Wilmington City Council announced Thursday the hiring of Jim Brady as human resources director and the appointment of Bret Dixon to the Wilmington Planning Commission.
Brady was the superintendent of Wilmington City Schools starting in August 2022. He announced his resignation in April, effective at the end of May. He will replace Danny Mongold.
Dixon replaces Tony Thompson on the planning commission after Thompson’s resignation earlier this week. Dixon was previously Clinton County’s economic and business development director from June 2011 until he resigned in May 2017.
PFAS class-action lawsuit
The City of Wilmington will proceed in a class-action lawsuit with Tyco Fire Products and BASF Corporation for PFAS contamination of the city’s water source in Burtonville.
This is the second class-action lawsuit that the city has been involved with over PFAS contamination. The first lawsuit was filed in 2021 against DuPont de Nemours, the Chemours Company and Corteva Inc.
PFAS, such as perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, are man-made chemicals used since the 1940s to make items such as nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, and firefighting foams. They are known as “forever chemicals” because of their inability to break down in the environment. Exposure to PFAS can lead to health risks, including cancer, liver damage, and thyroid disease.
During a City Council meeting in June 2023, former City Public Works Director Rick Schaffer said the PFAS contamination is probably from firefighting foams used during military operations at Wilmington Air Park.
Main Street improvements
City Council approved the use of $118,253 for Main Street improvements.
“We don’t have the money to resurface the whole street, but we’re going to go in, diamond grind any of the high spots, then regrind down about three inches and patch any place that’s rough,” said City Public Works Director Mike Crowe.
Plans include a 1.7-mile repair east on Main Street to the railroad tracks by UDF on Wall Street. The city will also replace curbs and a storm sewer and repave North South Street from Main to Columbus streets.
Vehicle repairs
Approximately $20,000 was reallocated from Capital Equipment to Collection Vehicle Expense funds to cover repairs on garbage trucks. According to City Sanitation Superintendent Cody Romohr, $13,000 was spent on brake repairs on the city’s 2015 Freightliner automated trash truck, and $8,000 was used to fix the hydraulic cylinders on the city’s 2017 Peterbilt automated recycle truck, which had been leaking hydraulic fluid.
Other issues discussed during the meeting included the removal of American flags along Rombach Avenue because of wind damage due to their placement on the telephone poles. The flags will be moved to downtown Wilmington, where the wind is less strong.
“I think it’s a good thing for the city – especially in these troubled times that we live in,” said Mayor Pat Haley. “It does something when you ride by the American flag. It makes you stop, makes you think, and I think it makes you appreciate.”
City of Wilmington Law Director Justin Dickman said his office will be researching the June 28 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson case and working with other Ohio municipalities on sample legislation to address the homeless encampments in the area. The court’s decision upholds ordinances in Grant Pass, Oregon, which impose penalties for sleeping on public property and that the ordinances do not violate the Eighth Amendment regarding cruel and unusual punishment.
The next Wilmington City Council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 4 at the City of Wilmington Municipal Building Council Chambers, 69 N. South St.
