Disc News

New Jersey, United States,- This illustrative Disc Golf Market research report outlines several crucial topics such as market drivers, restraints, latest market trends, key pricing structure, customer buying behavior, and market size. It follows a systematic research procedure to provide accurate assessments along with market growth forecasts. It sheds light on the coverage of critical market landscape data to help key stakeholders make calculated decisions before investing in the development of any product. Also, some raw statistics of the market are outlined. To provide an understanding of the latest happenings in the market, this Disc Golf market research aims to collect data from raw service providers, buyers, and traders.

Disc Golf market study report enables tracking potential organization growth for upcoming years by providing relevant data. It covers a few significant factors such as demographics, promotional activities, and business parameters. It further sheds light on the economic disasters caused by COVID-19 and the huge losses obtained by different business sectors around the globe. It goes on to talk about market predictions for the assessment years 2022-2029. The use of a value chain makes the understanding of the Disc Golf market report easy.

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For a brief synopsis of key information about the company’s recent breakthroughs and current financial standing, read this Disc Golf Market Analysis. With the data contained in this market analysis, it is easy to make important business decisions. It is the best guide for the players to get a valuation comparison between the leading organizations and get an accurate assessment of the market environment. The techniques and key predictions disclosed here are widely used by business players to steer their company on the path to success and maintain their presence in the market. It also provides revenue-generating tactics such as product innovation, mergers, and partnerships to grow the business.

Key Players Mentioned in the Disc Golf Market Research Report:

Dynamic Discs, DGA, Daredevil Discs, Innova Disc Golf, Prodiscus, Discraft, Aerobie, Discmania, Mint, Fourth Circle Discs. 

Disc Golf Market Segmentation:  

Disc Golf Market, By Product Type

• Distance Drivers
• Fairway Drivers
• Midrange Discs
• Putters

Disc Golf Market, By Application

• Professional Competition
• Amateur
• Others

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Disc Golf Market Report Scope 

Determining the pulse of the market becomes easy through this in-detail Disc Golf market analysis. Key players can find all competitive data and market size of major regions like North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Middle East. As part of the competitive analysis, certain strategies are profiled which are pursued by key players such as mergers, collaborations, acquisitions and new product launches. These strategies will greatly help industry players to strengthen their market position and grow their business.

Key questions answered in the report: 

1. Which are the five top players of the Disc Golf market?

2. How will the Disc Golf market change in the next five years?

3. Which product and application will take a lion’s share of the Disc Golf market?

4. What are the drivers and restraints of the Disc Golf market?

5. Which regional market will show the highest growth?

6. What will be the CAGR and size of the Disc Golf market throughout the forecast period?

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After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the East Brunswick Education Foundation (EBEF) is ready to celebrate local heroes during its 28th annual Partner in Excellence Dinner.

Partner in Excellence Awards will be presented to educators Dr. Trudy Atkins, Dr. Anna Braun and Lisa Citron; and to attorney David P. Lonski, Esq., in recognition of their contributions to the foundation’s goal to support excellence in East Brunswick’s public schools.

In addition, East Brunswick High School (EBHS) graduates, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb and Olympian Sam Mattis, will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

The dinner will be held at the Pines Manor in Edison on April 5.

Atkins spent 14 years on the administrative team in the East Brunswick Public Schools (EBPS), first as an assistant principal at EBHS, after which she went on to serve as the K-12 Science supervisor, according to information provided by the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

She later joined the Central Office team as the director of Community Outreach and Academic Support.

Throughout her time in East Brunswick, she took advantage of the grant opportunities offered by the EBEF to fund specialized equipment purchases for the Waksman Program at EBHS and technology to support various aspects of science programming at both the elementary and secondary levels, according to the statement.

Braun picked up a viola when she was a student at Frost Elementary School when she was 10 years old, according to the statement. She played through her graduation from EBHS in 1981 and continues to the present day.

