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Village Administrator I am very proud to introduce Greg Sturgill as the new Village Administrator. Since moving to the village in 1995 Greg has been a very active member of the community. He currently serves as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission as well as treasurer of the Museum Board. Greg is also a long-time member of the Library Board. As you may recall Greg begin serving all of us in the village office 4 years ago volunteering to scan and upload all Village documents, a task that to this day requires several hours a week to keep up with. Greg is retired from Columbus City Schools where he worked in IT for most of his life in the position of Systems Analyst. He now feels he is ready for a new challenge working for the village as Village Administrator. Beginning January 3rd, the Village office will be open from 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday or by appointment. Water Billing I think for the most part the transition to the new billing system went smooth, however there have been some instances of over billing and payments not being applied. There have also been some cases of payments not being received by the village, I can’t take credit for all of that as we received a phone call from the city of West Alexandria, letting us know they put some bill payments back in the mail that were somehow delivered to them. You residents have been great at letting us know when there are problems. I always advise people to pay what you know is your normal bill and to put a note with the payment explaining why you removed the penalty portion that was improperly applied, or didn’t pay the full $13,000 the system thought you owed. : ) Greg hit the ground running to repair all these issues and ensure that we are properly billing! This month’s water bill, January 2022 will be an estimate. Greg is taking the entire system offline to go through every address one by one and ensure that each address is properly entered and programmed in the system. In addition, he has created a village email address for our water clerk Jaclynn Randolph. You can direct water billing questions to voa.waterclerk@outlook.com, or leave a message at the village office 740-924-ALEX (2539) which Greg will return Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 1 to 5: PM. Maintenance Person / Equipment Mike Atwood a fulltime employee of KCeps auto repair accepted our part-time position as maintenance person. Mike owned a landscape business for 15 years and brings a lot of knowledge of street and landscape work. At this time, we can only afford to pay him for 10 hours a week but that is 10 hours a week you will not see this old man plowing and mowing, and I am sure he will do a better job! I know you are all aware of the fiasco when we couldn’t get the 20-year-old village truck running to pick up leaves. That was annoying, but to have someone injured because we couldn’t plow snow is not acceptable in any way! To ensure this doesn’t happen we purchased a new plow truck. We were able to do this through the state bid process and municipal financing which does not require any payment until December 2022. So, when you see a young man plowing snow this winter in a new truck, know that he is part of team Alexandria! Here is to a great 2022 for all of us! Sincerely: Mayor Jim Jasper Village of Alexandria Voa.mayor@outlook.com 740-739-0698 
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Leaves
The leaf equipment is almost ready, I am hoping to finish up in the next few days and began leaf pickup early next week. This is a difficult time of year as once you set the truck up for leaves you can’t use it for anything else, and the setup is quite a chore. With that in mind we wait until there are a good amount of leaves on the ground then get them as quick as we can. because in as short time we have to switch into snow removal. However, it’s safe to start raking your leaves, get them as close to the curb as possible, or near or in a driveway if we can back the truck into them. Leaves - Part 2 (November 9, 2021) The leaf equipment is ready and running, however when we pulled the truck out last Saturday to begin pickup the transmission on the old town truck went out. Our friends at KCeps are trying to expedite repair to the truck and I have been looking for someone to pick up what is raked out asap. I haven’t had any luck yet; I have a call into Mr. Hardy, if you know of anyone else that might be interested, please let me know. Crosswalk I had a meeting earlier this week with O.D.O.T. engineers just to be certain that we can’t get any help from the State on our crosswalk issues. While they couldn’t offer any assistance at this time, they witnessed our concerns firsthand and agreed to take our problem back to the table and see if they could find a way to help. Crosswalk/Bus 67 I also had a meeting this week with Northridge School Treasurer/Transportation Director, Britt Lewis and Transportation Supervisor, Travis Walton. After carefully reviewing all the concerns and options we agreed that the safest solution for now is to pick the students up on Main Street at the crosswalk. Beginning Monday Morning November 08, 2021, students should not cross Main Street until the school bus arrives. If you live South of Main Street have your student wait on the South side of Main Street at the crosswalk. If you live on the North (Library) side have your student wait on the library side near the crosswalk, the bus will not turn in front of the library. Bus 67 will stop on Main Street ahead of the crosswalk at the regular time. After the bus driver has made certain that traffic in all directions has completely stopped, the bus driver will motion the students to cross the street and board the bus. The students do not step into the street until they see the bus driver signal that it’s safe to cross. It’s easier than I made it sound and the students are taught the procedure, the entire loading or unloading process takes less than a minute. School Buses are the safest form of transportation today and we practice and train to make sure that our students are safe getting on and off the bus and during their ride to and from school. Veteran's Day - November 11, 2021 I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our veterans! Freedom isn’t free, the cost to our veteran’s is high, in too many cases they pay with their lives. Thank you is never enough for the sacrifices you had to make, but please know that you are appreciated and will never be forgotten. Enjoy this beautiful fall weather! Mayor, Jim Jasper. Village of Alexandria 740-739-0698 Please share this with any friends or neighbors that may not receive this alert. If you know of anyone that would like to receive alerts or be removed from them email me at voa.mayor@outlook.com Active Shooter, those words strike terror in everyone’s heart, especially if you have children or grandchildren in school. We believe that we are safe out here in the sticks, we believe that our children are safe at our little school in the middle of nowhere, and we are. We are because the people we trust to keep us safe, know that we are not, and they plan for the worst. I am proud to share that our Licking County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Northridge Local School District and the Village of Alexandria will be conducting extensive Single Officer Response to Active Threats, or S.O.R.A.T. training here in Alexandria. Beginning Monday November 1 ,2021 Licking County Sheriff Deputies and various other local agencies will be training at the old Northridge Primary school building. It will be a 3-week training course from 7:AM to Midnight specifically designed to give officers the skills needed to respond to an active threat in a school. During this time expect to see emergency response vehicles and unmarked vehicles arriving at the old elementary school. We will hear gun shots as officers undergo extensive training with special non-lethal paintball type training weapons. I am very grateful to the Sheriffs Office for undergoing this training and the Northridge School District for making the building available, we will all be safer because of it.
