T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Shadyside Mayor Mike Meintel deems 17th annual Loop Fest a success.

SHADYSIDE – The village of Shadyside is cracking down on enforcement of electronic bikes, powered scooters and other powered mobility device laws within the village.

During Monday’s regularly scheduled council meeting, Mayor Mike Meintel provided council with a public service announcement given to him by Police Chief Don Collette.

Collette was unable to attend Monday’s meeting, but Meintel said Collette has informed him that the police department has received a significant increase in complaints about motorized bikes, electronic scooters and powered mobility devices on public streets, parking lots and village sidewalks.

Meintel said the complaints include, but are not limited to, failure to stop at stop signs and traffic lights, excessive speed, operating on sidewalks, reckless operation and creating a danger for pedestrians and motorists.

“Effective immediately, the Shadyside Police Department will actively enforce all applicable provisions of the Ohio Revised Code and ordinances of the village of Shadyside relating to the operation of bicycles, electronic bicycles, motorized bicycles and powered scooters,” as stated in Collette’s public service announcement. “Ohio law recognizes electronic bicycles as vehicles subject to traffic regulations.”

Meintel said there are rules for those three types of vehicles and, regardless of age, the village is going to start enforcing those rules.

“We are going to make them follow the rules in Shadyside. Martins Ferry is doing it, Barnesville is doing it, everybody’s having the same problems so we’re doing it,” Meintel said. “We’re not eliminating the electric bikes or anything for the kids, but they do have to follow the rules of the state.”

He then spoke about the success of this past weekend’s Loop Festival.

Meintel added that this year’s festival will be the last year for Loop Festival co-chairmen Joel Traylor and Tim Merryman organizing the festival.

“I think everybody could agree that this year’s Loop Fest was a fantastic success. Many thanks to Timmy Merryman, Pastor Joel [Traylor] and the Loop Fest committee,” Meintel said. “Sadly, this is going to be last year for Timmy and Pastor Joel, but we were going to be taking it over. I’ll be putting a committee together sometime in September and hopefully we can do half as good as Joel and Timmy have done.”

Lastly, council voted to implement a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas ordinance and declared it an emergency.

Council members Melanie Haswell, John Longwell, Robert Dorris and Lisa Duvall voted in favor of the ordinance, with Robert “Bushwacker” Gorrell voting no and Brandon Parr being absent from the meeting.

Due to Parr’s absence and Gorrell voting no, the ordinance was not able to be passed as an emergency.

According to Village Solicitor Kelly Kotur, five of the six council members need to vote in favor of declaring an ordinance an emergency.

Due to not being able to pass it as an emergency, it will be read as a second reading at the next meeting, which will be July 13 at 6 p.m.