Braun joined EBPS’s Music Department as a strings teacher and orchestra director, sharing her expertise with students at Hammarskjöld Middle School and Churchill Junior High School.

Not only did Braun receive numerous grants from the foundation, she also volunteered her time to work backstage at various EBEF events, according to the statement.

During the 28 years Citron has participated in the EBPS as both a parent and an educator. She became directly involved raising money as a trustee.  

In her roles as a special education teacher, an instructional coach and a special education supervisor, Citron collaborated with her colleagues on numerous grants that elevated classroom instruction, according to the statement.

In addition to a host of professional achievements, Lonski, a lifelong resident of East Brunswick, is actively involved in the community, advocating for and volunteering in a number of youth and political organizations, according to the statement.

Lonski’s daughter, Kathleen, a 2015 graduate of EBHS, is a singer-songwriter who attributes realizing her gift for songwriting to a grant from the EBEF to the music department at EBHS, according to the statement.

In an effort to give back to the EBEF, Lonski danced as Elvis Presley in the 2017 EBEF Celebrity Dance-Off.

Alumni inductees Mattis and Gottlieb epitomize EBPS’s mantra, Excellence in Academics, Athletics and the Arts, according to the statement.

Gottlieb graduated from EBHS in 1990. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Wesleyan University and attended medical school at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and completed his residency in internal medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital.

In addition to serving as the 23rd commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Gottlieb can be seen on Sunday mornings on Face the Nation offering the latest COVID-19 information and advice.

Following his high school graduation in 2012, Mattis attended the University of Pennsylvania where, just as he did during his high school years, he excelled in academics and as a track and field athlete, according to the statement.

In 2015, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association selected him as the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for Division 1.

Mattis was the only American to reach the final round of the discus event in the 2021 Summer Olympics where he finished in eighth place out of the 12 finalists.

The Partner in Excellence Dinner is the EBEF’s biggest fundraiser each year. There are three ways to support the EBEF via this event: attend the dinner, place an ad or include a message to the honorees in the dinner program; and/or participate in the Spectacular Raffle.

For ticket and sponsorship information, visit www.ebnet.org/ebef 

EBEF Support During the Pandemic

When schools closed suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EBEF supported teachers’ efforts to provide the best possible distance learning experience for East Brunswick’s students, according to the statement.

During April and May 2020, the EBEF funded approximately 90 grants totaling more than $30,000.

Included in the mix of requests from teachers were items that allowed teachers to create “in home” classrooms, such as document cameras, mobile whiteboards and headphones. Other requests included leveled books and read-alouds, math manipulatives and science kits for whole class, small group and one-on-one instruction. Additionally, teachers were able to acquire a variety of online subscriptions that enabled hands-on instruction in all subject areas.

With grant funds teachers even arranged for care packages to be sent directly to students’ homes.

To kickstart the 2021-22 return to full-time in-person school, the EBEF encouraged district administrators to submit 3Rs Grants, grants intended to Return, Reenergize and Refresh the curriculum for students and teachers, according to the statement. Funding for this initiative allowed for the purchase of a weather station to enhance the eighth grade science curriculum, a commercial grade laser/cutter/engraver to enrich teaching and learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) classes at Hammarskjold Middle School, a blended learning program that will make it possible for teachers to integrate science and literacy standards for fourth and fifth graders throughout the district, and the equipment to allow all students from kindergarten to grade 7 to experience disc golf.

The combined value of these projects was over $52,000, according to the statement.

Good day, neighbors! Geoff Campbell here with a fresh copy of the Scottsdale Daily.

First, your weekend weather:

• Friday: Cooler with partial sunshine. High: 71 Low: 52.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny and cool. High: 67 Low: 43.
• Sunday: Partly sunny and cool. High: 63 Low: 45.

