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BARNESVILLE -- Village officials last week discussed the cause of a gas leak at a downtown demolition site and the need for security cameras and roof repairs at the old Barnesville B&O Depot.
During a scheduled council meeting Oct. 23, Councilman Brian Yarnall requested details from Village Administrator Roger Deal concerning what had led to the gas leak at a downtown demolition site and the subsequent evacuation of a number of businesses on the evening of Oct. 18.
Deal explained that while he didn't have exact dates, the village had requested that the gas service at the village-owned site be abandoned two years ago. He later said that Columbia Gas had confirmed this with him.
"Even Columbia Gas thought that it was abandoned. They had in their system that all three buildings were abandoned. Even the service guy that came on the scene believed that the gas had been turned off," Deal elaborated.
It was revealed in the brief discussion that followed that the building that was once home to Barnesville Veterinary Service on Chestnut Street had not had gas service shut off at the curb and had been the source of the leak once the demolition of that building commenced.
"So really it's their responsibility, so my question is if some businesses wanted to submit a claim to Columbia Gas would you be able to provide them with the information needed to contact them?" Yarnall asked.
Deal responded that he believed the 800 number would be the place to start but he would be glad to assist.
Meanwhile, Aaron Wildman, representing the B&O Depot Committee, addressed council. He said there had been several incidents of vandalism around the depot recently and that he had received an estimate of around $17,000 to have a security camera system installed that would give full coverage of the depot property and would extend clear to the old railroad tunnel that runs beneath Main Street.
He said he believed with the Rails to Trails and tunnel project slated to begin construction sometime next year, total coverage of the depot grounds would be for the best security for the long term.
Wildman confirmed that the estimate was for six cameras and that the camera feeds would be going to the Barnesville Police Station when asked by Mayor Dale Bunting.
Wildman also said there are no tenants in the depot building at this time due to falling plaster resulting from a leaking roof, so the depot committee does not have much money to contribute to the purchase.
Councilman Tim McKelvey said the roof of the depot building had been leaking and causing issues for years and while he thought the camera system would be a good thing to have, he felt getting the roof fixed should be prioritized.
Local historian Bruce Yarnall said they had received an estimate of $136,000 to repair the roof in either 2016 or 2017 and that he and Wildman "were looking to get the committee reorganized and moving forward next year in that regard."
Wildman said he was waiting on a new estimate but had received a "ballpark" figure of $150,000 to $200,000.
McKelvey said he believed it was time to fix the roof, while Councilman Steve Hill asked Bruce Yarnall what grants might be available to assist with the project.
Yarnall mentioned a couple of grants he was aware of for which the project might be eligible, adding, "I think, too, that you build a campaign and you get the community involved and you come up with a purpose, which I think also needs to have some community-based component."
Councilman Tony Johnson asserted that since the police department already has an operating camera system that officials should see if there is a way to expand that so that the depot property could be included without going out and purchasing a whole new system.
This was met with agreement with Police Chief Rocky Sirianni, Council President Tickhill and McKelvey agreeing to get together with the police department's technology specialist to see if this solution would work.
Barnesville Village Council's next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Municipal Building on Arch Street.