GALENA — Chris Durrence was recently appointed as the newest council member for the village.
Durrence is replacing Ruben Minor, who resigned at the end of the Feb. 27 council meeting, effective March 1. Durrence was appointed in March, and his term will expire at the end of 2025. With a background in banking, he serves on the village’s Finance Committee.
Durrence and his family moved to Galena in 2019.
“He feels the ‘quaintness’ of the Village is something the community cherishes and should remain that way,” said Durrence’s biography on the Galena website. “Any future grow we face should be responsible and within the scope of our approved master plan. He is a firm believer in the ‘it takes a village’ mentality. He understands he serves at the leisure of the Village Residents and his voice will reflect their voice. He is a firm believer in supporting events that bring us all together and will work with council to support different ways to continue to ‘unite’ the Village.”
Also at the Feb. 27 meeting:
• Village Engineer Mark Rufener from K.E. McCartney discussed grading for individual home sites in a subdivision.
• Gillian Doucette and Jon Goodman discussed the progress of the Playground Committee.
• Guest Blake Austin from Rumpke discussed extending the trash removal contract until March 2025.
• Mayor Jill Love said the Galena Fall Gathering will be held on Oct. 14.
• Village Administrator Jean Sylvester said she’s getting bids for repairs to Joe Walker Road.
Galena’s Planning and Zoning Commission has also been meeting. The Jan. 18 minutes said the commission:
• Heard proposed changes to the Miller Farm project from M/I Homes.
• Joe Robertson explained the differences between Tax Increment Financing, Community Reinvestment Areas, Joint Economic Development Districts and New Community Authorities.
• Reviewed the Village of Galena Master Plan.
• Discussed revising the Zoning Ordinance to address densities.
Meeting on March 15, Planning and Zoning:
• Recommended amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to council for adoption.
• Discussed the Old Town Map Overlay. It was noted that many of the buildings in the district were built in different decades, so it might be difficult “to promote and preserve historical architectural character standards,” the minutes said. The commission will further determine the overlay boundaries and may need to update the Zoning Ordinance.
In other village news, Galena posted a job opening for lawn mowing on Facebook on April 24 at a rate of $15 an hour.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
