T-L Photo/LENNY WITTENBROOK Barnesville resident and business owner Scott Wolfe, standing, addresses village officials shortly before being removed from the April 8 meeting for using foul language.

BARNESVILLE — Resident and business owner Scott Wolfe was escorted out of a council meeting last week after using an expletive while referring to Village Administrator Roger Deal.

Wolfe has been a fixture at Barnesville Village Council meetings in recent months, using the open forum to raise his concerns about a variety of issues in the community.

These issues have included his claims that he has been unfairly targeted for violation of sidewalk ordinances, calling for better enforcement of speed limits or the placement of speed bumps on Gardner Avenue, and speaking out against the long-planned Rails to Trails and Tunnel Project.

On Monday he was granted time to speak.

“I’m over the sidewalk stuff. That case has been filed in federal court in Columbus. That’s where we’re gonna go to get this resolved. I’ve spoke on it enough,” he said, adding that he wasn’t interested in mediation.

He next brought up the speed limit on Gardner Street, saying he had asked for a stop sign, a speed limit sign, or a speed bump with no results. He asserted that the Ohio Revised Code required a 20 mph speed limit during school hours within 1,000 feet of all school property and that he feared for his 11-year-old daughter, who was with him at the meeting, due to the speeding and lack of attention of drivers.

Mayor Jake Hershberger said he would have the Street and Alley Committee, Village Solicitor Richard Myser and Police Chief Rocky Sirianni review the ordinances to see what the village needs to do to be compliant.

Wolfe went on to say that at the next council meeting, he wanted to bring up issues with code enforcement and abatement and continued to speak before Hershberger attempted to interrupt him to inform him that his time was up.

Wolfe continued, though, getting louder until he was shouting as he went on about unfair treatment. Hershberger offered to stop by and speak with him, but he continued to get louder, eventually pointing at Village Administrator Roger Deal and saying, “And this piece of …. here.”

This was cut off as various council members admonished Wolfe, who had been warned at previous meetings about raising his voice and using foul language. Police Chief Rocky Sirianni went over to begin guiding Wolfe out of the council chambers while he continued to shout various accusations.

After Wolfe was gone, and in response to a question from Hershberger, Myser said he felt officials had dealt with him properly since it was a public forum and village leaders are allowed to impose time and subject limits on those who ask to use it.

Hershberger said he had been visiting with Wolfe on occasion to let him vent, but that he could not do so on an indefinite basis. Myser said it would be best to continue to handle one situation at a time.

Myser said he had not received any notice of the court filing that Wolfe referenced. Hershberger later said that he had looked up ORC 4511.21 about school zone speed limits and that those extend 300 feet rather than the 1,000 feet Wolfe had claimed.

Meanwhile, council approved moving forward with the processes necessary to sell the remainder of the village-owned North Chestnut Street property to developer T.J. Jefferis after Hershberger said they had negotiated a price of $38,115 based on the $5 per square foot he had paid for the frontage of the property last year.

Council also approved spending $12,953.25 to upgrade the village’s IT network infrastructure after Hershberger explained it was necessary to remain compliant and prepare for future expansion.

Councilman Terry McCort asked that $100,000 from a village-owned certificate of deposit that was about to reach maturity be moved to a savings account at Woodsfield Savings Bank so that it could be used to potentially fund the village business loan program he has been working to make a reality since last year.

The plan was discussed briefly before it was decided and approved that the village would place the funds in a money market account, at the suggestion of Development Director Bill Knox, while they continue to work out the details of the program.

Fire Chief Tim Hall announced run totals for March, saying the fire department answered 15 calls while the EMS performed nine transports for WVU Medicine Barnesville Hospital and answered 94 emergency calls.

Sirianni announced that thanks to a grant through the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, four automated external defibrillators had been purchased so that every cruiser in the village now has one of the life-saving devices, and that a grant from the South Central Power Community Foundation had purchased seven LifeVac kits.

“The AEDs and LifeVacs are both proven life-saving tools and will greatly aid us in providing the best service to our community. We are grateful to both foundations for their support and assistance,” Sirianni said.

Greg Batts announced that the annual Barnesville-Bradfield Airpot Day would be held 10 a.m to 3 p.m. June 1, while Warren Township Trustee Jim Greer reminded everyone that the Barnesville and Warren Township Community Cleanup is being held at the old B&O Depot on from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 20 and that volunteers were still needed.

Barnesville Village Council meets again at 7 p.m. April 22 in the Municipal Building on Arch Street.