The City of Vandalia Council met at 7:00 PM on May 20, 2024, to approve routine items, hear public comment on a proposed hotel and a golf course restaurant management plan, and vote on several resolutions and ordinances. Key actions included awarding a bid for the Art Park Amphitheater, authorizing ODOT agreements for road and bikeway projects, and approving note issuances for land acquisition and fire apparatus.
The May 20th, 2024 City of Vandalia Council meeting is now called to order. We'll start with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Please stand for the pledge. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty, justice for all. You've had an opportunity to review the study session minutes and the meeting minutes of May 6, along with the council retreat minutes of May 8th. Are there any comments or corrections? Being none, they stand approved, and that brings us to communications petitions and award. And we have a proclamation for our public works department. So if you can join me at the podium. See what I mean? Whereas these infrastructures, facilities, and services could not be provided without dedicated efforts of public works professionals who are engineers, managers, and employees at all levels of government and of the private sector, who are responsible for rebuilding, improving and protecting our nation's transportation, water supply, water treatment, public buildings, and other structures and facilities essential to our citizens. Whereas it is in the public's interest for the citizens, civic leaders, and children of Vandalia to gain knowledge of and maintain an ongoing interest and understanding of the importance of public works and public works programs in our community. And whereas the year 2024 marks the 64th annual National Public Works Week sponsored by the American Public Works Association. Now, therefore, I, Richard Herbst, by the authority vested in me as the mayor of the City of Vandalia, do hereby proclaim May 19th through the 25th, 2024 as National Public Works Week. Congratulations. Say hello, give a smile. So if you happen to see out there doing their job, please thank them for their for their work and their service. Thank you. We certainly do appreciate them because I don't think there's any resident in the city of Vandalia. Does that just drive by them in sub zero temperatures while they're trying to fix a water main break, thinking, oh my god, that's the last place I want to be right now. So we do appreciate that. Thanks. You all try to read that. All right, next we have. Oops, sorry, let me turn my mic on. Next we have the introduction of an assistant public works superintendent. Ms. Went. Thank you very much, Your Honor. If Mr. J.R. Fulton, if you just go ahead and stand up, I really appreciate you coming out tonight. JR started with us on May 6th. He took over as the assistant public works superintendent when Mr. Hazlit was promoted after Mr. Richie's retirement. Mr. Fulton, one of the things that sticks out from the first interview that I had with him, which was when he interviewed to be a public works technician some months back. He he mentioned that in his entire career he's always been promoted. That's correct. He's been in operating and maintenance technician with Veolia, where at some point he had worked with Mr. Hazlit, and Mr. Hazelick got an idea of JR's work ethic. He'd been a sales specialist at Lowe's uh cable technician and subcontractor with Direct TV and operations manager at Lowe's and a co-manager at 84 Lumber. And so with all of that combined experience, it's easy to see that not only does he master different bodies of information, but also uh that also he he's pretty handy. Another thing about Mr. Fulton is that uh he's a Navy veteran and uh like many of some of our best employees uh served in the Navy, just like Mrs. Swartz. Um, and so he also uh is an electronics technician through Belmont Technical College, and so th those are some of his qualifications.