ASHLEY — In a roundup of the village’s newsletters dating back to the beginning of 2023, the January 2023 edition announced the winners of the decorating contest in three categories: traditional, religious and fun.
February 2023 discussed the annual utility increase, while March 2023 revealed “The old Amish building will be a Flea Market this summer located in the Extreme Motors parking lot.”
April 2023’s newsletter reminded readers the Easter Bunny will be out delivering several Easter baskets from a raffle on April 8.
May 2023 discussed the annual fishing event where it was said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources had released trout, as well as the Camp Guy Granger Open House Picnic held May 20.
Also, the retiring Elaine McFarland was thanked “for all of her years of service to this (fishing) event and everything she has done in our Village.”
In June 2023, it was said the Community Clean-Up Day was upcoming on June 10. The success of that event was mentioned in the July 2023 newsletter, as well as pool prices. August 2023 mentioned the annual Corn Show, held last year on Aug. 3. The September 2023 newsletter said three candidates were running for two council seats: Jan Silva Sanchez, Mark J. Wicker and Kathleen L. Winbourne.
October’s newsletter included a message from then-Mayor Jim Nelson.
“With Ashley being an older community and villagers being on fixed incomes it is very difficult to put tax increases or levies in place to finance projects, as residents struggle to support their families to make ends meet,” Nelson wrote. “The village needs to be very selective in projects. This is done through good financial management and judgment of my office and the village council. I ask for your vote and support for being reelected as the Village of Ashley Mayor. Experience Counts!”
November’s news reminded folks of the Friends of Ashley Fall Festival on the fourth, and the December issue mentioned Christmas in Ashley and the American Legion Fish Fry.
Turning to 2024, the January newsletter mentioned the solar eclipse that took place in April. Former Councilman David Lockhart wrote as the new mayor, “I’d also like to thank Mark Wicker and Penny Bennett for their service as councilpersons. Welcome to new council members Jan Silva Sanchez and Kathleen Winbourne. As a result of the November (2023) election, the council seat I held will be vacant and a new council member will be appointed, as required by law – a total of three new members. Last but not least, Mark Hall has retired and Sean Allen, has been hired to fill the maintenance position.”
In February, Lockhart wrote, “Even with my council experience, there is a lot to learn and build upon to serve the village effectively. Our council with its’ new members has met once and we are underway with the business of 2024. Dean Mosier has been elected by council to serve as Council President. After receiving competitive bids, we renewed our waste hauling contract with WinWaste. Please contact village staff if you have any service issues. We are waiting to learn if our finance applications for additional state funds will be approved. These will help pay for needed water and sewer improvement projects. I’m available to discuss our projects’ goals and costs if you have an interest to learn more. As always, I encourage you to attend village meetings to contribute to improving our village.”
Lastly, items were being collected for the Buckeye Valley Food Pantry, 101 E. High St., Ashley. Hours are 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, and 5 to 6:30 p.m. first Tuesdays.
The Village Office is at 3 N. Harrison St., Ashley. The website is villageofashley.org.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
