The Council of the Village of Woodsfield
February 16, 2026
The Council of the Village of Woodsfield met in Regular Session on February 16, 2026.
I. Roll Call:
Present: Council Members; Tom Kirkland, Bill Allen, Alicia Gardner, Kim Schaber, Tiffany Ramsay, Matt Schaber, Mayor Carol Hehr, Fiscal Officer Lori Cunard, Solicitor Ryan Regel, and Village Administrator Kevin Brooks.
II. Pending Meeting Minutes Approval:
Bill Allen said on page 2, when Mr. Lee was asked about the owners of the business he gave the second owner’s name which needs to be added to the minutes. Bill Allen made the motion to accept the February 2, 2026 meeting minutes with corrections. Matt Schaber second. Motion passed 6-0.
III. Registered Visitors:
None
IV. Old Business:
Draft Resolution regarding compensation for snow days – Mayor Hehr asked Solicitor Regel if the Resolution could be used since it is just a draft that she had written up. Solicitor Regel said if Council agrees with it, it can be used but Mayor Hehr said she would rather Solicitor Regel look it over and write it up. She asked if Council has any additions or corrections to it that they would like to make. Bill Allen asked if vacation would still be accrued if there is a day missed due to snow. Kevin Brooks explained vacation time would still be accrued.
VI. Administrator Report:
Village Administrator Kevin Brooks reported that there is a proposal for lifeguards to be hired and their hourly wages in Council Packets. The lifeguards are as follows: Raquel Stimpert, Asst. Mgr. – $12.25, Annalisa Isaacs, Asst Mgr. – $11.75, Caydence Beckett – $11.25, Jayden Miller – $11.25, Chloe Seymour – $11.25, Julianna Wilson – $11.00. He asked for a motion from Council to approve the hiring of the 6 lifeguards and their hourly wages. Kim Schaber made the motion. Tiffany Ramsay second the motion. Motion passed 6-0.
Kevin Brooks said on Wednesday, February 18th, there is a conference call scheduled with Sawvel & Associates to discuss Power Cost Adjustment and peak shaving alternative energy sources which would include solar and/or other generators. Then at 10:30 am there is an in-office visit with AMP for member services visit.
Mr. Brooks said he had a meeting with John Williams, Street Superintendent, regarding potholes. He said the only thing available this time of year is cold mix, but they have been out and trying to fix them. People are encouraged to report large potholes so they can be fixed.
Kevin Brooks said the Wate Department has fixed most of the leaks but there are a couple pending. The issue with having leaks this time of year is that the water does not surface so it makes it hard to pinpoint and locate.
Kevin Brooks said he has been in touch with Jim Lee, Master Roof Solar, who gave the presentation at the last Council meeting. He was wondering how Council feels about going with solar after hearing the presentation. He said if Council is not interested, he can let Master Roof Solar know but he would like some kind of indication so we can move in another direction if needed. Council member Tom Kirkland said he would like to check into natural gas generators. Bill Allen said solar worries him, the company being new worries him and the owners worry him. Bill Allen said we can run our generators on natural gas; they are dual fuel. He also said he does not want to spend $20,000-$30,000 for a study without looking more heavily into natural gas generators. Tom Kirkland said he would like to see the cost of the natural gas generators. He said the solar panels will only last so long and so will generators, but generators tend to last quite a while, and we have already proven that. Mayor Hehr said we have to do something because the generators that are there now will not last. Kim Schaber said she does not know enough about solar, she has been doing some research, but she asked who is interested in looking into
solar and who wants to stay away from solar. Kim Schaber said she does not mind looking into solar, but she asked if it might be beneficial to do a feasibility study and an engineering design. She was not sure if the study that Master Roof Solar is talking about doing would include engineering and what our purchase agreements and contracts are. Kevin Brooks said Sawvel & Associates is our consultants and Verdantas is engineering. He said there are so many variables that we do not have the answers to, such as the size of the solar field and where it is going to go definitively. Mr. Brooks said that is part of the leg work so that is why he is coming to Council to find out if solar is the way they want to go and if not, he can let Master Roof Solar know so we don’t waste their time. He thinks there should be more questions answered during the conference call with Sawvel & Associates on Wednesday morning. Mr. Brooks said solar is something that he and Aaron Teeders, Sawvel & Associates, have been talking about and looking into for the past 7 years. Kim Schaber said she does not know how much a study would cost because there are so many groups involved and Master Roof Solar said it would take 10-12 weeks to even get a plan and at that point, they might be able to give an estimate on a solar field project. She wants to know if it is worth doing the study and finding out what the anticipated expenses would be. Mr. Brooks said it depends on whether we own the solar field because if we do not own the solar field, we will not have any expenses in engineering, development, or construction; we would only buy the energy. Kevin Brooks said that is something that has not been determined and if that is the best route to go. Mr. Brooks just wants to know if there is any interest in solar because if not, he would like to move on and look into other options. Tiffany Ramsay said she would be interested to know what Lewis Hill, Electric Superintendent, thinks about it. Mr. Brooks said he doesn’t think Lewis Hill cares one way or another because operating the diesels is something he does, he has to be in the plant during peak shaving. The solar will be self-operational and again if we do not own the solar field, we will only tell them when we want to draw energy from it. Mr. Brooks said he knows Lewis Hill has looked at other generators also and he doesn’t really have a preference, but he would like to have more flexibility in not having to run the plant each time we peak shave. Mayor Hehr said she is interested to see what Sawvel & Associates will have to say at the meeting on Wednesday regarding generators verses the solar field. She does not feel we can decide because we do not know what we should do. It is a huge deal for us, and we need to rely on people who have the knowledge and hopefully they can tell us what we should do. Mayor Hehr suggests everyone attend the meeting on Wednesday morning if they can and then at the next Council meeting we can hopefully decide.