Shoutout to our premier local sponsor:

Here are the top stories in Scottsdale today:

1. John Merryman, 38, accused of killing Scott Harkness, 59, “beloved Special Olympics athlete” early last month pleaded not guilty last week in Maricopa County Superior Court. According to Patch reporting, Harkness was killed after leaving Zipps near Miller and Camelback. Merryman’s charges included “first-degree murder, drive-by shooting, and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person.” Bail was set a $1M – Merryman remains in Jail. (Scottsdale Patch)
2. Will, a “Director of Design,” make Rose Law group better able to represent their development clients through the planning and approval process. They think so. With “almost two decades of experience as an architect with a specialty in 3D modeling, Virtual 3D tours, creation of VR experiences, and Metaverse design and development,” Eduardo Davalos was hired recently by Rose Law Group, according to AZ Big Media. Tap on the resource to learn more.
   (AZ Big Media)
3. Lightsabers, blasters, and C-3PO’s head — it’s not a kid’s toy chest from the ’80s. These original artifacts are part of The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! According to AZ Bib Media reporting, there is a new Star Wars-themed display at Arizona Boardwalk. The unique show will be shortlived from March 4 – 27. IF you are all in, dress in appropriate garb for the opening this weekend, Star Wars Days March 4 – 6. (AZ Big Media)

ICYMI And In Other News:

• Cars become stuck together due to a fiery Loop 202 crash near Scottsdale Road; no injuries were reported. (The Arizona Republic)
• Amazon will close all of its bookstores, including the Scottsdale location. (Arizona’s Family)
• Mermaid Magic opens at OdySea with meet and greet and photos. (ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix)
• This week’s Wow House is a $9M Scottsdale home touted as a “piece of livable art.” (Scottsdale Patch)

From our sponsor:

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This weekend in Scottsdale:

Friday, March 4

• Jill Marderness — Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. (10 a.m.)
• Laurie Trygg Dance Lessons — Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. (4 p.m.)
• Arizona Trolley Dances — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. (4 p.m.)
• Healing Circle with Mark Earlix — Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. (6:30 p.m.)
• Chess: The Musical — Desert Stages Theater. (7:30 p.m.)

Saturday, March 5

• Sun Circuit Horse Show — Scottsdale WestWorld. (All Day)
• Persian New Year Festival 501c3 — Arizona Persian Cultural Center. (11 a.m.)
• SCUCC Open Arts Studio — Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. (Noon)
• DC Dance AZ presents Wizards — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. (5:30 p.m.)
• Chess: The Musical — Desert Stages Theater. (7:30 p.m.)

Sunday, March 6

• More Than Modeling — Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place. (1: p.m.)
• Charles Lewis Quintet plus Alice Tatum — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. (2 p.m.)
• Chess: The Musical — Desert Stages Theater. (2 p.m.)
• Connie Jahrmarkt Violin Studio Recital. (4:30 p.m.)
• Jazz at Lincoln Center: Songs We Love — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community wants to know. Do you have an interest in becoming a foster parent? (Facebook)
• The 34th Annual Memorial Championship Disc Golf Tournament is coming to Scottsdale’s Vista del Camino Park from March 3-6. (Facebook)
• SRPMIC Kickball League team registration begins! Starting March 23. Facebook)
• Scottsdalians, do you want your voice to be heard? The city is updating the Old Town Scottsdale Character Area Plan and sections of the City’s Zoning Ordinance specific to the downtown area and needs your input. (Facebook)
• The SRPMIC Salt River Job Board is hiring! Day work program; temporary jobs at the RHPC; WIOA Adult Program; Temp Pool. For more information, call the Job Connection Line at 480-362-7870. (Facebook)
• Tickets are now on sale for Tents by the Tracks at McCormick Park! Don’t miss out on your chance to camp overnight at the happiest place in Scottsdale. (Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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Alrighty, you’re all caught up for today. I’ll see you back in your inbox next week with a new update!

— Geoff Campbell

I live in Scottsdale, and I am a freelance writer, published in print and on the web. Following a 40-year career as a teacher, administrator, and coach, now committed to education in the broadest possible sense.

