Hopedale Council approves resolutions for infrastructure and property improvements

At the Oct. 15 village council meeting, members discussed several ongoing issues, including the deteriorating retaining wall on Carson Street and continued property cleanup efforts.

Mayor Mike Pelegreen introduced Resolution 2025-07, which authorizes a special assessment for property maintenance costs totaling $1,200 to clean up three properties—two near Capraro’s Restaurant and one at the bank building.

“This assessment is no different than the assessment, if anybody remembers, when we put city sewage in,” Pelegreen said, referring to how similar costs had previously been paid off.

Council also passed Resolution 2025-06, which authorizes the mayor to prepare and submit an application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission’s State Capital Improvement and Transportation Improvement programs. Pelegreen said this resolution covers work on West Main Street and the old Hopedale Road storm sewer.

Resolution 2025-08, also approved, involves the same programs but focuses on improvements to the Carson Street retaining wall.

Pelegreen told council it was also time to apply for the Local Roads Oil & Shale Program, which funds local road projects. The proposed work area extends from the old city building to the bridge, and applying does not cost the village. The motion passed unanimously.

“Whatever engineering firms we do get will have a percentage in it, and if we get awarded, that’s how they get paid,” Pelegreen said.

Council also revisited the One Call notification program, which has faced challenges. Pelegreen described it as a work in progress. Village Administrator Don Writesall said participation levels were too low to make the system effective.

“We went back over and looked at the phone numbers,” he said, noting that some numbers didn’t receive messages and that calls sometimes appeared to originate from out-of-state numbers, discouraging residents from answering. Writesall estimated participation at about 50%, mostly from older landlines, and said the village is searching for a new system “that we know would work.”