Wooster Ohio
MESSAGE FROM THE Mayor Mayor
Fall is officially here, and we know that because the Wayne County Fair is behind us and (at least as of the time I am writing this) Woosterfest is just around the corner. Congratulations to the Wayne County Fair Board for one of their best fairs ever, and I am sure that the Chamber of Commerce will be just as successful with Woosterfest.
As I mentioned in the summer newsletter, the City is engaged in preliminary planning for an elongated roundabout at the intersection of Cleveland Road, Elm Drive, and Beall Avenue which has informally been designated “The Kidney” because of its shape and its location adjacent to Wooster Community Hospital. Both the City administration and the Board of Governors for the hospital see this project as a means to improve traffic flow in that area, provide greater safety for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and perhaps most importantly, help insure that emergency vehicles can get to the hospital without any unnecessary delays – which often can be a matter of life or death. Although the planning is still in the very early stages, we do have good news to report on that project. With the assistance of Wooster Community Hospital and the support of Senator Jon Husted, the City has not only received a grant from the federal government of $250,000 to help pay for the design of the project, but we’ve also been notified that an additional $3,700,000 in federal funds has been earmarked to help cover the construction costs once Congress passes its funding bills later this year.
We have several important local elections in November, and I would encourage all registered voters to exercise their right to vote. We will be welcoming two new members to Wooster City Council, with the identity of the person who will be representing the 4th Ward for the next four years to be determined on Election Day. The Wooster City Schools Board of Education has 3 of its 5 seats on the November ballot, with only one incumbent running for reelection. So there will be a minimum of 2 new members come January, and possibly 3. This is a crucial time for Wooster City Schools, and the results of this election will likely influence the direction of the district for the next several decades.
Turning to statewide issues, I mentioned in our summer newsletter a petition effort to amend the Ohio Constitution to eliminate all property taxes The amendment would effectively shift our entire tax burden in Ohio to sales taxes, income taxes, and user fees. The petition did not obtain enough signatures to make it to the ballot this November However, the group promoting the petition has made it clear that they are not giving up that effort. If this amendment would ever be adopted by Ohio voters it would have far-reaching consequences for local governments at every level in Ohio – counties, townships, cities and villages, library districts, mental health boards, and schools. The Ohio legislature made an attempt to implement property tax reform as part of their biennial budget that was presented to Governor DeWine. Governor DeWine exercised his power to line-item veto 67 different sections of that budget. The Ohio legislature responded by calling a special session and voting to override 1 of those 67 vetoes. Regardless, this issue is far from being resolved. With the potential constitutional amendment in the background, and largely because of the potential consequences of its adoption, the Governor and the legislature are both determined to make changes to the existing property tax system. Whether the Governor’s office and the legislature can agree upon what those changes will look like remains to be seen
. Everyone in Ohio should be paying attention to this issue The changes being discussed would have significant impacts upon all levels of government. We’ve spent significant time in the last few months speaking to our elected representatives in the Ohio legislature and discussing this with other elected officials throughout Wayne County. The stakes are extremely high. We will continue to have these discussions, and advocate for the best interests of the citizens of Wooster
FALL INTO FUN
ThefieldsarebuzzingwithFallYouthSoccer!From preschoolersdiscoveringthejoyofthegameto 8thgraderssharpeningtheirskills,playersare competingeverySaturdaythroughOctober18.
Coming to Wooster
PRC-SaltilloCEODaveHershbergerandChairmanoftheBoardSteve MatthewpresentedtheCityofWoosterwithagenerousgiftof$10,000. Thankstothisgift,additionalcommunitydonations,andsupportfromthe WoosterRecreationDepartmentandIncludeAbility,fivecommunication boardsarebeingmadepossible.Theseboardsarenowbeinginstalledin parksacrossWooster,helpingcreatemoreinclusivespaceswhere everyonecanconnect,play,andbepartofthecommunity.
CONSTRUCTION
p j p g between Northwestern Avenue and Woodland Avenue. Work is scheduledforthisfallandearlywinter.
This project involves replacing the old sanitary sewer on Diamond Alley, the east-west alley between Liberty Street and South Street Work will take place on the block between S Market Street and S BuckeyeStreet,andisscheduledforOctober
This Ohio Public Works Commission-funded project includes replacing waterlines on S. Columbus Avenue and on portions of Gasche Street (High Street to E. University Street, and E. Wayne Avenue to Winter Street). Construction on S. Columbus Avenue is expectedtobegininmid-September,withworkonGascheStreetto followonceS.ColumbusAvenueiscomplete.
This project includes reconstructing Silver Road (between Venture Blvd and Mechanicsburg Road) and building a shared-use path along Venture Blvd from Clear Creek Park north to Silver Road. As partofthisproject,SilverRoadfromVentureBlvdtoMechanicsburg Roadwillbecloseduntilmid-November.
