BELMONT — Village officials recently learned that the abatement and demolition of the old Belmont School building was being advertised for bid.

During a council meeting held April 3, Fiscal Officer Ricky Burkhead informed those present that he had been informed by a representative of Belomar Regional Council that the project was being advertised this month, with a pre-bid meeting set for April 22, so contractors can inspect the building, and final bids due on May 2.

The school, which was purchased by the village from Union Local School District for $1 in 1999, has stood unused since council voted in 2017 that the building should come down.

An initial $200,000 estimate for asbestos removal soon put the project beyond what the small village could afford, and officials have been working with various entities to get the project funded since then.

After some discussion it was decided council would schedule a special meeting to open the bids sometime after May 2 rather than postpone the scheduled May 1 meeting. Burkhead said the decision would have to be made promptly since the project needs to be completed by the end of June due to language in a grant for the work.

Meanwhile, Mayor Ron Woods said he and Police Chief Andrew Miller had been discussing ways the village can prevent large garbage trucks from using village alleys, and it was decided to hold a Street and Alley Committee meeting to discuss options.

Board of Public Affairs President Ken Davis informed council that he was having a contractor come in and fix a leak around the chimney at the firehouse and check out a leak in the stairwell of the gymnasium.

Davis also informed council that village wells had produced 96% of the water used in the village in March and reminded everyone that the annual Belmont Community Yard Sale is set for May 4 with the village cleanup being set for the following Saturday, May 11.

Councilwoman Lorie Grob brought up the possibility of “freshening up” the village’s Christmas wreaths and veteran’s baskets, saying she thought it would be good to get started on it now so they would have time to get them done before the holiday season. She said she was looking for “crafty volunteers” to help with the project, and council voted to appropriate $500 for materials so they could get started.

Grob also said that flags had been ordered for the Memorial Day observance and that they needed to try to set things up with the Union Local Marching Band.

Village Solicitor T.J. Schultz suggested council look at bringing back the village’s Student Mayor for a Day and Student Council Member programs that were spearheaded by former mayor the late Stan Sobel before being suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Councilwoman Sarah Scott, who works at Union Local Schools, said she would contact someone at the school about that.

Belmont Village Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Stanley Sobel Village Offices on Brown Street.