Mayor, Jim Jasper. Village of Alexandria 740-739-0698 I think most of you have heard of our problems getting people to stop for the children crossing Main Street at the library. Some may have noticed the Stop signs we put in the street which did help, until they were ran over. We are working on funding to put up lighted stop signs at the crosswalk. In the meanwhile, I have mounted holders and crossing flags on both sides of the crosswalk. If you would help teach our young people to hold a flag in front of them to get motorist attention, once all vehicles have stopped, carry the flag across the street and put it in the holder on the opposite side of the road. I believe for the most part that drivers do not notice the pedestrians waiting to cross, I hope that by calling attention to them with the flags it will make them safer.
Mayor, Jim Jasper. Village of Alexandria 740-739-0698 Dirty Dawg’s BBQ!
Is coming to Alexandria sometime this August! They will have a wide range of sandwiches with all the traditional sides plus a few of their own, as well as ICE CREAM! They will initially serve from their food truck while they build deck for patio seating around the existing building (formerly The Village Taco) at 7 East Main St. Their 3-year plan is to build a sit-down restaurant next to the former Village Taco on the corner of S Liberty and E Main St and turn the original Taco building into an ice cream stand. I will see you there for the Grand Opening! Water Project As you can see the water distribution repair is nearly completed. They have a few more meters to install and some landscaping to finish up on and that phase of the work will be complete. We had originally hoped to run water to our park as part of the project, but the bid was so tight we didn’t think we would be able to do that. TLV Services managed to complete the main part of the project with enough money left to complete the water line to the park. This will make it possible sometime in the future to construct a modern concession stand with all the amenities at Parkers Park! We are finishing up the program phase of the system and hope to begin actual billing July 1 for the August bill. Hopefully there will never again be an estimated bill. Regular Scheduled Council Meetings and Village Office Hours Resume June 15th at 7:PM in the Village Building at 4 West Main Street and will continue the third Tuesday of each month. The public is welcome, face coverings are up to everyone’s discretion. The village office will be open to the public Monday’s from 1:30-4:30 beginning August 16, 2021. Help Wanted, Maintenance The Village of Alexandria is looking for a part-time multi skilled maintenance person. Plumbing and electrical experience is a plus, snow plowing, and leaf removal will be required. As well as standard building maintenance, painting, drywall, and such. Any street maintenance experience would be a definite asset. Must be able to lift and carry 50 lb. bags of salt or cold patch. Must have a valid driver license and be able to pass a criminal background check as well as drug and alcohol test. This will be a 10 hour a week position at $18.00 per hour. The Village of Alexandria is an equal opportunity employer. Alexandria Fun Days July 15, 16 & 17 Thursday July 15 4:00PM Sparkling up for Little Miss Fun Days @ The Village Spa 5:00-10:PM Inflatables/Games/Rides Senior Citizen activities under the tent 4-H Band 6:30 PM Little Miss Fun Days check in @ Main Stage 8:00-10:00 PM Barefoot McCoy @ Main Stage 8:00 PM Kids Demo Derby @ Church Lawn Friday July 16 4:00 PM Tractor weigh-ins 5:00-10:PM Inflatables/Games/Rides 6:PM Tractor Pull @ Main Stage 6:00-8:PM Gene Perrine under the tent 9:PM Karaoke under the tent Saturday July 17 10:AM Parade Line-up @ Reeves Farms and Martin Trucking 11:AM Parade will travel East on Main Street and end on Granville St at Depot St. 1:PM Ice Cream Eating Contest under the tent 2:PM Still in the planning 4:PM Kids Pedal Pull @ Main Stage 5:00-10:PM Inflatables/Games/Rides 5:PM Cornhole behind Alexandria Primary 6:PM Jersey Pullers @ Main Stage 6:PM Egg Toss @ Church Lawn 8:00-11:00 PM These Guys Live @ Main Stage Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper Memorial Day Service With this being the last year for the primary school in Alexandria, I am very excited to share that we are working on having the memorial service in the cemetery this year. It is always a moving service, with the veterans providing a flag ceremony and the school children placing flags on the graves of the veterans no longer with us. Thinking about this being the last year for the school I came to realize that I had the honor of being the first one to turn on the school zone lights when we installed them during my 2004 term as mayor. It’s kind of sad to know that I will be the last one to turn them off during my current term. |
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| alexandria_news_april__2021.docx |
ORC 737.15 Appointment of Village Marshal.
