GALION- Galion City Council members held their regular meeting Oct. 11 inside the Uptowne Municipal Building.

No citizens directly addressed the council, though multiple items were discussed.

After reviewing and approving the minutes from the Sept. 27 meeting, amended ordinances were also approved, including on appropriations and re-appropriating money for the remainder of 2022.

Mayor Tom O’Leary confirmed the encumbered and unencumbered money set aside to meet specific obligations — including wages and benefits — went to proper places and members elaborated on the current balance.

The mayor said the city is likely to reject bids for a left-hand turn lane on Brandt Road on the city’s north side. What started as a $300,000 project has jumped in cost, partially due to an anticipated rise in asphalt prices. A slight re-design is now the plan.

“I don’t think the right course is to bid the same thing and just add money to it,” O’Leary explained. “It’s an important project but at a certain point it doesn’t become worth that much…We aren’t going to award it now.”

A contract for paving roads around Galion is still on the way, however. The mayor expressed concerns that pavers don’t conflict with leaf pick up that begins later this month. It was also mentioned that most Ohio communities don’t provide leaf pickup, and it’s therefore appreciated by members.

Finally, O’Leary and the council were excited to relay that the new biking and walking trail along the Olentangy River is now open to enjoy, especially while weather remains seasonal.

The new extension begins at the south end of the existing path, just before reaching the wastewater treatment plant. A hill, which starts the new portion, goes west another half mile, along a wooded route to Biddle Road. This allows walkers and bicyclists access to that large thoroughfare and Galion’s popular reservoirs about a mile south.

Galion’s annual Trick-or-Treat event will be held Oct. 30 this year.