Department head, noted that the street sweeper is down and work is underway to bring it back to life.
Jake McClintic, superintendent of Sewer and Water, told the council that his department is planning to place new plastic lining inside the water pipes along Center Avenue to the former Water Works Building and into North 6th Street. The process will take place in 2027. He also explained that new meters will gradually replace those that are very old.
“We need to replace 199 meters, and at over $300 per, it will take awhile before we are where we should be,” McClintic said.
This led to a discussion on the benefits of paying water bills monthly. Councilwoman Jackie Clucas said that the option is already available, with City Clerk Debby VanWassenhove echoing her sentiments.
“We would be happy to have residents change to a monthly billing cycle; it would help many of our citizens be able to budget better,” she said.
Clucas also praised the city employees for the success of the recent citywide cleanup and spoke out in support of the city administrator. She reminded everyone that when Dyer took over his position, the city was in debt. “We are no longer in debt, thanks to Dave,” she said.
Councilman Rick Otterstrom thanked the city for the great work during the Fourth of July festivities. Councilman Doug Anderson echoed his comments and thanked the Martins for their presentation and interest in Galva.
Councilman John Wirth also thanked Dave for his work on the city’s behalf and encouraged the council to look into the ambulance service. “There’s always a way to improve.” Wirth also reflected upon his childhood, telling the group that, as a child, he had to make his own bicycle from discarded parts. He’d like to see every child in town with a bike, and said he’s willing to fix those that are donated to him.
Dyer ended the meeting by thanking the city employees and the Freedom Fest Committee and volunteers for their recent efforts at bringing together a great celebration.
The next city council meeting will be held on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