Each village shall have a marshal, designated chief of police, appointed by the mayor…
The preceding is a direct quote from the Ohio Revised Code. It is in fact one of a Village Mayor’s first obligations. I know most of our residents are hoping that this appointment grows into a working Police Department and I promised 3 years ago to do my best to make that happen. Given the fact that my father helped create the Village’s first Police Department back in the 60’s, I felt duty bound to help create the Village’s last one. As with everything else Council and I have worked to implement, it is our intention to set up a police department in a manner that should insure its continued existence. There is a lot of groundwork to create a new police department in a Village that has never had one or has disbanded one. The trick has been to work towards establishing a police department with minimal public funds. Dan Bunting, our Chief, purchased a cruiser and donated it to the Village to help towards that goal. It doesn’t have a radar or radio in it, however, it can be used for traffic control and other emergencies and the Village provides insurance to make that possible. Other than that, and a portable radio, it has been our intention not to expend Village funds until we could begin patrolling. We knew this would be a challenge with equipment needs, a magistrate, clerk of courts and police personnel. It is my hope that when we do our annual appropriations in the near future, Council will be able to appropriate the necessary funds to launch a Police Department. I need to make very clear, “this is my hope”. I can’t promise anything until Council puts pen to paper and crunches the numbers. However, the Boy Scout in me always strives to be prepared and hope for the best. I am very proud to share with you that last week I swore in Chief Bunting’s first recruit, Sergeant Josh Weaver. Josh retired recently from the Ohio Highway Patrol with over twenty years of service, most recently as a motorcycle officer. Josh and I actually led our Fundays parade on motorcycles in 2006 during my former Mayor term. Josh brings a lot of expertise, skill and experience to our department! We are currently looking at another recruitment that will probably be sworn in by the time this letter reaches you. This leaves the equipment dilemma - to control the speed of traffic we must have a calibrated and certified radar. The solution to the dilemma came from the Village of Kirkersville! A couple of weeks ago Kirkersville Mayor, Terry Ashcraft, called to see if we were still trying to reinstate a police department and if we could use a police cruiser? He called again as I was typing this letter to let me know that Kirkersville Council agreed unanimously to donate a fully equipped police cruiser to the Village of Alexandria! Kirkersville Police Chief Jason Harget (formerly an Alexandria Police Officer) is planning to personally deliver the cruiser. I can’t wait to reunite with Chief Jason Harget and accept Kirkersville’s generous donation!
The car has been well maintained, the radar recently calibrated and certified, so we need only put our name on it, a radio in it and we are ready to patrol! Marshall Bunting and Sergeant Weaver intend to build this department from scratch and go back to the basics. Protect and Serve “everyone,” high visibility and community interaction. The new department’s uniforms will be a lot less tactical and a little more country. Not to imply that our officers won’t have the equipment and the training to protect themselves and us, because they will. We plan to introduce our department (again if we have the resources to fund it) softly. That is plenty of notice, high visibility and warnings, if reasonable.
Alexandria Mayor, Warren Young (Bud)
After 27 years in the Village, most of it in service of the Village, Bud and Betsy Young have decided to move into a country home just outside of the Village. I got to know Betsy and Bud for the wonderful people they are when Bud served as Mayor of the Village from 2000 to 2004. Betsy has managed the Village’s oldest hair salon, Hair Remedies, for as long as I can remember, and I believe will continue to do so. Bud has served as Mayor, council person, park board, planning and zoning commission, to name a few. He also found time to remodel a couple of houses in the Village as well as build, manage and operate the world-renowned Ragamuffin’s Coffee. Bud and his family will be missed, even though they are right outside of town. No longer being a resident, Bud has resigned his council seat. Anyone that would like an opportunity to fill the empty council seat should submit a letter of interest to any council member. To be a council member you must be a registered voter and have been a resident of the Village for at least one year.
