Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Beautification topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Garden Club funds and council approve $1,500 to finish Village Hall turnaround project
Summary
After testimony from Garden Club leaders detailing costs and donated materials, Bentleyville council unanimously approved budgeting up to $1,500 to complete a brick walkway and landscaping at Village Hall; the Garden Club will cover remaining costs from dues and prior spending.
Monette Weiss, president of the Garden Club, and treasurer Mary Kay Black told the council on April 15 that Phase 2 of the Village Hall turnaround project would include grass removal, soil replacement, a brick walkway set with sand in the seams, and edge restraints. Weiss said bricks owned by the Village would be used to echo the building’s existing brickwork and estimated the brick walkway cost at about $2,800.
Weiss told council Phase 1 had $4,000 set aside and that the Garden Club had budgeted $1,200 for Phase 2 with $469 already spent in 2026; she submitted a $200 reimbursement request for plant material and asked for council approval of $1,269 (the minutes record the Council was asked to approve $1,269 and that $200 was submitted that day). Treasurer Mary Kay Black said additional Garden Club funds and dues would cover remaining costs. Fiscal Officer Tammy Most confirmed village Hall maintenance and park expense funds could cover the request without a budget amendment.
Councilmember Ken Kvacek moved (seconded by Terry Hemmelgarn) to budget up to $1,500 (the $1,269 requested plus the $200 reimbursement) to complete the turnaround project. A voice vote was recorded as unanimous and the motion carried. Mayor Kathleen Hale expressed reluctance to sign a contract obligating the Village for the full $2,800 without final contract details from Breezewood, which was requesting 50% up front.
The Garden Club’s proposal, as recorded in the minutes, relies on a combination of Garden Club dues and the Village’s maintenance funds; the minutes say bricks already owned by the Village will be used. Council approved funding to allow the work to proceed but did not finalize the contractor payment schedule in the meeting minutes.
