Kelleys
Island News
By Leslie Korenko
It looks like spring is finally here. There was an Easter egg hunt for the kids, several restaurants opened, and plans are being made for upcoming events.
There will be a local author book signing at the history museum on May 15th and at the KI Library on May 28th from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet Island historian Leslie Korenko and her six books, and new author Alexi Panehal. Her book is The Island in Winter, Living Year Round on Kelleys Island.
We say goodbye to Chief Shawn Craig whose last day is May 2nd. We wish him well at his new position.
Construction work is apparent all over the Island with lots being cleared and construction underway. Work on the Portside crib extension (to run east and west) will provide better protection from rough seas. More information about construction might be moved here.
What can we say about the weather? Fog so dense the ferry had to use its horn. This brings back memories of Islanders lining up on the dock with their headlights on and blowing their horns to help guide the ferry boat in (really, that happened, but it WAS a long time ago). The horn, coupled with the fog, created a creepy, mournful atmosphere. And then there was the big snow in mid-April. There were blizzard conditions, but it was wet snow and did not stick.
Sunday, May 8th, is clean-up day at the State Park.
A GROOVY UPDATE
Work has started at the Glacial Grooves with a project that will keep water from seeping into the grooves. The water brings with it dirt which, when settled into the grooves, promotes the growth of weeds. Next to come is a new walkway up at the end right where the grooves drop off. Then comes new fencing and additional interpretive signage. Trees have already been cut down on the right side of the grooves which opens up a view of the quarry and its high stone walls. This project is expected to be completed in August.
COUNCIL MEETINGS
Council meetings switch to the second Thursday at 7 p.m. (May 12th) for the summer, but you can also attend online. Links are posted at the Post Office and on the Village website. PARK BOARD has plans for a 3-tier fund-raising campaign for a new playground complex on Addison Rd. At the March meeting a question about who authorized the dismantling of the existing equipment went unanswered. That demolition was completed and the complex is now gone. The POLICE DEPT. fielded 125 phone calls and did 322 house/business checks. A complaint was made about the loss of the parking lot and what the Village was going to do to relieve the situation. The Mayor indicated he did not know what they were going to do with the site, although rumors have been flying. The village is considering hiring SAFEbuilt to take over our zoning dept. Their main goal is to administer building permits, but they can also administer our zoning code. Currently, only businesses and public buildings need to get State permits and inspections. This company can handle those and claim faster response times. If we adopt a building code for homes, they would handle those also for an additional cost. In the meantime, a raise to $18,000 a year was approved by Council with only two no votes. There were 19 applicants for the POLICE CHIEF position and five interviews were held. We should have a new police chief shortly. The FIRE DEPT. has received their new gear. The EMS had one run and three clinic visits.
The previous piece is published in this month’s Put-in-Bay Gazette. The Gazette has been producing incredible independent Put-in-Bay island news for over 40 years. If you have any interest at all in what is happening on South Bass Island, we urge you strongly to subscribe to the Put-in-Bay Gazette. One-year online subscriptions are only $15, and print subscriptions are available as well. To subscribe please visit the Put-in-Bay Gazette subscription form. This piece of Put-in-Bay journalism has been provided to putinbayohio.com courtesy of the Put-in-Bay Gazette, Put-in-Bay’s only local newspaper. Visit their website putinbay.news for more information and to subscribe!