Sports Banter?

I hardly know her!

By Mo Juenger, fired from whatever position she used to hold

Based-Ball

As the MLB lockout drags on, unionizing players continue not to budge. “At first, we just wanted to get paid more,” player Mike Bass said. “But now we don’t even want more money… We want the dissolution of the capitalist state.” When asked to elaborate, he added: “The system inherently exploits the bats-geoisie. Stealing first base? We were thinking so small. Now, we steal the means of production.”

Exe-goose-tioner

Jake the Goose was executed on live television last night. “Thank God,” an anonymous sports editor said.

TKO (Total Kiss Out)

The Covington-Masvidal main card matchup has been postponed as the pair extends their Cabo honeymoon. “Why fight? This is pure bliss,” welterweight champ and exceedingly tender lover Colby Covington swooned.

Lacrosse still exists? 

We here at Newswire aren’t buying it.

Xavier sinks to a new low against Norwood Middle

They couldn’t stand up to the pint-sized point guards and the dinky dunkers

By Justin Malone and Derek Swartzlander, Staff Writer and Guest Writer

The Musketeers fell narrowly in quadruple overtime against Norwood Middle School in what college basketball analysts are now calling the greatest exhibition game of all time.

It all started after the team rallied together through required community service to regain some of the team’s lost morale.

The team, led by newly-appointed Head Coach Shrevis Treele, graciously donated a fully-functioning Pizza ATM to Norwood Middle School.

In a tweet, the middle schoolers’ A-team thanked Xavier Athletics and jokingly challenged the basketball team to a televised game.

Five days later, the lights and cameras turned on at Cintas Center as the Xavier team and fans anticipated a long-awaited victory, thinking.

“There’s no way we could lose to a bunch of pipsqueaks!” One fan bragged.

The game started out hot for the Musketeers, as the team shot 5-5 on the floor and 2-2 on three-pointers within the first two minutes of the half. However, the team hit a cold streak as the game pressed on and couldn’t keep up.

In addition, the referees struggled all the way around in the first half, missing a key technical foul on Norwood’s benchwarmer Kevin Howard.

Despite the height difference, the middle schoolers stepped up their game, taking a tremendous 20 point lead with only 4:35 left in the half.

Star 7th grader Jordan Michaels led Norwood’s resurgence, contributing 17 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc against players almost a foot taller than him.

After forward Nick Junje drove in a preposterous layup over the 4’10” Norwood forward Anthony Young, Xavier held onto only a two-point lead at the half.

Coach Treele invigorated the team with his halftime speech (by threatening their priority housing selection, in classic Treele fashion). Spurred on by the fear of living in the unrenovated side of Commons (and still paying the same price), the newly-inspired team increased the gap in the second half.

After a back-and-forth second half, the game closed with both teams tied at 80 points. The crowd watched in anticipation as the game went into overtime.

That is, except for the Xavier students who left early to try the Caf’s new special “Cesare salad,” honorably named after the Musketeer fan favorite.

Three overtimes later, the teams began wearing down. The players gave everything left in the tank, even with minimal Gatorade left on the benches.

Xavier guard Saul Pruggs was heard saying, “Just let them score. I want to go home.”

Five minutes later, the sand in the hourglass trickled empty for Xavier’s collapsing defense, and Norwood’s star Stephen O’Neal drained the game-sealing three pointer to lead his team to a triumphant victory and the highest-guaranteed NIL deal for the 12-year-old age bracket.

He put up a prodigious 55 points against a tough Xavier defense.

The Xavier team’s eyes glistened with tears as the Norwood team Fortnite-danced their way to the handshake line. Norwood Middle coach Steven Williams was doused in a chili bath following the win.

This additional loss devastated the Xavier campus. After an SGA-led emergency referendum vote and some talk from the athletics office, Coach Treele was sacked for Jake the Goose, receiving a record 10-year contract. He is excited to lead the team in a completely new direction.

