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Islanders and island visitors alike will be happy with several changes which appear to be good news on the home front.
Paid Parking
The first change is that the Village Council is looking into doing away with paid parking in the downtown area. After looking at the numbers, it was apparent there were issues that needed further scrutiny and reviewing. A 9 a.m. meeting on Friday, September 19th, was held at the PIB Town Hall where interested parties discussed the pros and cons of paid parking with members of the Village Council.
Total paid parking revenue came to $239,000, with about $3,000 coming from locals for their parking passes. About one third of the total was from tickets for not paying for parking. Roughly 4,500 parking tickets have been written and paid for the last two years. There are additional unpaid tickets out there, but no figure as to how many. After expenses, the Village took in about $197,000 in 2024 and $215,000 so far in $2025. Given these figures, plus the decline in weekday business, it makes sense for Council to come up with another source of revenue that would be less expensive and complicated to operate, plus be a little more public-relations-friendly for visitors.
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Storm Returning
Put-in-Bay Village Council members learned in September that “Storm,” the Ottawa County Sheriff Department’s (OCSD) island K9 officer, was available for $13,500. After a bit of discussion, Council voted to purchase the dog from the Sheriff Department for the Village police department. This is great news for former Ottawa County Sheriff Deputy Gary Allred who was unable to bring the dog with him to the Village when he left the OCSD to become a Village police officer last spring. Storm spent the summer in a kennel in Fremont awaiting a new handler, but apparently one was never found. To purchase a new dog would have cost an estimated $30,000. Several fund raisers to get a K-9 officer will go a long way in helping to fund the much lower purchase price.
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Finally!
Residents of Shore Villas on East Point are finally tied into the Village’s sewage treatment plant. Back in 1995, the OEPA (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency) sent a letter to the Village mandating sewers for the quiet residential street just east of the Monument grounds, and now, after the 30-year wait, the residents can flush in peace.
Ibis St. in the Glen Avon Hts. subdivision also had a sewer line installed. The street has been newly paved with asphalt, giving it a clean and attractive appearance.
Work Begins!
Work has already begun at Perry’s Monument for the two-year project that will see multiple changes there. The $26,000,000 project includes beefing up the area below the lower plaza where visitors go into the Monument and new handicap access to the plaza. The trees at the base of the Monument will be removed, plus parking in front of the Monument will be eliminated. The Monument will be closed for the next two years, but most of the grounds and Visitors Center will be open during the construction.
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!
