(Posted Oct. 31, 2017)
By Kristy Zurbrick. Madison Editor
If all goes well, the city of London will receive over $1 million in state grant money to reconstruct Park Avenue.
On Oct. 23, city council gave Mayor Patrick Closser the green light to apply for a grant and loan through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC). If approved, the grant would cover $1,139,367 of the project cost. A zero-percent 30-year loan would cover the remaining $262,678.
London already has the backing of its district for the project. The state awards OPWC funding by district; the state is divided into multiple districts. City leaders should know by the end of this year whether or not they received the funding. If granted, the money would be available next summer, said Joe Mosier, London’s safety-services director.
In addition to road reconstruction, the project would include installation of sidewalks along Park Avenue, including a wide multi-purpose path running alongside Cowling Park.
In other action, council approved the transfer of $14,635 from the salaries line in the parks and recreation fund to the department’s program supplies line. Originally, the money was budgeted to hire a part-time pool employee. The position was not filled, so Tammy Braskett, parks and recreation director, requested that the money be made available for programs and supplies.
Closser reported that Aaron Garrett, a former Madison County resident, has nearly completed a film he shot primarily in London. Garrett hopes to premier the film, titled “Madison,” at the State Theater in London sometime soon.
To promote the movie, Garrett is selling t-shirts featuring the film’s logo for $5 each. He’s asking anyone who buys a shirt to post a photo of themselves wearing it on social media, Closser said. The shirts can be purchased at the mayor’s office, 6 E. Second St., the State Theater, 67 S. Main St., or Casey’s Carry Out, 123 S. Main St.