Kevin Brooks said he sent Council the response he received from the Appalachian Resource Commission regarding our application for the conversion project in the amount of $500,000 and it was denied. We are encouraged to apply again in the next grant window. Mr. Brooks said he is scheduled to meet with Verdantas in the next week to discuss the progress of engineering for the conversion project.
VII. Fiscal Officer Report:
Fiscal Officer Lori Cunard asked for Ordinance #02-2026 to be approved by Council.
Mayor Carol Hehr asked for a motion to approve Ordinance #02-2026, An Ordinance to Approve Current Replacement Pages to the Woodsfield Codified Ordinances and Suspend the Rules Declaring it an Emergency. Tom Kirkland made the motion. Tiffany Ramsay second the motion. Bill Allen – yes, Alicia Gardner – yes, Kim Schaber – yes, Matt Schaber – yes. Motion passed 6-0. Ordinance #02-2026 adopted.
VIII. Committee Chair/Council Reports:
Tom Kirkland – Nothing to report.
Bill Allen – Nothing to report.
Alicia Gardner – Nothing to report.
Kim Schaber – Nothing to report.
Tiffany Ramsay – Tiffany Ramsay reported that the Property Maintenance Committee met on February 9th. They talked about some outstanding issues from last year and are going to put together things they want to do for the coming year and some properties they want to look at.
Kevin Brooks said he would like them to decide on the dumpsters for this year because he would like to schedule it with Rosen’s. Tiffany Ramsay said they had talked about it and will discuss it again at their next meeting.
Matt Schaber – Nothing to report but he wanted to know when the rest of the superintendents will be reporting. Kevin Brooks said they will be at the next Council meeting, March 2nd.
IX: Solicitor’s Report:
Solicitor Ryan Regel is requesting Executive Session regarding purchase of property and pending litigation at the end of the meeting.
Solicitor Regel said he will be circulating the memo regarding the recording of Council meetings.
X: Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to approve the payment of bills. Kim Schaber made the motion. Matt Schaber second the motion. Motion passed 6-0.
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to approve the Mayor’s Court Report, mid-February 2026. Matt Schaber made the motion. Tom Kirkland second the motion. Motion passed 6-0.
Mayor Hehr said the surveys have been submitted and we should know in 7-10 days if we qualify as LMI. She said if we do qualify as LMI it means we can apply for the money for the street paving.
Mayor Hehr said she is writing an Ohio Arts Council Grant for Community Strong Committee. She said she can apply for up to $5,000.00 and it can be used for events they do such as Music in the Park and the Festivals.
Mayor Hehr is also applying for Capital Budget Application for a splashpad at Memorial Park.
Mayor Hehr attended the landbank meeting last Tuesday and she asked about the old high school. She said there is an issue and the landbank has to apply for more money so once it is received, they can demolish that building.
Kevin Brooks said as soon as the weather breaks, he would like to do something with the property on the corner of Main Street, so it is presentable for Alumni weekend. He would like some direction to get the project going and it will need a substantial amount of excavating, there are bricks that need to come out, and it definitely needs brought up to grade. Mayor Hehr said she has an estimate from Malaga Greenhouse for shrubs and trees, and she has asked a contractor to give an estimate for brick work. She said the only other thing they will need is furniture. But Mayor Hehr said none of this will be done for Alumni weekend, it won’t be until later in the year. She is also looking for people who can donate money because the grants we can write will not be available until next year. Mr. Brooks wants to know what should be done with it for Alumni weekend that would be a temporary fix because he doesn’t want to put a lot of money into it only to tear it back out. Bill Allen said they could look at it and make suggestions at the next meeting. Kim Schaber asked if the bricks can be re-used for the project. Mayor Hehr said maybe for a portion of it, but there would not be enough. Mr. Brooks said he does not think they would be re-used, they had talked about putting in stamped concrete that looks like brick. Kim Schaber suggested taking the bricks out, leveling it off as best you can, and then just plant grass and put in some temporary benches for Alumni weekend.
XI. Un-Registered Visitors/Guests:
None
The Mayor asked for a motion to go into Executive Session for purchase of property and pending litigation. Matt Schaber made the motion. Bill Allen second the motion. Motion passed 6-0. Executive Session entered at 6:45 p.m.
Mayor Hehr called the meeting back into Regular Session at 7:03 p.m.
XII. Adjourn:
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Bill Allen made the motion. Alicia Gardner second. Motion passed 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
ATTEST:
___________________________ ____________________________
Carol Hehr, Mayor Lori Cunard, Fiscal Officer