Save our School
I enjoyed a very promising meeting this evening with Northridge Superintendent Scott Schmidt, Ed Bohren from the Buckeye Valley Family YMCA, Dave Bibler from The Licking County Aging program, Jean Morrison, St. Albans Township Trustee and the head of our committee Jeff Mitchell. There was a tour of the Alexandria Primary School followed by a round table discussion (socially distanced and masked of course). A lot of interest was expressed in forming a partnership between this group to maintain the new portion of the building for the use of the community. Thanks to everyone that took the time to fill out and return the survey expressing the community’s desire to preserve the school building. I also need to thank Jeff Mitchell; he has put a lot of time and energy into bringing us to this point and if we are successful in saving the building it will be due to Jeff’s hard work. Also, a huge thank you to Superintend Scott Schmidt who also put an incredible amount of time and effort into the project. In addition, I would like to welcome Scott and his wife Erin to our Village. They purchased Bud and Betsy’s West Main Street home and are currently in the process of moving in!
Santa Claus
Special thanks to the St. Albans Fire Department, the Fire Association and Mike Smith for bringing Santa Claus to town! You were very much appreciated by young and old alike!
Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper
Each village shall have a marshal, designated chief of police, appointed by the mayor…
The preceding is a direct quote from the Ohio Revised Code. It is in fact one of a Village Mayor’s first obligations. I know most of our residents are hoping that this appointment grows into a working Police Department and I promised 3 years ago to do my best to make that happen. Given the fact that my father helped create the Village’s first Police Department back in the 60’s, I felt duty bound to help create the Village’s last one. As with everything else Council and I have worked to implement, it is our intention to set up a police department in a manner that should insure its continued existence. There is a lot of groundwork to create a new police department in a Village that has never had one or has disbanded one. The trick has been to work towards establishing a police department with minimal public funds. Dan Bunting, our Chief, purchased a cruiser and donated it to the Village to help towards that goal. It doesn’t have a radar or radio in it, however, it can be used for traffic control and other emergencies and the Village provides insurance to make that possible. Other than that, and a portable radio, it has been our intention not to expend Village funds until we could begin patrolling. We knew this would be a challenge with equipment needs, a magistrate, clerk of courts and police personnel. It is my hope that when we do our annual appropriations in the near future, Council will be able to appropriate the necessary funds to launch a Police Department. I need to make very clear, “this is my hope”. I can’t promise anything until Council puts pen to paper and crunches the numbers. However, the Boy Scout in me always strives to be prepared and hope for the best. I am very proud to share with you that last week I swore in Chief Bunting’s first recruit, Sergeant Josh Weaver. Josh retired recently from the Ohio Highway Patrol with over twenty years of service, most recently as a motorcycle officer. Josh and I actually led our Fundays parade on motorcycles in 2006 during my former Mayor term. Josh brings a lot of expertise, skill and experience to our department! We are currently looking at another recruitment that will probably be sworn in by the time this letter reaches you. This leaves the equipment dilemma - to control the speed of traffic we must have a calibrated and certified radar. The solution to the dilemma came from the Village of Kirkersville! A couple of weeks ago Kirkersville Mayor, Terry Ashcraft, called to see if we were still trying to reinstate a police department and if we could use a police cruiser? He called again as I was typing this letter to let me know that Kirkersville Council agreed unanimously to donate a fully equipped police cruiser to the Village of Alexandria! Kirkersville Police Chief Jason Harget (formerly an Alexandria Police Officer) is planning to personally deliver the cruiser. I can’t wait to reunite with Chief Jason Harget and accept Kirkersville’s generous donation!
The car has been well maintained, the radar recently calibrated and certified, so we need only put our name on it, a radio in it and we are ready to patrol! Marshall Bunting and Sergeant Weaver intend to build this department from scratch and go back to the basics. Protect and Serve “everyone,” high visibility and community interaction. The new department’s uniforms will be a lot less tactical and a little more country. Not to imply that our officers won’t have the equipment and the training to protect themselves and us, because they will. We plan to introduce our department (again if we have the resources to fund it) softly. That is plenty of notice, high visibility and warnings, if reasonable.
Alexandria Mayor, Warren Young (Bud)
After 27 years in the Village, most of it in service of the Village, Bud and Betsy Young have decided to move into a country home just outside of the Village. I got to know Betsy and Bud for the wonderful people they are when Bud served as Mayor of the Village from 2000 to 2004. Betsy has managed the Village’s oldest hair salon, Hair Remedies, for as long as I can remember, and I believe will continue to do so. Bud has served as Mayor, council person, park board, planning and zoning commission, to name a few. He also found time to remodel a couple of houses in the Village as well as build, manage and operate the world-renowned Ragamuffin’s Coffee. Bud and his family will be missed, even though they are right outside of town. No longer being a resident, Bud has resigned his council seat. Anyone that would like an opportunity to fill the empty council seat should submit a letter of interest to any council member. To be a council member you must be a registered voter and have been a resident of the Village for at least one year.
