News November 2018

Put-in-Bay News November 2018

Village Council News November 2018

Put-in-Bay Village Council dealt with several issues recently and in the November 2018 meeting. One of the first decisions was to make Anne Auger the acting Village Administrator since Glenn Basting was off on medical leave. Shortly afterward, the Village Council voted to remove Basting from the position permanently. No specific cause was given, but under Basting’s tenure, the Put-in-Bay Water Dept. received multiple violations from the EPA. You may remember reading about this issue in the October 2018 Diary.

To help with the Water Dept.’s situation, Council voted to hire Mr. Darrel Blanchard, a Class IV operator with years of experience, to help correct the EPA violation issues. Good progress has been made in doing so. Later in the month, it also hired back Dave Dezeeuw, the water department’s former operator. Dave has the Class III license needed to be the operator of the record for the plant.

Council also approved hiring former Village Administrator Doug Knauer on an as-needed basis to work on the sewer impact fees and fill in at the water plant. The Council did not approve a zoning request from Tracy Schork to rezone her property on Doller Ave. to heavy commercial. Put-in-Bay Police Chief Steve Riddle requested promotions and salary increases for some of his officers. He is looking for a replacement for Officer Woodside who recently announced he would be leaving the department for a position on the mainland in November 2018

Council allocated $160 for Wreaths Across America, a program putting wreaths on the grave sites of veterans in all the islands’ cemeteries. There was a Mayor’s proclamation to make September 30th Ray Fogg, Jr. Day. Spending on winter fuel for the police department and the utility department was approved. There was also a discussion about the proposed ozone project at the water plant, plus a waterline to the mainland. Council heard a presentation about a proposed Cell and Internet Service to begin operating at Put-in-Bay, which was reported in the August 2018 Diary.

Louise Titchener Receives Literary Prize

Louise Titchener of Shore Villas recently returned from the Florida Writers Association Conference in Orlando. At the exciting weekend capped by an awards dinner, she was delighted that her Oliver Redcastle historical mystery won the second-place award in its mixed-genre Royal Palm Literary Award Competition category.

She stated she hoped to be carried off the stage on the shoulders of a dozen handsome NFL quarterbacks and fed champagne and chocolate on a bed of roses, but that didn’t happen. She did get a fabulous chocolate dessert–a chocolate Aladdin’s lamp stuffed with raspberry mousse. You can’t beat that!

Best wishes for good health go out to Bob “Werty” Wertenbach from Thompson Rd., Mike Buttrey, who was hospitalized for heart issues, and to Gary Lockwood from the Red Moon Saloon, who was injured with friends when a huge rock fell on him.

Chris Joyce from the Senior Center will miss a few days on the job due to knee surgery in November. We wish her well and say, “Hurry back soon!” Stay tuned to Senior Center News for more information.

Top Honors to Jet Express

Jet Express brought home top honors for its Digital Marketing Campaign at the annual Ohio Travel Association’s Conference on Tourism for the second year in a row. Jet Express received the Ruby Award for Digital Marketing and the Citation of Excellence for Radio Advertising.

Road Race Reunion

The 2019 Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion has tentatively been scheduled for September 24th through 27th, with racing on Wednesday and Thursday the 25th and 26th. You’d better start getting your engines warmed up all you island racers.

Kid Rock concert will test the system

On Saturday, Oct. 20th, the Put-in-Bay Twp. Port Authority held a public meeting to discuss the Kid Rock concert scheduled for the end of next August at the Put-in-Bay Airport. With reports of the show being sold out, with 14,500 tickets being sold, the concert will be a test as to whether such a crowd can be accommodated and served. Promoter Tim Niese was at the meeting, and he told the members of the PA board that about 9,500 fans attended the Toby Keith concert and that this year’s show with Rascal Flatts only drew about 7,500.

The Kid Rock concert will add about 50% more people to the mix than the Toby Keith concert. Mark Mathys from the Put-in-Bay Visitors And Convention Bureau estimates around 4,000 beds for those who want to spend that night on the island. That leaves about 10,500 people who need transportation back to the mainland when the concert ends at 10 p.m. Other topics concerned security, weather events, and on-island transportation with Put-in-Bay Golf Carts.

Having been involved in two shows already, Niese seemed confident about handling any issues that might arise. To date, the Port Authority must still get permission from the FAA to close the airport for the concert. So far, the FAA has approved the closure for the first two concerts and will likely support the Kid Rock one in 2019 in the November 2018 meeting. The Port Authority makes more than $30,000 from each concert as was reported in Put-in-Bay News August 2018 edition.

Put-in-Bay Celebrates Veterans Day

Locals gathered this Veterans day to celebrate those Lake Erie Islanders and Put-in-Bay Residents who served in wars. The American Legion put on the flag Ceremony.