BUILDING PROJECT Council OKs van, company

Employees will begin to pay for part of their health insurance.
BY MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- Plans for remodeling of the village building here are moving forward.
At its Monday meeting, New Middletown Village Council authorized hiring Thomas Fok & amp; Associates, Youngstown, to design specifications for the remodeling project. They will be paid $12,000. The remodeling project is expected to cost $120,000, and part of the funding will come from the $60,000 the village expects to receive from Mahoning County sales tax receipts this year. Mayor Robert Carson said the project will bring the building into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, as well as make police space more functional. The police department has grown in the past 10 years from a department dispatched out of the police chief's house to a full-time department.
Also Monday, council learned that the village's four full-time employees have agreed for the first time to pay for part of their hospitalization insurance. Carson said that employees will pay $500 a year for a single and $1,000 a family for Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield coverage. Clerk Carl Flitcraft Jr. said this means that the township will only pay a total $100 per year increase in hospitalization insurance, a substantial savings over the expected increase had the employees not agreed to the contribution. Effective date is June 1.
Used van purchase
Council also agreed to buy a used van for the school liaison officer because the purchase is cheaper than repairing the old van. They agreed to buy a 1993 Ford Aerostar van from Welsh Motors, New Springfield, for $1,405. The current van needs a $1,700 transmission repair and is two years older. The van will have to be marked after purchase, but council members said the purchase would still save money. Council member Ruth Miller abstained from the motion because her husband is employed at Welsh.
Police Chief Bill Morvay announced that the village will hold its annual "National Night Out celebration" on Aug. 3, with the parade beginning at 6:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to be in the parade should call him or Sgt. Ken Goist at (330) 542-2846.
Council also learned that an exterminator had to be called into the village building this week to get rid of birds in the ceiling and to spray for mites brought in by the birds. Morvay said there has been a problem with birds for the past five years, but the mites are a new problem. He said he will get a price on sealing the roof to prevent future problems.
It was noted that the new basketball court at Welker Park should be open by the weekend. The new parking lot on the side of the village building is also ready for use.