Save our School
I enjoyed a very promising meeting this evening with Northridge Superintendent Scott Schmidt, Ed Bohren from the Buckeye Valley Family YMCA, Dave Bibler from The Licking County Aging program, Jean Morrison, St. Albans Township Trustee and the head of our committee Jeff Mitchell. There was a tour of the Alexandria Primary School followed by a round table discussion (socially distanced and masked of course). A lot of interest was expressed in forming a partnership between this group to maintain the new portion of the building for the use of the community. Thanks to everyone that took the time to fill out and return the survey expressing the community’s desire to preserve the school building. I also need to thank Jeff Mitchell; he has put a lot of time and energy into bringing us to this point and if we are successful in saving the building it will be due to Jeff’s hard work. Also, a huge thank you to Superintend Scott Schmidt who also put an incredible amount of time and effort into the project. In addition, I would like to welcome Scott and his wife Erin to our Village. They purchased Bud and Betsy’s West Main Street home and are currently in the process of moving in!
Santa Claus
Special thanks to the St. Albans Fire Department, the Fire Association and Mike Smith for bringing Santa Claus to town! You were very much appreciated by young and old alike!
Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper
Watch for Santa on the Fire Truck from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on December 19th.
Local Business/Water Project
I am sure most people have seen TLV Services in town doing repairs to our water system
over the years, however I am not sure if everyone realizes that they are in fact a “Local Business”.
Their business is located at 4240 Morse Rd. Alexandria Ohio, 43001. In fact, if they were not a local
business with Alexandria ties and employees, they probably would not be doing this project. We
bid this project extremely tight; we wanted first-class long-lasting material installed at a fair price.
At least in our eyes we bid at a fair price, however we were so frugal no one would bid the project
at all. We met again with the engineers to figure out a way get our repairs finished without
changing our specifications or raising the cost of the project - I think everyone agrees that our
water bill is high enough. After meeting with the engineers and talking with the contractors that
picked up bid packets, we removed everything that wasn’t specifically repairs to the distribution
system, such as replacing the valves at the water tower, running water to the park - anything that
wasn’t a possible water leak was removed from the job description and then we resent the big
packets. Only TLV came to the bid meeting, they expressed that the work was going to be so close
to the maximum allowable bid that a contractor could lose money on the project. However, with
us having a long-term working relationship with TLV and being so close they were willing to try it.
I am sharing this again in response to some of the questions people have asked about the project.
They are trying to get as much work done as quickly as they can with as few workers as possible.
When you use public funds for a project you are required to pay prevailing wage to the workers. So
just by not using flaggers, it can save a tremendous amount of money. Doing as many as they can
as quickly as they can has also been good for the village. They have already found and repaired at
least a half dozen major leaks that we would possibly have never found. In addition to the repairs
they are running tracer wire so that in the future we will be able to find the service taps without all
of the digging. There is money in the project for asphalt repair rather than cold patch, I know the
speed bumps up main street are noisy, but it will get better. However, it will not be as good as it
was until the state paves again. There is also money in the project for landscape restoration - the
gravel around the pits protects the water lines and after it’s settled, they will fill the rest of the hole
with topsoil, seed and straw it.
Everyone should be prepared to be without water for a few hours during the work. TLV has been
doing this kind of work for a long time however when you are working close to a plastic water line
with big equipment there is always the possibility of a break in the main water line We should also
be prepared for a 24 to 48 hour boil alert in the event of an accident.
Floodplain Insurance
I know this is a major concern to our residents on Granville Street. Brett DeCenzo has spent
years trying to find a way to lower the cost and finally came across a company called Floodsmart
that saved him a considerable amount of money, and signing up was easy. They will only sign up
new customers as your current policy expires, so this is probably the time to start checking prices.
You can find them online at Floodsmart.com or 866-277-0055.
Creekstone Benefits
Another great local business that I only recently realized how helpful they truly are is
Creekstone Benefits. If you are lucky enough to make it to 65 years old you find yourself
bombarded with mail and email from Medicare, Medicaid, WellCare, Supplements A thru Z and I
don’t know what else. My solution was to throw it all way and plan not to get sick. That worked for
about a month before my wife found out and drug me (virtually) to Creekstone Benefits. They took
it from there, they treated me like they deal with grumpy stubborn old men every day, calm and
professional and signed me up for everything I needed. I do mean they signed me up for everything
I needed! I didn’t talk to anyone else; I didn’t fill anything out, Creekstone did everything. At which
point the grumpy old guy asked how much such an incredible service was going to cost? To my
total disbelief it was my favorite price, free! I literally did nothing, paid nothing and feel very secure
in my insurance coverage. Creekstone Benefits, 1400 Tharp Road Alexandria Ohio 43001,
(740) 967-0210. Tell them the grumpy old man sent you!
Notice to those of you who pay your water/sewer bills with a debit or credit card:
The process has not changed, but the name of the company has. The company name has
been changed from GovPay to AllPaid. I believe that for now the GovPay site is still working, but
you can go to allpaid.com to make payments going forward.
Covid 19
I have already lost two friends to the virus and fear I am losing another as I write this.
Others in town have lost friends and relatives. Please don’t let your guard down, the end is in sight.
