The Galion City Council passed several ordinances on June 25 pertaining to city improvement, including dispersing Freese Grant funds to Galion City Schools and selling bonds to fund city projects.

School officials in Galion approached the oucncil about receiving Freese Grant funding to make improvements to the track around Unckrich Stadium. While the property is owned by the school, the district has permitted residents visiting city-owned Heise Park to use the track for many years.

Freese Grant funding can only be awarded to “the upkeep and maintenance of City facilities that benefit the people of the City” and “the cost of improvements as shown on the City’s current capital improvement plan and which are otherwise suited to the memory of Egbert M. Freese.”

So that the track updates will fall under the requirements of the grant funding, ordinance 2024-45 allows the school and city to enter into a usage agreement, formalizing the district’s permission for residents to use the track.

Council then approved $66,882 in Freese Grant funds to resurface the track.

In other business, council passed ordinances 2024-50 and 2024-51, which both approved the issuance of bonds to fund needed repairs to the Galion Powers Reservoir and water treatment plant. Bonds are a common way for governments to fund large projects while spreading out the cost over a longer period of time.

Ordinance 2024-50 allows the city to issue up to the maximum principal amount of $400,000 for repairs to the Powers Reservoir. The following ordinance, 2024-51, allows the city to issue a maximum principal amount of $150,000 to fund improvements to the water treatment plant.

Both sets of bonds will have a 6% interest rate, payable semi-annually. They are both expected to mature in 20 annual principal installments. The bonds will have a date of July 1, 2025 and their first principal payment will be on Dec. 1, 2025.

Hannah Bryan is a correspondent for the Galion Inquirer. She can be reached at [email protected].