Horoscopes

Aries: Don’t chant “Fire Steele” at basketball games. Steele is a human being with feelings, and after that last game, he had to go home and wipe his tears with $100 bills from his million dollar salary. 

Taurus: Put all your money on Sri Lanka winning their upcoming cricket match against India. They have a new Right Arm Off Spin Bowler named Dhananjaya de Silva, and the stars predict he is going to off. 

Gemini: Don’t be a poser. You claim to be a “huge soccer fan,” yet you haven’t even finished Season Two of Ted Lasso. For shame. 

Cancer: Try the new disc golf course installed around campus. It’s a beautiful course that will take you to legendary Xavier landmarks, such as the Cintas parking lot and the Family Dollar parking lot.

Leo: Don’t let haters tell you competitive Super Smash Bros. isn’t a real sport. It takes endurance and dedication to go your whole life without feeling the loving touch of another person. 

Virgo: Did you know if all golf courses were turned into farms America’s food shortage would be solved? Do your part to help society by releasing hordes of gophers on your local golf course. 

Libra: You’ll find your next partner playing table tennis at the HUB. There’s nothing more attractive than big, beefy wrists.  

Scorpio: Life’s a baseball game, and this weekend is going to be a home run! Unfortunately, next week you are going to get caught up in a major doping scandal. 

Sagittarius: Join the Xavier Quidditch team. It’s the only sports played on AstroTERF (this one’s a thinker.)

Capricorn: Life is but a foosball game, we are all the little guys, and God is doing that thing where he spins us around really fast. 

Aquarius: Count your blessings before they hatch. Football season may finally be over, but you must be wary; before you know it, it will start again. 

Pisces: Watch out for those guys who play Frisbee on the quad. They’ve begun awarding points for whacking passer-bys:

By Kelly Wassenberg

It’s like raising children. You take each and every day as it comes. That’s all you know. Then you suddenly turn around and see the big picture all at once. You see all the growth that has transpired over the years and how far they’ve come. It can be overwhelming.

That’s how Ellen Kehr described the process of looking back over the last 13 years of the Blue Zones Project in Albert Lea. She plans to retire from her position as organizational lead of the program later this year. 

The Blue Zones Project started as a first — the pilot program to test how the vision of Dan Buettner to inspire and empower everyone to live better and longer lives would work in communities throughout the country. 

Albert Lea was selected to be part of the pilot project due to its size and demographics. The community they chose had to have a population between 10,000 and 20,000, so metrics could be measured to properly ascertain the effectiveness of the program, yet the community couldn’t be so populous and spread out that they couldn’t manage the project.

According to Kehr, strong city leadership was very important to the Blue Zones Project, as well. At the time, she was on the Albert Lea City Council, and her husband, Randy Kehr, was the executive director of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce. Representatives from the Albert Lea Economic Development Agency, the superintendent of schools, the director of the Family Y, the United Way and the administrator of the local health care system were also on board with the project.

Kehr said they brought in everyone they could, because it was imperative to the program’s success to have everyone at the table to address two of the community’s most significant health concerns: tobacco use and obesity.

“Pretty much everyone is in agreement that tobacco and obesity are the top drivers of chronic illnesses that we’re going to end up with someday,” she said. 

That meant change needed to be across the board — community, workplaces and schools.

“Our work sites have been very organized and extremely strong for this whole 13 year process, starting with the pilot, and they never stopped.”

The worksite wellness committee still exists and meets monthly. Improvements have been made by employers adding worksite gardens, pickleball courts, basketball hoops, providing healthier snack options and water bottle filling stations, and adopting volunteer policies giving people hours to volunteer with local groups. Fourteen of the largest 20 employers have adopted tobacco-free campuses. 

Coupled with the City Council making city parks tobacco-free zones and raising the age to purchase tobacco products to 21, Albert Lea has seen a decrease in adult smoking rates. Previous audits noted 23% smoked, whereas the rate now is approximately 16%. 

