Requests for street closures in conjunction with Henoween and the Wayne Chicken Show were among the items on the agenda when the Wayne City Council met Tuesday for a relatively short meeting.
Abby Schademann, representing the Wayne Chicken Show Committee, told the council the request was similar to that of past years and included the closure of three blocks of Main Street from 2:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on July 8-9 for the Henoween celebration; the area around Bressler Park from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 9; a portion of East Second Street from 6 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. for the Kiwanis Omelet Feed; Main Street from First Street to 10th Street from 9 a.m. until the end of the parade on Saturday, July 9 and Second Street from Main Street to Pearl Street and Pearl Street from Second to Third Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 10 for the Crowing Motors Car Show.
Also approved was the request from the Chicken Show Committee for a fireworks display on Friday, July 8. It will be weather-dependent as the committee is working with the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department to determine if the event can be held safely.
Council members listened to presentations from the Green Team and from the City Parks and Recreation Department.
Sandy Brown, representing the Green Team, told the council that the team has a number of reasons to celebrate as Earth Day is observed on April 22.
These include the fact that the city of Wayne is reducing waste. Brown shared numbers, including the fact that the amount of glass being recycled has grown considerably.
Another positive aspect of recycling is the fact that there are currently 18 different materials that can be recycled.
"The work we are doing here in Wayne is causing a ripple effect. Several other communities are looking at Wayne and asking how we do things. Several have added to their recycling efforts. Wayne has a strong reputation across the state for recycling," Brown said.
Her final point was while April 22 is officially "Earth Day," every day should be Earth Day. She thanked the city and staff for working to make Wayne a Zero Waste community.
Lowell Heggemeyer, Parks and Recreation Director, shared information on the work done within the department in the past year.
He told the council that the department is made up of three full-time employees and four part-time employees as well as several college students who work during the summer.
He talked about work that has been done in recent weeks, especially at the Summer Sports Complex, Bressler Park and Hank Overin Field. In addition, work has begun on the renovation of the bath house at the old swimming pool location.
Amber Schwarte, Community Activities Center Coordinator, explained some of the activities taking place at the Activity Center.
These include a program called Silver Sneakers for senior citizens, the hiring of 16 lifeguards for the summer, Chess Club, yoga and Art Club.
A resolution amending the Problem Resolution Team 'Complaint Process' was unanimously approved.
Changes to the process were presented to the council during a recent retreat. The document was last updated in 2015 and the current version provides clarification for process. These will become effective June 1, 2022.
The Wayne City Council will next meet in regular session on Tuesday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.
