City council welcomes new property code investigator

| May 15, 2018

COSHOCTON – Among the issues discussed at the Coshocton City Council meeting on May 14 were the problem of vacant houses and businesses, the improvements being made at Bancroft Park and welcoming a new property code investigator.

Mayor Steve Mercer welcomed Jeff Corder as the new investigator. Mercer said that Corder retired four years ago from the Coshocton Fire Department as the fire prevention officer, that he’s been an auxiliary sheriff’s deputy for 41 years and is now a school resource officer. “I’m very appreciative of his skill set,” said Mercer.

The council welcomed Corder and asked him to say a few words. “I’m excited to be back,” said Corder. He also said that once school is out on May 24 he will be jumping right into the issues of vacant homes and junk cars around the city. He also told the council to call him with any concerns they may have.

The vacant property ordinance received its first reading. This ordinance is aimed at “orphaned or zombie houses” according to Mercer. They are houses that were purchased when prices were down and then abandoned because the owner had no desire to do anything with it. The council wants owners to either fix up or sell the property.

Corder will be taking an active role when this ordinance is passed. Mayor Mercer said they have been working on this legislation for about a year and a half and he invites landlords and property owners to share their concerns and comments with the council.

Service Director Max Crown discussed the SR 541 project and said that all updates (such as traffic pattern changes) are available on the city’s Facebook page and that many people are taking advantage of this. He also shared that the Bancroft Park project is about 90 percent complete and will be finished as soon as missing bolts arrive. Mulch has been spread and the playground equipment (geared for children 10 and under) installed.

Crown offered thanks to Bill Albert for storing equipment and for helping to bore holes (sometimes through the foundation of the school that once stood there) and to Hathaway for labor at the park. Much of the money for the park came from donations from Kiwanis, the Rotary and funds that are shared by Lake Park from their levy.

Mercer is applying for a Nature Works grant to help make improvements at Hall Park. They hope to add a walking path, playground and to repair or replace the basketball courts. It was also suggested that a restroom might be a good idea, as the park is used often.

Tags: , ,

Category: Government

About the Author ()

Comments are closed.