“We did these things planned with a goal one step at a time, building one initiative and then the next one on top of that initiative,” Kehr said. “We did it slowly over 13 years so that at times as we were doing all of this, it just became so much a part of our culture.”

Along with being one of the city’s largest employers, city leaders have also adopted policies to create more built-in environments, which naturally increase physical activity and make the town more friendly for those who want to walk or ride their bike.

The schools were a critical piece of the puzzle, too. Not only are they a large employer, but bringing the project to schools encourages children to develop healthier lifestyle choices at a younger age. Along with policy changes that led to 20 minutes of recess per day at the elementary level, water bottle filling stations were added, healthier options were added to vending machines and concession stands, and schools began opting for walk-a-thons over food-related fundraisers. 

“If you ask individuals to choose healthy choices, without setting up an environment and a culture that supports those healthy choices, you’re setting them up for failure,” Kehr said.

A complete streets policy and sidewalk assessment policy was adopted in 2009. In the same year, a community walking audit and bike and pedestrian plan was completed. The city also dedicated acres and acres of public land to expanding community gardens and disc golf courses, for the dog park, the splash pad and the community boathouse.”

These building blocks create what is referred to as a built environment. 

“Then we built the Blue Zones walkway, and then started filling in sidewalk gaps, many miles and miles of sidewalk gaps, creating new sidewalks to connect our neighborhoods to each other, to their schools, to the core facilities of our community,” Kehr said. “Then came the downtown streetscape, the Front Street bike lane, the South Broadway redesign to cut down on crash rates and help revitalize that corridor.”

Kehr said one of the next projects on the agenda is reconstructing East Main Street with sidewalks and better pedestrian crossings. She reiterated how important it will be for the program to continue to maintain and expand its built environment.

The metrics when it comes to measuring the benefit of the built environment has shown an increase in natural momentum activity level by 40%, Kehr said.  The influence of that pilot project has not been confined to the county of Freeborn. 

“That pilot has created more than 70 Blue Zones communities across the country,” she said. “Millions of people are part of the Blue Zones family today.”

Kehr is sure the success the program has seen will carry on after she is gone. She is currently working with Cathy Malakowsky, who will be working as director of community engagement and enrichment and who will continue to lead the Blue Zones Project. 

With Malakowsky’s new position, being in charge of the library and parks and recreation department, Kehr said she believes it is the “perfect partnership.”

And Kehr will always be there to lend a helping hand. She’s determined to be one of the effort’s biggest volunteers. 

“I am just proud of so many things, that it’s not any one initiative,” she said, reflecting on her years in the leadership position. “It’s really the combination of all of it together. I’m a person who has always felt — for me personally — that it was important to contribute the best of what I have to my community. Not just to my friends and family, but for the community as a whole. And what I’m proudest of is, to the best of my ability, I’ve been able to do that through the Blue Zones Project.”

Remembering an Albert Lea community hero

July 15, 1948 – Nov. 23, 2017

Randy Kehr, the late husband of Ellen Kehr, served as the executive director of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce for over a decade. During that time, he also was co-chairman of the Blue Zones Project leadership team. Following his death, the Blue Zones Project honored him by creating the Randy Kehr Award for Initiative and Collaboration in his memory.

His many accomplishments after moving to Albert Lea included being the first mentor of the STARS mentoring program, honorary chairman of Freeborn County Relay for Life, president of the Downtown Business Association, president of the Cloverleaf Lions Club and chairman of the National Vitality Leadership Team. Together with his wife, he also led United Way campaigns and volunteered with the Freeborn County Humane Society.

