WALBRIDGE – Council is preparing to update safety features at railroad crossings in the village.

At Wednesday meeting, Mayor Ed Kolanko announced the village had been awarded $25,000 from the Ohio Rail Development Commission to make safety improvements to its railroad crossings.

The work has to be done before Nov. 24, he said.

We will pay the bills and be reimbursed, he said.

“It’ll be nothing out of the taxpayer pocket,” Kolanko said.

The village has crossings at two locations: South Main Street and West Union Street.

Kolanko said he meets once a year with safety members at CSX as well as members of the rail commission.

They discuss ways to improve the crossings “and increase safety, not only for village residents but also for the workers at CSX. Everybody’s lives are important,” he said.

“There’s areas we can upgrade and update the crossings,” he said.

The focus will be on the two railroad crossings on West Union Street, which are dark and have marking that are faded, Kolanko said, but there will be some improvements on the South Main Street crossing as well.

“What we’re going to try to do is bring those up to current standards, increase safety and protect lives,” he said.

First Energy will install LED lighting, which will help visibility but also increase safety of CSX workers, who often carry a flashlight at night.

“It’s scary for them, so we want to make sue that people can see,” he said.

The crossings are village property, Kolanko explained.

Kolanko also updated council on the work at the former Carroll’s Health and Fitness Center at 417 Main St., which council purchased in April for $190,000.

While not a lot of work has been done to the interior, vegetation in the parking lot has been sprayed with weed killer.

“Aesthetically, it looks a lot better already,” Kolanko said.

Council member Karen Baron, who voted against the purchase, asked if there was a lot of stuff remaining in the building.

Kolanko said there is a lot of junk in the building, including two tanning beds that haven’t been touched in a decade.

“It’s a lot of it is junk,” he said. “At some point, we have to clean it out.”

He said it is likely he will offer residents who do scrap work the opportunity to take the junk.

“That’s probably the direction we will go,” he said.

Also at the meeting, council:

• Learned there was a block watch meeting scheduled for Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building.

• Was informed the new gazebo purchased by the village has not been installed due to lack of help in getting it assembled.

Baron suggested Penta Career Center students may be interested.

Interested individuals or groups are asked to contact village Administrator Todd Robson.

• Hired Timothy Rickenberg as a part-time general maintenance worker at a salary of $17.28 per hour.

Kolanko said Rickenberg worked as a lifeguard this summer and was entering the Marines in November.

• Assessed the owner of 0 Drouillard Road $375 for the cutting of grass and weed whacking.

• Heard work to improve the water flow and the aquatic habitat of Dry Creek should start next year.

• Heard the playground at Railway Park was in the planning stages with work commencing in the spring. The village will use $390,000 in grants to purchase new playground equipment.

• Authorized Kolanko to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission and/or Local Transportation Improvement programs to seek funds to improve Holley and Allen streets.

Work could include new asphalt, paving, curbs and drainage, Kolanko said at the Aug. 7 meeting.

At that meeting, he said the cost of the project was $650,000 based on 2023 estimates for three blocks.

He said Wednesday the village was probably going to lose points due to low traffic count.

“We have to try. It’s silly not to try,” he said.