Public works superintendent details staffing, equipment and infrastructure projects, including Canal Park path and cemetery repairs

Cliff Wirtz Jr., the Village of Hebron public works superintendent, told the combined council committee on May 18 that his crew is focusing this season on staffing training, equipment upgrades and several infrastructure projects, including a Canal Park multi‑use path slated for construction in spring 2027 and prioritized cemetery headstone repairs.

Wirtz opened his report by listing recent personnel accomplishments and training: assistant superintendent Barrett Skillman is scheduled for stormwater inspection certification in June, laborer Braylon Wolford marks his one‑year anniversary with the department, and laborer Jacob Fay recently passed his commercial driver’s license test. "We train in house," Wirtz said, adding that safety sessions and a series of training videos helped the crew get on the same page.

On operations, Wirtz said the village increased its SALT request to 150 tons this year after using roughly 160 tons last winter, and that a mosquito spraying program will begin the coming Tuesday and continue through October as weather permits. He said a public notice would go out in the next few days.

Wirtz gave updates on ongoing roadway work, saying resurfacing on Maple, Broadway, Wooster and Newark Street is finishing after subgrade and utility delays; he plans to prepare a punch list for the contractor. He described the village’s use of a product he called "Aquafort" on State Route 79 where concrete requires a different patching approach, and said it has held up where cold patch would not. "The Aquafort is held in the concrete on 79," he said, but he warned the material is more expensive and cannot be used everywhere.

Parks and facilities work includes dismantling a large, unsafe playground at Hebron Elementary while relocating smaller structures to Evans Park and Canal Park, finishing landscaping at Evans, and installing a permanent PA system at the Village Center. Wirtz said the Canal Park multi‑use path is moving forward in coordination with ODOT, LCATS and EDG but is awaiting the third plan set before construction in spring 2027.

The superintendent also reported recurring graffiti at Canal Park has diminished after the department borrowed a camera and placed signage; he identified 164 cemetery headstones needing repair and said the village will prioritize the list so a contractor can begin late summer or early fall. Wirtz noted crews repaired multiple sinkholes caused by aging clay storm tiles and contracted Sweeping Corp America for three street sweeps this year.

Wirtz closed by describing equipment purchases — including a new Ventrac mower with multiple attachments, a cab and snow blade — and plans to obtain a crack‑sealing machine within the next month or two. Council members asked follow‑up questions on basketball court resurfacing, Route 40 dips, the Aquafort product’s cost‑benefit and a one‑time retrieval of recycling bins from WindWaste; Wirtz said several projects will be reconsidered during budget and capital improvement planning.

The superintendent’s next steps include prioritizing cemetery repairs with a contractor, finalizing a punch list for resurfacing work, and integrating public works compound items into the fall capital improvement plan.