Wear your mask, maintain a safe social distance and wash your hands. It isn’t expensive or difficult
and it makes people feel safer. After all it is the season of giving - have a great and safe Holiday
Season!
Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper
Local Business/Water Project
I am sure most people have seen TLV Services in town doing repairs to our water system
over the years, however I am not sure if everyone realizes that they are in fact a “Local Business”.
Their business is located at 4240 Morse Rd. Alexandria Ohio, 43001. In fact, if they were not a local
business with Alexandria ties and employees, they probably would not be doing this project. We
bid this project extremely tight; we wanted first-class long-lasting material installed at a fair price.
At least in our eyes we bid at a fair price, however we were so frugal no one would bid the project
at all. We met again with the engineers to figure out a way get our repairs finished without
changing our specifications or raising the cost of the project - I think everyone agrees that our
water bill is high enough. After meeting with the engineers and talking with the contractors that
picked up bid packets, we removed everything that wasn’t specifically repairs to the distribution
system, such as replacing the valves at the water tower, running water to the park - anything that
wasn’t a possible water leak was removed from the job description and then we resent the big
packets. Only TLV came to the bid meeting, they expressed that the work was going to be so close
to the maximum allowable bid that a contractor could lose money on the project. However, with
us having a long-term working relationship with TLV and being so close they were willing to try it.
I am sharing this again in response to some of the questions people have asked about the project.
They are trying to get as much work done as quickly as they can with as few workers as possible.
When you use public funds for a project you are required to pay prevailing wage to the workers. So
just by not using flaggers, it can save a tremendous amount of money. Doing as many as they can
as quickly as they can has also been good for the village. They have already found and repaired at
least a half dozen major leaks that we would possibly have never found. In addition to the repairs
they are running tracer wire so that in the future we will be able to find the service taps without all
of the digging. There is money in the project for asphalt repair rather than cold patch, I know the
speed bumps up main street are noisy, but it will get better. However, it will not be as good as it
was until the state paves again. There is also money in the project for landscape restoration - the
gravel around the pits protects the water lines and after it’s settled, they will fill the rest of the hole
with topsoil, seed and straw it.
Everyone should be prepared to be without water for a few hours during the work. TLV has been
doing this kind of work for a long time however when you are working close to a plastic water line
with big equipment there is always the possibility of a break in the main water line We should also
be prepared for a 24 to 48 hour boil alert in the event of an accident.
Floodplain Insurance
I know this is a major concern to our residents on Granville Street. Brett DeCenzo has spent
years trying to find a way to lower the cost and finally came across a company called Floodsmart
that saved him a considerable amount of money, and signing up was easy. They will only sign up
new customers as your current policy expires, so this is probably the time to start checking prices.
You can find them online at Floodsmart.com or 866-277-0055.
Creekstone Benefits
Another great local business that I only recently realized how helpful they truly are is
Creekstone Benefits. If you are lucky enough to make it to 65 years old you find yourself
bombarded with mail and email from Medicare, Medicaid, WellCare, Supplements A thru Z and I
don’t know what else. My solution was to throw it all way and plan not to get sick. That worked for
about a month before my wife found out and drug me (virtually) to Creekstone Benefits. They took
it from there, they treated me like they deal with grumpy stubborn old men every day, calm and
professional and signed me up for everything I needed. I do mean they signed me up for everything
I needed! I didn’t talk to anyone else; I didn’t fill anything out, Creekstone did everything. At which
point the grumpy old guy asked how much such an incredible service was going to cost? To my
total disbelief it was my favorite price, free! I literally did nothing, paid nothing and feel very secure
in my insurance coverage. Creekstone Benefits, 1400 Tharp Road Alexandria Ohio 43001,
(740) 967-0210. Tell them the grumpy old man sent you!
Notice to those of you who pay your water/sewer bills with a debit or credit card:
The process has not changed, but the name of the company has. The company name has
been changed from GovPay to AllPaid. I believe that for now the GovPay site is still working, but
you can go to allpaid.com to make payments going forward.
Covid 19
I have already lost two friends to the virus and fear I am losing another as I write this.
Others in town have lost friends and relatives. Please don’t let your guard down, the end is in sight.
Wear your mask, maintain a safe social distance and wash your hands. It isn’t expensive or difficult
and it makes people feel safer. After all it is the season of giving - have a great and safe Holiday
Season!
Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper
We have officially began picking up leaves, please rake your leaves as close to the curb as possible. There is no schedule, whenever you put them out, we will try to pick them up within a few days. Please try to keep the piles ”leaves only”, grass, rocks and sticks plug up the machine and wear out the old guy running it. : )
I will let you know when it is time to get the truck ready for winter and the pickup will be over.
I will let you know when it is time to get the truck ready for winter and the pickup will be over.
The water service repair project has finally begun and is moving well, we will be continuing up South Liberty Street tomorrow and then Mill Street.