Areas in which Blue Zones has created change in the community

Community policy & built environment

Complete Streets Policy, 2009

Community Walking Audit, 2009

Bike and Pedestrian Plan, 2009

Sidewalk Assessment Policy, 2009 and 2015

Blue Zones Walkway, 2010

Front Street bike lane, 2012

Downtown Streetscape, 2013

Expanded Community Gardens, 2010 and 2014

Tobacco Free Parks Ordinance, 2015

South Broadway Redesign, 2015

Safe Routes to School, 2017

Tobacco 21 Ordinance, 2019

Bridge Avenue Corridor, 2020-2021

Schools

All Albert Lea Schools are Designated Blue Zones Schools

Indoor recess kits

3 school gardens

Walk and Go Breakfasts

Standing desks

Walk-a-thons over food-related fundraisers

Vending machine change policy

Concession stands have healthier options

Smarter Lunchroom Policy

Water bottle filling stations at all locations

All Kids Bike Program

Walk and Roll & Walking School Bus

Worksites

Added standing desks

Some locations have added pool tables, basketball hoops, pickleball courts and walking tracks.

Healthy snack stations and healthier items in vending machines

Walking tracks and walking moais

Yoga, Zumba and meditation rooms

Water bottle filling stations

Worksite challenges

Worksite clinics

Volunteer policies

Breastfeeding rooms

14 of the top 20 worksites have tobacco free campuses

15 of the top 20 worksites in Albert Lea are Blue Zones Worksites

By Andy Chappell-Dick

At the February 28 Regular Meeting of the Bluffton Village Council, Mayor Rich Johnson began by asking Council to approve the minutes from the last meeting and pay the Village’s bills, which they did. This information, along with an agenda for the meeting, is attached to this article and is provided by the village upon request.

PARKS AND RECREATION

Mayor Johnson next asked for Committee Reports. Ben Stahl spoke first for Parks and Recreation. Much has been done over the winter preparing the new disc golf course at Village Park. Work is being done by volunteers and private donations have covered the costs for this facility which is–reportedly–already achieving internet acclaim.  In new business, Bluffton High School student Sabina Clingerman approached the Committee about the idea of a Bluffton dog park as a Girl Scout Gold Award project.  A possible location is the empty Village-owned land off Lake Street, between Board & Brush and John’s Body Shop.  Sabina was told to form a committee to determine costs and feasibility.

ORDINANCE

Mitch Kingsley reported for the Ordinance Committee’s early steps in creating a comprehensive plan for the Village. Council’s approval was requested in order to retain the services of Lima Allen County Regional Planning Commission, which offers extensive assistance to municipalities in creating such a plan. Council unanimously approved an expenditure of $4,000, and also approved the creation of a Steering Committee to be made up of diverse Village residents appointed by the Mayor.

LEGISLATION

Only one item of legislation was on the agenda; this was the third reading of the annual appropriations bill for 2022. This was approved unanimously, and one Council member remarked after the vote that he appreciated that the budget process was not done as emergency legislation this year. 

ADMINISTRATION

Jesse Blackburn presented the Village administration report with input from Assistant Bryan Lloyd. He began by outlining a significant cost at the sewer plant: a $75,000 ultraviolet light cabinet that’s part of an upgrade to the disinfecting system. The EPA requires this new equipment, which will improve compliance in the future. It shows how the Village can, with careful planning, be “staged” to qualify for considerable federal funding.  Blackburn also reported on funding for projects at the Village-owned airport. 

Lloyd noted that the water main replacement project on the Bluffton University campus was at the pressure-testing phase.  He then asked for approval to make surplus a collection of disused chainsaws and sewer pumps, which means he can list them on www.govdeals.com.

Finally, Blackburn stated that delinquent and unpaid Village Income Tax is now going through the Ohio Attorney General’s office, a new approach that is producing good results in the first few months.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Before closing the meeting, Mayor Johnson asked for public comment.  South Jackson Street resident Bill Carr stood to “respectfully request that the Village correct the problem… of a large waterhole” that appears on the street in front of his house after heavy rains.  The mayor thanked Carr–and his neighbor Bob Amstutz who had addressed the puddle problem at the last meeting of Council–and said that the Village Administrator and his Assistant would make an appointment with the two homeowners to consult on the matter.