By JONATHAN SNYDER
Reusser Marketing presented a tentative new look for the city during Bluffton Common Council’s Tuesday meeting.
The marketing firm was tasked with designing a rebrand for the city of Bluffton in March. In their presentation, Reusser’s Senior Product Designer Joe Beste and Director of Creative Tommy Moore both presented what they believe are the pillars of Bluffton, which they identified as rooted in heritage, strong in community and rich in opportunity.
Beste and Moore presented a tentative color scheme, logo and city flag for the Common Council to look at, which got a positive response. Reusser incorporated the nine townships into their new logo and incorporated colors from all three school districts. They also referenced the Wabash River, the significance of bridges in the town’s history, and the bison from Ouabache State Park. Beste also stated that the “Parlor City” nickname will remain a part of Bluffton’s identity in the new plan.
Council member Chandler Gerber stated that the city plans to unveil the tentative logos and flag on social media to see the response from the public. Beste and Moore also stated that they do not want to force this new plan onto the public and have a few other logos if the bison logo does not resonate with the people.
Council Member Scott Mentzer asked the Reusser team if the logo felt more representative of the county than the city. Beste stated that throughout his research, Bluffton and Wells County have been connected to each other in many ways.
“People from Berne tend to stay in Berne, people in Decatur kind of stay in Decatur,” Beste said. “I think in Wells County, everyone comes to Bluffton. There’s people to the north that call Bluffton home and there’s people that go to Bluffton High School that call it Bluffton, and our communities mash together. I think about all the other little towns around here, and I think everyone is pretty much connected to Bluffton.”
“As a Wells County resident and now a Bluffton resident I totally agree,” Council member Josh Hunt said. “That’s where everybody congregated (in the past) and they still do. You don’t have Bluffton without Wells County and you don’t have Wells County without Bluffton, they really do go hand in hand in my opinion.”
Also Tuesday, Bluffton NOW! President Mike Lautzenheiser requested the city partner with Wells County Trails and the Wells County Foundation for a engineering study and a trail extension going east along State Road 124 from the Interurban Trail to Elm Grove Road. Lautzenheiser reported that the Wells County Foundation approved a $25,000 matching grant and Wells County Trails is committed to raising that matching money.
Lautzenheiser stated that due to steep grades, floodplains, wetlands and other issues, the proposed trail has been put on the backburner. Lautzenheiser plans to hire an engineer to determine the best option for pedestrian and bicycle traffic to make that area safer for them. He also estimated that the study phase and a fully engineered project, ready to be sent out for bid, would need $100,000 to complete.
“I would say public safety wise, this is probably the most needed infrastructure project,” Hunt said. “It is a hard one, and I think we have a duty to make it work. I’m surprised someone hasn’t gotten injured, because any time I go at night, there’s always people either on the road or in the road. It’s really troubling.”
“It is just straight up scary to drive out there at times,” Gerber said. “There will be all sorts of wheelchairs or scooters or people walking … in the middle of the day, afternoon, evening, night. This is something that’s been on my mind for a long time.”
The council stated that they want to be a participant in the initial preliminary engineering study, and would be interested in putting bids out for the engineering design phase of the project. Lautzenheiser did note that more details will be coming later.
Lautzenheiser also informed the council of the planned designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, in downtown Bluffton. Lautzenheiser stated that the proposed area would cover a majority of the downtown area east of Marion Street, west of Scott Street, south of Wabash Street and north of Cherry Street.
DORA’s allow people to carry alcoholic beverages outside in designated areas, so long as they are stored in the proper DORA cups. He also stated that the cups must be disposed of when they leave the area. Signs would designate participating businesses in the area.
Window and sidewalk clings as well as signage designating participating businesses would need to be paid for as part of the DORA’s establishment should it pass.
Mentzer noted that charging the public for access to these DORA cups would be critical in ensuring the rules are followed. He referenced other communities in Ohio where DORA districts have been a successful source of revenue but have had negative factors like trash, maintenance and enforcement.
“If there’s no sort of, for lack of a better term, pain associated with getting a cup, everyone’s going to be walking around with cups,” Mentzer said. “I’m a big advocate of charging something that’s not burdensome, but is at least enough that someone has to make a conscious decision.”
Lautzenheiser added that a zoning affidavit, council approval, and approval from the state Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms must be completed before the DORA is established. As part of state requirements, the local churches need to give their blessing to agree to the DORA.
Lautzenheiser also requested that the city move forward with requesting bids for the maintenance of the Downtown Pathways Project, which the council agreed to. Lautzenheiser stated that various punchlist items have prevented a ribbon cutting ceremony for the pathways.
Additionally, Hannah’s House were given $10,000 in Opioid Funding to help continue their efforts to help women recover from drug addiction. Executive Director Kris Walker stated that five women have completed the Hannah’s House program and are now at Grace and Mercy Transitional Housing, with three more expected to transition in the next few weeks.
Dispatch Supervisor Mike Miller also requested a transfer of $38,500 from the Wages line item to the Other Services line item. Miller stated that a miscalculation of first quarter payments for dispatch contract fees forces the move. Miller also noted that the adjustment will cover essential maintenance fees.
The council also approved Fire Chief Don Craig’s request for an additional appropriation of $160,000 from Fire Territory Equipment Replacement Fund monies for two three-quarter ton 4X4 Crew Cab trucks.
Craig also stated that the potential purchase of a 2016 aerial fire truck from Carnegie Pennsylvania will need to be approved by the fire territory board before council can make the final decision. The truck will cost approximately $787,500 compared to the $1,500,000 earmarked for a new aerial truck. Upfitting the truck will bring the total cost to about $900,000, but the truck passed inspection from Emergency Vehicle Inspection’s Mike Wilbur, who described the truck as “the deal of the century.”
WEG Industries were also granted a waiver of noncompliance for not turning in their CF-1 tax abatement forms on time.
jonathan@news-banner.com