Brookside Material’s donated a ton of gravel, well actually 50 TONS OF GRAVEL to fill in all our gravel street parking areas along Church and College Street. We hope to finish hauling that this week and begin picking up leaves beginning Monday October 19.
Beggars Night 2020
Goodness knows 2020 has not been a very kind year so far, aside from the illness and worse caused by the virus, I believe it has been particularly hard on our young people. In agreement with that sentiment a group of Mayors and Village managers met with the Licking County Health Department (LCHD) to find a way to safely offer Beggars Night (Trick or Treat). It was agreed that if possible, we would hold the event countywide on Thursday, October 29th from 5:30pm to 7pm.
Aligning the event in each community will reduce the comingling of communities, which may lead to an increase of COVID-19 cases. In addition, LCHD recommends:
More on the Water Project
Hopefully by the time this letter is received we will have updated some water service connections and have a good feel for how long the project will take and how it will go. We are starting on Church and College Street. I am not sure at this time where we will go from there - the best way to keep informed is to receive email updates. To be added to the list, email me at voa.mayor@outlook.com. Be prepared to be without water for a few hours when they get to your house. You will know they are getting close when you see OOPS marking gas lines in your area. I had mentioned in a previous letter that this might be a good time to update the water service line into your home. I have since realized that TLV does not do inside residential work. They could pull in the new water line; however, you would have to have a plumber at your house to make the inside connection. We have a couple local people that have done service replacements in the village. They did good work at a fair price. Robert Stiers 740-817-4343 and Donnie Scott 614-207-9777
Melvin De Vilbiss
I was honored last month with a visit from our Village’s founder Alexander Devilbiss “Great, Great, Great Grandson” Melvin De Vilbiss. We had originally planned for Melvin and his father, along
with other family members, to be here for our Alexandria Day celebration. However, like so many other events, the Covid made that impossible. The following is Melvin’s excellent notes on the day’s visit:
Had a terrific day today! I met some fascinating people in the town my great great great grandfather founded back in 1830 – Alexandria, OH. Of course, my great (x3) grandfather’s name was Alexander Devilbiss.
First, I met the town mayor, the Honorable Jim Jasper, who promptly took me to the nearest coffee shop where we would sit outside on the back porch getting acquainted while indulging in a delicious egg and sausage croissant.
I gave him a handmade book outlining the “Descendants of Alexander Devilbiss” using my direct lineage through William, Edson, Vern, Don and me. This book included the family tree beginning with Samuel Teuffelbess through Alexander to me. It included the family profile for each individual in the tree, i.e. showing father, mother, spouse, and all children. In the back was a section on George, Alexander’s father and our patriot ancestor, complete with my certification as a Son of the American Revolution (SAR).
Also included was the 1880’s photograph of the four surviving brothers, sons of William who was the son of Alexander. These brothers were all sons of Alexandria, Oh – their birthplace.
From the coffee shop Jim took me to the old Devilbiss cemetery where last year Barbara Sammons (my 4th cousin once removed – through Lewis, son of William) told them the one remaining piece of headstone from the four that were demolished sometime after 1906 was significant in that two of Williams children were said to have been two of the graves. The writing was undiscernible however.
Greg Sturgill, the Alexandria Museum curator, had secured the piece of headstone and would meet up with us later in the day. It was there I introduced them to the “white chalk” method of lightly highlighting the shallow divots. The lettering shown through: “died ** June 1841 aged 12 days”. This would be the marker for one of William’s children born earlier than Lewis, who was born Jan 1845. Sadly, it also leaves sufficient time for yet another lost child before Lewis would be born.
The three of us would return to the Alexandria Museum and go over some old paper files, among them were the speech notes from Thomas Dills DeVilbiss at the Centennial celebration in 1930. Greg will provide me a copy. I offered to donate a copy of Thomas Dills book on the DeVilbiss Family as well as the biography of John Wesley DeVilbiss, youngest son of Alexander and the reason we all use the large “V” in our name.
Not to be outdone, Greg offered me a copy of the historical book about “Alexandria and St. Albans Township.” I immediately recognized the format and remembered, down to the page number, where I had previously read, but did not have in my possession (until now), the following statement: Thomas D. DeVilbiss of Ft. Wayne, a grandson, visited the burial lot in 1906 and found at that time four well preserved markers, those of Alexander Devilbiss, his wife, and two children of his son William.” There it was, second to last paragraph on page 31.
Oh yes, while looking for any other Devilbiss or DeVilbiss in the Maple Grove Cemetery we came across Joey Rhodeback with a wealth of local knowledge – but alas no graves marked so. It was still a very pleasant visit the three of us had together about the history of Alexandria.
Kindest Regards,
Mel
Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper
voa.mayor@outlook.com
740-739-0698
Brookside Material’s donated a ton of gravel, well actually 50 TONS OF GRAVEL to fill in all our gravel street parking areas along Church and College Street. We hope to finish hauling that this week and begin picking up leaves beginning Monday October 19.