This project continues the City’s downtown streetscape renewal, extending improvements along the east side of S. Market Street to South Street, and east on the north side of South Street to the first alley. Construction is expected to be finished by the end of November
AFTERNEARLYAYEAROFCONSTRUCTION,THEMADISON AVENUERAILROADBRIDGEWASOFFICIALLYCOMPLETEDBY NORFOLDSOUTHERNONAUGUST27 . TH
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Sunday,July27th,30amazing volunteersfromNewPointeCommunity Church,ledbyMatthewBush,teamed upwiththeCityofWooster’sPublic PropertiesMaintenance/ParksDivision tomakeabigimpactatFreedlander Park.
TogetherwithourteammembersJoe Avila,DanYarnell,ChrisRichardson, andAaronRogness,they:
•Spread50yardsofplaygroundmulch
•Collectedtrashthroughoutthepark
•PerformedmaintenanceontheDisc GolfCourse
Theirhardworkhelpedimprovethe parkforallwhovisitandplay.Thank youtoeveryonewhogavetheirtime andenergytoserveourcommunity
OnThursday,July24th,15PRC-Saltilloemployee volunteers,coordinatedbyHRSupervisorKatelyn Kennon,joinedforceswithourincrediblePublic PropertiesMaintenance/Parkteam:JoeAvila,Dan Yarnell,ChrisRichardson,BryanFortune,Kendra Shoup,andChandlerGiauque.
Together theyspread50yardsofplaygroundmulch, aferandmorewelcomingplayspacefor
kPark
ust26th,JamieGreegor,Staffing& nageratFrito-Lay,ledheramazing teersinpartnershipwiththeCityParks nell,BryanFortune,AaronRogness, ndChandlerGiauque,toresurfacethe tClearCreekPark.
KnightsField
WOOSTER POLICE DEPARTMENT
YOUTH ACADEMY
ShoutouttotheWooster PoliceDepartmentYouth Academyforstoppingbythe soccerfieldsthismorning androllinguptheirsleeves! Theypickedup75–100 poundsoffireworksdebris andtrashaspartofa communityserviceproject— makingabigdifferenceand keepingourfieldsclean. ThankstoleadersJosh Timko,DonnieHall,andApril Teichmerforguidingthenext generationofcommunity helpers.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
330-263-5255|538N.MarketSt.,Wooster,
WayGo is a NEW public transit service available to ALL residents and visitors in Wayne County. The mission of WayGo is to serve the people of Wayne County by providing safe, reliable, and inclusive transportation. Connecting residents to jobs, healthcare, education, and community resources, enhancing quality of life and strengthening the fabric of our local communities.
WAYGOofficiallylaunchedonAugust4th!
WayGoisthenewfixedrouteanddemandresponsetransitsystemservingtheCityofWooster andpartsofWayneCounty.Whetheryou'reheadedtowork,school,thegrocerystoreora medicalappointment,WayGomakesitaffordableandeasytogetwhereyou’regoing.
FixedRouteService
Fixedrouteservicerunshourlyonaloopthrough Wooster,makingregularstopsalongtheway.
ServiceHours
MondaythroughFriday:7am to8pm Saturday:10am to6pm
Fare
$1generalpublic
Eligibleseniorsandpeoplewithdisabilities canregisterforreducedfarebycalling WayGoat330-263-5255
StopsInclude:
WayneCountyLibrary(startingpoint,everyhour)
Walmart
Buehler’sMilltown
WoosterCommunityHospital ViolaStartzmanClinic
PortageShoppingCenter Andmore(20totalstops)
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
330-263-5255|538N.MarketSt.,Wooster,
In addition to the fixed route system, WayGo offers a curb-to-curb service that picks you up and drops you off in areas one mile beyond city limits, with special service to and from the Wayne County Career Center. Rides can be scheduled by calling dispatch at 330-800-5210 or using the WayGo app (Rides On Demand).
Fares: $5 for the General Public $3 for the elderly, disabled, and veterans.
GoBus Stop Relocation and Schedule Update
On August 20 , GoBus officially relocated the Wooster stop on Route D to the Bellstores Marathon Gas Station at 220 S. Columbus Rd. This stop connects residents to Akron and Columbus for fares between $5 and $15. For more information, please visit ridegobus.com/alerts
LEAF PICK UP
woosteroh.com/ppm/leaf-collection
Leaf Pick-up is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 27th.
The street-by-street schedule and other important information can be found on our website at woosteroh.com/ppm/leaf-collection.
PLEASE FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES TO HELP US PROTECT OUR EQUIPMENT AND EMPLOYEES
All leaves should be at the curb the day before your scheduled pickup.
Rake leaves to the tree lawn or at the road edge in 3 to 4 ft wide rows. Remove all vehicles from the street by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day.
Do not put sticks, branches, stones, trash, or garden debris in the leaf pile.
City crews will do their best to keep to the schedule; however, be aware that such things as severe inclement weather or equipment breakdowns do occur, and we sometimes fall behind.
If you have questions, call 330-263-5275 Monday - Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
HALLOWEEN MESSAGE
Trick or Treat
TheCityofWoosterisencouragingallneighborhoodtrick‐or‐treateventswithincitylimitstobescheduledbetween4PM and8PMonSaturday,October25th.
TheCityhasalsofoundthatmanyneighborhoodspreferto establishtheirowntrick‐or‐treateventsaroundtheholiday. WewillcontinuetokeepalistontheCity'swebsiteoflocal
