OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) – The Oil City Council on Thursday passed a National Service Recognition Proclamation honoring Keystone SMILES for the work it has done in Oil City.

(Photo: Oil City Mayor Bill Moon (far left) presents the City’s proclamation to Keystone Smiles. Joining Moon were (from the right of Moon) Mike Wile, a volunteer with Keystone SMILES; Sherry Kulinski from Keystone SMILES; and Libby Hansford from Keystone SMILES.)

“Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps has played a large part in Oil City and the surrounding area serving many organizations including the Oil City Weed and Seed Program, Youth Philanthropy Project, Good Hope Lutheran Church Play and Stay, the Oil City Salvation Army, the House of Trades, YMCA, YMCA Camp Coffman and Youth Alternatives,” the proclamation says.

According to Sherry Kulinski of SMILES, the organization recently completed its project at 435 Colbert Avenue in Oil City, and there will be an Open House on April 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

“I want to thank the city council and everyone in Venango County for their support,” Libby Hansford of Keystone SMILES said. “We appreciate everyone and their support of what we are doing.”

Hansford said the Colbert Avenue project allowed local youth to learn everything about redoing a property.

“It’s a great experience they otherwise wouldn’t get,” Hansford said.

COUNCIL TABLES COUNTY REQUEST FOR CORNPLANTER SQUARE PARKING LOT

The Council tabled a request from Venango County Commissioners Chip Abramovic, Vincent Witherup, and Tim Brooks for the city to donate the public parking lot directly behind the Cornplanter Square building that the county is refurbishing.

Councilmembers Dale Massie and Ron Gustafson and Mayor Bill Moon — Councilmembers Isaiah Dunham and Michael Poff were absent from the meeting — don’t necessarily have an issue with the county taking over the parking lot at some point but don’t see a need for it to happen right now.

“I don’t object once construction is done,” Gustafson said.

“Once the work is done, we can turn it over,” Massie agreed.

Moon said the city would like to continue to have the money from meters in the parking lot until at least the new parking meters are installed at the new lot being built where the old parking garage is located.

Part of the reason behind that is the city still owes money on the parking garage, which is no longer in existence.

It was also noted that the city itself doesn’t own the parking lot and that it is owned by the Oil City Parking Authority which will have to be brought into any discussions about turning it over to the county.

CITY GIVES PARTIAL APPROVAL TO BRIDGE FEST EVENT

Kathy Bailey, the Main Street Manager, and Kay Wood, a volunteer with the Oil City Arts Council, presented Council with an idea to hold a Bridge Fest August 17-18.

The event would require the closing of the Veterans Bridge from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 17, and the closing of the Center Street Bridge from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 18.

The plan that was presented would have two bands — Dead Level and The Probables — playing on the Veterans Bridge on Friday, August 17, with other activities including yoga, chair massages and children’s activities also planned.

Then, on Saturday, August 18, there would be a DJ, chalk art, and other children’s activities on the Center Street Bridge along with face painting, caricatures, and more.

“It’s based on a similar party that I saw in Cincinnati where they close the bridge between Ohio and Kentucky,” Woods told the Council. “It would be a great way to bring the Northside and the Southside together.”

Council had some concerns, especially about closing the Veterans Bridge including whether PennDOT would allow the bridge to be closed.

Woods said while she hasn’t filed the permit yet, she has talked to someone at PennDOT, and it didn’t appear that they thought it would be an issue.

Massie then asked Oil City Police Chief Robert Wenner if his department could handle the closing of the bridge.

“It would be labor intensive,” Wenner said. “Center Street Bridge isn’t a problem, but Veterans Bridge we would need to have officers and fire police directing traffic. The lights won’t run that type of traffic detour. But we do it.”

Wenner also said that in order for the Veterans Bridge to start programming at 4:00 p.m., it would most likely need to be closed no later than 2:00 p.m. because of the time it would take to set up the bands, booths, etc. He suggested that the program starts at 5:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m.

The Council asked if the days the bridges could be used could be switched, but Woods and Bailey said the bands have been booked already.

They did say that if the bridge wasn’t able to be used, then Justus Park was an alternative for the bands.

The Council suggested that the Main Street Program and the Arts Council submit their permit application to PennDOT and then come back to the Council after that was completed.

In the meantime, the Council approved the Saturday programming on the Center Street Bridge and the closing of the bridge while tabling the closing of the Veterans Bridge.

MONEY MOVED FROM REVOLVING LOAN FUND TO LAND of LAUGHTER PLAYGROUND PROJECT

City Manager Mark Schroyer suggested and the Council approved that $17,000.00 from a revolving loan program that hasn’t been active in a decade be transferred to the Land of Laughter Playground project.

According to Shroyer, sometime in the early to mid-2000 (meeting minutes from March 20, 2005, can be found talking about it), a revolving loan program to help businesses with upgrades and facade improvements was started by the City from money received from Timbering on the watershed land.

But, the last loan was given out in 2008, and there was currently $17,000.00 sitting in the fund.

“I suggest we dissolve the account and put the money towards the playground,” Schroyer said. “The $17,000.00 would get us closer to what we need.”

Council agreed with Massie saying $17,000.00, while being a significant amount of money for the playground, wasn’t a whole lot of money for a loan program.

Schroyer also said that Barr Insurance has made a $250.00 donation towards the playground, and he expects work to start soon on the upgrades to the playground.

“It will have modern, safe, colorful equipment,” Schroyer said.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business the council:

• Approved an Autism walk for 3:00 p.m. on April 28, with the walk starting at the Salvation Army in Oil City and proceeding down Elm Street towards Justice Park and then into the park and under the bridge before coming up on the other side of Seneca Street. It will then head down to Brody Block Park where balloons will be released.
• Authorized an Easter Egg hunt to be conducted by the Salvation Army at Justus Park on Easter Sunday, April 1. The hunt will start at 9:00 a.m. and is open to anyone under 13-years old who wished to join but will not be advertised to the public.
• Gave approval to a number of events being held by the Oil City Arts Council is Justus Park during 2018 including Music in the Park on June 15 featuring “My So Called Nineties Band,” “Jolly July 3” on July 3, and Music in the Park on July 21 featuring “Shally and the Riff Riders.” It also approved the use of the park on August 18 in case the Veterans Bridge isn’t available for the Bridge Festival bands mentioned above.