WALBRIDGE – A councilman is concerned about what he said are mounting bills for a new building purchased
by the village to relocate a business.
Ed Kolanko, at last week’s council meeting, tried to get the other five members to not pay for bills that
pertain to the Professional Transportation Inc. building.
When it came time to pay the bills at the Sept. 2 meeting, Kolanko suggested refraining from paying any
bills related to PTI until questions could be answered.
Mayor Dan Wilczynski and Village Administrator Steve Smith are handling the details of the remodeling.
They were not at the meeting.
Council voted in March to buy property at 30801 Drouillard Road, which was formerly Lebro Chemical, for
$70,000. PTI, which used to be located on Main Street by the library, is leasing the building from the
village, covering the mortgage and taxes. The lease agreement was designed to keep PTI in the village.
The business is responsible for about $20,000 annually in income tax to the village.
Kolanko said he believes the remodeling costs for the building have soared "substantially" to
$30,000. The initial estimated cost was $10,000, he said.
He said he commended the efforts to keep the business in town, but the costs need to be clarified.
Three councilmen, though, did not want to be delinquent on any bills. Warren Byington, John Scaife and
Pat Fox voted against Kolanko’s motion. Kathy Heldt and Maureen Jacobsen supported it. The mayor was not
there to break a tie and the motion failed without a majority.
Kolanko said he didn’t think council would incur any late fees on the bills since they weren’t due until
the end of September and council meets again Sept. 16.
Scaife said he agreed with Kolanko about the spending, but added that the work had already been done and
the companies should be paid. He suggested that any further work on the site be approved by council
first.
Fox then made a motion to pay all the bills and Byington seconded. Everyone voted yes.
After the meeting, Jacobsen, who was acting mayor, confirmed the $30,000 cost for the remodel. "The
work had to be finished and that was what it ended up being," she said.
Also at the meeting, council:
¥ Passed an ordinance authorizing the village administrator to apply for the Ohio Public Works Commission
state capital improvement and/or local transportation improvement programs. Kolanko said any grant money
would be used for Union Street improvements. There is a 50 percent village match. The entire project
could cost $450,000.
¥ Heard the safety committee would be addressing door-to-door salespersons who are becoming a nuisance in
the village.
¥ Heard the pool is closed for the season. There were several problems with the filers and water lines
this year, Byington said. Council had tried to bid out a new pool project two years ago, but it was too
expensive.
¥ Voted to hire Jordan Rettig who attends Penta Career Center to mow for $8.14 an hour. Wilczynksi had
approached the school about employing students in the village. John Scaife voted no.
¥ Heard a lifeguard who had acted as a manager at the pool this summer did get paid for her extra duties.
The girl’s mother has attended the last council meeting to complain that her daughter hadn’t been
compensated.