Beggars Night 2020
Goodness knows 2020 has not been a very kind year so far, aside from the illness and worse caused by the virus, I believe it has been particularly hard on our young people. In agreement with that sentiment a group of Mayors and Village managers met with the Licking County Health Department (LCHD) to find a way to safely offer Beggars Night (Trick or Treat). It was agreed that if possible, we would hold the event countywide on Thursday, October 29th from 5:30pm to 7pm.
Aligning the event in each community will reduce the comingling of communities, which may lead to an increase of COVID-19 cases. In addition, LCHD recommends:
- Participants stay in family groups
- Children be accompanied by an adult
- All participants wear a face covering
- All candy be handed out by an adult (do not grab candy directly from a bowl)
- That you stay at home if you do not feel well
- Do not pass out candy if you do not feel well
- Wash hands or sanitize often
- Observe social distancing and do not gather with other family groups
More on the Water Project
Hopefully by the time this letter is received we will have updated some water service connections and have a good feel for how long the project will take and how it will go. We are starting on Church and College Street. I am not sure at this time where we will go from there - the best way to keep informed is to receive email updates. To be added to the list, email me at voa.mayor@outlook.com. Be prepared to be without water for a few hours when they get to your house. You will know they are getting close when you see OOPS marking gas lines in your area. I had mentioned in a previous letter that this might be a good time to update the water service line into your home. I have since realized that TLV does not do inside residential work. They could pull in the new water line; however, you would have to have a plumber at your house to make the inside connection. We have a couple local people that have done service replacements in the village. They did good work at a fair price. Robert Stiers 740-817-4343 and Donnie Scott 614-207-9777
Melvin De Vilbiss
I was honored last month with a visit from our Village’s founder Alexander Devilbiss “Great, Great, Great Grandson” Melvin De Vilbiss. We had originally planned for Melvin and his father, along
with other family members, to be here for our Alexandria Day celebration. However, like so many other events, the Covid made that impossible. The following is Melvin’s excellent notes on the day’s visit:
Had a terrific day today! I met some fascinating people in the town my great great great grandfather founded back in 1830 – Alexandria, OH. Of course, my great (x3) grandfather’s name was Alexander Devilbiss.
First, I met the town mayor, the Honorable Jim Jasper, who promptly took me to the nearest coffee shop where we would sit outside on the back porch getting acquainted while indulging in a delicious egg and sausage croissant.
I gave him a handmade book outlining the “Descendants of Alexander Devilbiss” using my direct lineage through William, Edson, Vern, Don and me. This book included the family tree beginning with Samuel Teuffelbess through Alexander to me. It included the family profile for each individual in the tree, i.e. showing father, mother, spouse, and all children. In the back was a section on George, Alexander’s father and our patriot ancestor, complete with my certification as a Son of the American Revolution (SAR).
Also included was the 1880’s photograph of the four surviving brothers, sons of William who was the son of Alexander. These brothers were all sons of Alexandria, Oh – their birthplace.
From the coffee shop Jim took me to the old Devilbiss cemetery where last year Barbara Sammons (my 4th cousin once removed – through Lewis, son of William) told them the one remaining piece of headstone from the four that were demolished sometime after 1906 was significant in that two of Williams children were said to have been two of the graves. The writing was undiscernible however.
Greg Sturgill, the Alexandria Museum curator, had secured the piece of headstone and would meet up with us later in the day. It was there I introduced them to the “white chalk” method of lightly highlighting the shallow divots. The lettering shown through: “died ** June 1841 aged 12 days”. This would be the marker for one of William’s children born earlier than Lewis, who was born Jan 1845. Sadly, it also leaves sufficient time for yet another lost child before Lewis would be born.
The three of us would return to the Alexandria Museum and go over some old paper files, among them were the speech notes from Thomas Dills DeVilbiss at the Centennial celebration in 1930. Greg will provide me a copy. I offered to donate a copy of Thomas Dills book on the DeVilbiss Family as well as the biography of John Wesley DeVilbiss, youngest son of Alexander and the reason we all use the large “V” in our name.
Not to be outdone, Greg offered me a copy of the historical book about “Alexandria and St. Albans Township.” I immediately recognized the format and remembered, down to the page number, where I had previously read, but did not have in my possession (until now), the following statement: Thomas D. DeVilbiss of Ft. Wayne, a grandson, visited the burial lot in 1906 and found at that time four well preserved markers, those of Alexander Devilbiss, his wife, and two children of his son William.” There it was, second to last paragraph on page 31.
Oh yes, while looking for any other Devilbiss or DeVilbiss in the Maple Grove Cemetery we came across Joey Rhodeback with a wealth of local knowledge – but alas no graves marked so. It was still a very pleasant visit the three of us had together about the history of Alexandria.
Kindest Regards,
Mel
Sincerely, Mayor Jim Jasper
voa.mayor@outlook.com
740-739-0698
| alexandria_news_october__2020.docx |
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Jim Jasper, Mayor
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