Hopewell Indians honored at city council meeting

COSHOCTON – Coshocton City Council took time out of its April 27 meeting to honor the state champion basketball players from Hopewell.

This year, Hopewell sent two teams to the Special Olympics State Tournament in March and came home with a Division II State Title for the black team, a third place in Division V for the red team and three gold and three silver medals earned by members of the skills team. The black team also won a state title last year.

Mayor Steve Mercer read proclamations celebrating all three groups of athletes, their coaches, Special Olympics Coordinator Toby Collins and Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Steve Oster.

“I want to thank our coaches,” Oster said. “They are phenomenal and are dedicated. We also couldn’t ask for better players.”

Oster also is currently working with the city to have signs erected honoring the Hopewell Indians for their state championships.

“This group already knows how awesome I think they are,” Collins said, when it was her turn to address the players and city council. “We have a great coaching staff and I thank you for recognizing us.”

Head Coach Devin Rivera also expressed his appreciation for the recognition.

“Without them (the athletes) and their hard work we wouldn’t be here with back to back state titles,” he said. “Each of them gave 100 percent and did everything I asked the whole season.”

Mercer commended the Hopewell Indians for what they accomplished this season.

“It was an amazing feat,” he said. “You don’t win state championships just by showing up.”

At the meeting Mercer also shared with council that the city earned an achievement award from the Bureau of Workers Compensation for a 25 percent reduction toward workers comp claims.

City council also heard from two Orange Street residents who are worried about a Pit Bull in their neighborhood that had attacked one of their dogs.

Councilman Brad Fuller told the ladies that there are laws in place requiring animals to be leashed or restrained and that the dog warden does his best to enforce them.

City Law Director Bob Skelton noted that charges have been filed against the Pit Bull owner and that the case is moving through the court system.

Service Director Jerry Stenner thanked council and anyone else who helped with the city’s recent cleanup day.

“It was a success as always and I think every year the community gets a little cleaner,” he said. “We are going to keep doing it until we feel we don’t have to anymore.”

Potholes also are being worked on and they are trying to hit the worst areas with the heaviest amounts of traffic first.

“I get just as frustrated as anybody else when I’m driving around,” Stenner said.

On a brighter note, prep work is being done on SR 541 so repaving of it can start around the second week of June. The entire project is expected to be done sometime in August.

“It has a long way to go but in the end it will be a nice smooth riding street,” Stenner said.

josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com

Category: Government