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Record of Proceedings

Veterans Advisory Commission Meeting - February 3, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyGreen, Ohio
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 18:46

Original source
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0:11

All right.

0:12

Good afternoon.

0:13

Let's go ahead and call this officially to order.

0:17

And if you please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:24

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:32

One nation under God.

0:34

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:41

Thank you.

0:42

Roll call, please.

0:44

Sure.

0:45

Mr.

0:46

Mickelson.

0:46

Here.

0:47

Mr.

0:47

Sinopoli.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Mr.

0:50

Seffical.

0:51

Here.

0:52

Mr.

0:52

Hughes?

0:52

Here.

0:53

And Mr.

0:53

Burgess.

0:54

Here.

0:54

Okay.

0:56

All right.

0:57

Did everybody get a chance to look at the minutes from the last meeting?

1:01

Yes.

1:05

Motion to approve.

1:06

Second.

1:07

Everybody else approved, say aye.

1:10

Aye.

1:10

Aye.

1:10

All right.

1:16

All right.

1:18

We got some citizens that would like to make some comments.

1:21

So Val, if you would like to step up.

1:29

Evening everyone.

1:30

I'm Valerie Wolford Communications Manager for the City of Green.

1:33

And I just wanted to let everybody here know and help us promote.

1:38

We are now selling veterans' banners for the Veterans Park.

1:42

We have 16 banners that we sell.

1:45

This is the third year.

1:49

If you live in green, you can nominate or you can have somebody's photo put on the banner.

1:56

Or somebody that lived in green.

1:58

So if say my parents were not green residents, but my father was a veteran.

2:05

I could put I could buy a banner and put him on it because I am a green resident.

2:10

And if the reverse was I didn't live in the city and my parents lived in the city, I could put my father on the banner because he lived in the city of Green or lives in the City of Green.

2:19

So they're a hundred dollars each for the banners.

2:24

We put them up before Memorial Day and they stay up through Veterans Day.

2:28

And they are on the walking path around the park.

2:31

So we are also, this is also the time of year that we sell the bricks because we put them in.

2:38

If you get your bricks uh ordered by uh March 31st, they'll be in installed for Memorial Day.

2:45

If you get them in by September 30th, they're installed by Veterans Day.

2:49

So we just want to remind people that a variety of bricks are available also for a fee.

2:53

All of this is on our website.

2:55

Um and you can purchase them through the website.

2:58

So any questions?

2:59

If you could help us promote last year, we had we only sold 11 of the banners, so it would be nice if we could sell all of them.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Veterans Affairs█████████████████████████████████████████████86%
Procedural█████9%
Community Engagement███5%
Summary of Proceedings

Veterans Advisory Commission Meeting - February 3, 2026

The Veterans Advisory Commission of Green, Ohio met on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 5:02 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered routine approvals, a nomination for the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, plans for veteran-friendly business recognition, Memorial Day preparations, and a new community outreach event.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (TMP-5225): The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the January 6, 2026 meeting. Motion by Commissioner Suffecool, seconded by Commissioner Burgess, carried 5–0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Valerie Wolford, Communications Manager: Announced that the city is selling veteran banners ($100 each) for Veterans Park, displayed from Memorial Day to Veterans Day. She also reminded that brick pavers are available for purchase, with deadlines of March 31 for Memorial Day installation and September 30 for Veterans Day installation. Council Liaison Justin Speight requested a link to the banner purchase page on the Veterans Advisory Commission website.

Discussion Items

  • Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Nomination (Unfinished Business): Chair Hughes stated the commission selected a nominee but cannot disclose the name until the governor’s office notifies the veteran if selected. City Liaison Mike Elkins explained the eligibility criteria: post-military achievements, Ohio residency, honorable discharge, good moral character, and significant contributions at local/state/national levels. Hughes will serve as the point person for the nomination form, with assistance from Elkins and Speight. The commission voted unanimously (5–0) to approve the nominee.
  • Veteran Friendly Businesses Project (Unfinished Business): The commission continued discussions on creating a decal or plaque for businesses to display their veteran-friendly status, including offering discounts or donations to veteran charities. Commissioner Suffecool reported that his daughter is working on five design options to review before the next meeting. Chair Hughes emphasized the goal of launching the program before Memorial Day.
  • Military Wreaths for Memorial Day (Unfinished Business): Commissioner Suffecool explained that the Air Force JROTC boosters offered to use funds they intended to donate to the commission to purchase reusable wreaths for Memorial Day. The commission agreed this was an appropriate use of the donation.
  • Veterans Outing (New Business): Chair Hughes reported that Kittles restaurant has offered to host a veterans outreach event/dinner. The commission plans to meet with Kittles to finalize details, aiming for an evening event on a Thursday or Friday to maximize attendance. The goal is to connect veterans with resources and raise awareness of the Veterans Advisory Commission.
  • Battle of the Slice (New Business): This community event on February 28, 2026 (11:00 AM – 6:00 PM) replaces the former Celebration of Education. The commission will host a table to distribute updated brochures and information. Valerie Wolford will provide an updated brochure with names removed for longer shelf life. The table will require staffing throughout the event, and volunteers are expected.
  • Memorial Day and 250th Anniversary of the Nation: Valerie Wolford asked whether the city’s 250th anniversary celebrations should be incorporated into Memorial Day events. The commission responded “no,” stating Memorial Day is dedicated to honoring military service members and their sacrifices, and should not be merged with other celebrations.
  • Parade Flags: The commission discussed the need for at least 1,000 American flags to distribute during the Memorial Day parade (up from 500 last year, which ran out early). Recording Secretary Nichole Messner will order the flags. The commission also sought volunteers to ride in an old military vehicle to assist with flag distribution.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes from the January 6 meeting (5–0).
  • Approved the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame nominee (5–0); name withheld pending official notification.
  • Agreed to finalize the veteran-friendly business decal design and launch before Memorial Day.
  • Accepted the JROTC boosters’ offer to purchase Memorial Day wreaths.
  • Planned to meet with Kittles to schedule the veterans outreach event.
  • Secured a table at the Battle of the Slice (February 28) and will update commission brochures.
  • Decided not to combine Memorial Day with 250th anniversary celebrations.
  • Ordered at least 1,000 American flags for the Memorial Day parade.
  • Adjourned at 5:21 PM by unanimous vote (5–0).

Meeting Transcript

All right. Good afternoon. Let's go ahead and call this officially to order. And if you please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Roll call, please. Sure. Mr. Mickelson. Here. Mr. Sinopoli. Here. Mr. Seffical. Here. Mr. Hughes? Here. And Mr. Burgess. Here. Okay. All right. Did everybody get a chance to look at the minutes from the last meeting? Yes. Motion to approve. Second. Everybody else approved, say aye. Aye. Aye. All right. All right. We got some citizens that would like to make some comments. So Val, if you would like to step up. Evening everyone. I'm Valerie Wolford Communications Manager for the City of Green. And I just wanted to let everybody here know and help us promote. We are now selling veterans' banners for the Veterans Park. We have 16 banners that we sell. This is the third year. If you live in green, you can nominate or you can have somebody's photo put on the banner. Or somebody that lived in green. So if say my parents were not green residents, but my father was a veteran. I could put I could buy a banner and put him on it because I am a green resident. And if the reverse was I didn't live in the city and my parents lived in the city, I could put my father on the banner because he lived in the city of Green or lives in the City of Green. So they're a hundred dollars each for the banners.

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