Business owner informs council windows are installed

0

GALION — Ann Heimlich of Grandma Ann’s Attic came to the Galion City Council meeting Tuesday evening to let council members know that her much-debated windows have been installed.

Heimlich purchased new windows for her building, located at 107 Harding Way East, in May but the installation was halted because she did not receive approval for the city’s design review board.

“There is no way to put wood on the vinyl like they wanted me to,” said Heimlich as she held up a photo of the original windows in the building.

Heimlich said she requested meeting minutes from the May 27 meeting of the Design Review Board but was given minutes dated May 26. She maintains that the windows she purchased had originally been approved by the board but board members have denied that fact.

“I got a phone call on a Saturday recently to go look at my building. My contractor had installed all three of the windows. He said he has never left a job not completed. And I dare anyone to say anything about it,” Heimlich said.

She said if anyone has a problem with it, they can contact her attorney in Columbus.

Heimlich said in a meeting with Mayor Tom O’Leary, he asked her why she thinks Galion is corrupt.

“I said Galion is being sold off one building at a time to a single person. I don’t appreciate it and I didn’t know there was this much corruption,” said Heimlich.

Later in the meeting, after Heimlich had left the building, council member Shirley Clark, who is part of the design review board, said that there was not a meeting held on Friday that Heimlich keeps referring to.

“I didn’t want to make the statement while Heimlich was here. I didn’t want her to get excited because of her health,” Clark said. “We tried getting a meeting on Friday but couldn’t get to it because of the holiday weekend. There was a misunderstanding with the contractor.”

Dale Hartle of the Ohio Regional Development Corporation that oversees the CHIP (Community Housing Improvement Program) grant, spoke to council about the fair housing act. The presentation is required since Galion is one of the cities receiving funding for from the grant, along with Bucyrus and Crawford County as a whole.

O’Leary said while the combination of entities allows for a larger pool of money to be received in the county, he is not sure how much will be allotted for Galion specifically.

Council approved several pieces of legislation including a new storm sewer drain along Portland Way North, on the edge of town, to replace a system that is at least 50 years-old.

Also approved was legislation allowing ODOT to inspect bridges within the city, at no cost to the city, and the CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) agreement between the city and McGuire Galion Property LLC for the construction of an Arby’s restaurant in Galion.

Editor’s Note: Several residents residing on South Union Street are upset about an invasion of raccoons in vacant houses in the area that are carrying a rare disease that has killed one man’s dog and could have infected him. More on that story coming in Saturday’s print edition and online tomorrow.

By Kimberly Gasuras

[email protected]

Reach Gasuras on Twitter: @kimberlygasuras

No posts to display