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Council stays busy

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FAIRBORN – Council members proclaimed this week as Sweet Corn week at its latest council meeting on Aug. 3.

“Whereas the Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival is an event that makes Fairborn famous … therefore I, Daniel R. Kirkpatrick, mayor of the City of Fairborn, Ohio, do hereby designate and proclaim Monday, Aug. 10, 2015 through Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015 as Sweet Corn Festival Week,” Fairborn Mayor Dan Kirkpatrick said at the meeting. “The City of Fairborn [urges] all citizens to partake in the many scrumptious delicacies, wonderful activities and entertainment scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 15 and 16, 2015.”

Warren Brown, chairman of the Sweet Corn Festival committee was present at the council meeting to accept the proclamation.

“On behalf of the committee, I’d like to thank the mayor, council and city,” Brown said. “[I’d like to] welcome all of you folks to come out on Aug. 15 and 16 to Community Park.”

In other business, council members heard the second reading of an ordinance that would limit the amount of right turns taking place at the Dayton-Yellow Springs and Southlawn intersection. In recent construction occurring on Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, new traffic signals were installed and are being utilized with the intent of easing eastbound frontage traffic to Southlawn Drive.

“The safety concern is the Southlawn Drive traffic is allowed to turn right on red to get onto Dayton-Yellow Springs,” City Engineer Don O’Conner said. “A car can come out on a red light and head west on Dayton-Yellow Springs, but if this new Frontage Road has a green light at the same time there could be a conflict there.”

O’Conner said this potential conflict has been brought to the attention of the city’s Traffic Safety Committee, and they considered not allowing any right turns onto Dayton-Yellow Springs Road. However, the committee also considered the amount of traffic within the area, and concluded that it would be best to not allow right turns to take place only when the light is green at Frontage Road.

The City of Kettering utilizes conditional signs such as these. Now the City of Fairborn is considering the blank out signs, which would flash “No Turn on Red” or “No Right Turn” under the appropriate conditions. Otherwise, the sign would remain blank.

Councilmembers remained busy throughout the meeting, and had the first reading of an ordinance that would rezone an annexed piece of property from an agricultural zone to a mining zone, appealing an earlier decision made the city’s Planning Board. A Public Hearing regarding the matter will take place at the next regular council meeting, Aug. 17, beginning at 6 p.m. at the city’s Council Chamber’s.

However, individuals still expressed their thoughts regarding the ordinance during the citizens comments portion of the meeting.

“The CEMEX Fairborn Plant is an important part of the City of Fairborn’s history, and an important part of the future,” CEMEX Fairborn Plant Manager John Miller said. “Fairborn’s future depends on attracting new business; lets ensure that we maintain existing business. Without the zoning, the plant has a very limited future, but if the zoning is passed the plant can continue to provide quality jobs for hundreds of workers over the next 40 years and contribute to Fairborn’s success.”

But not all commentators agreed.

“I know they have 50 years plus of mining left with the land they currently have zoned for quarry … You cannot believe what is told to you from that company; I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it, I know a lot more than they think I do about what goes on there. It’s wrong – stop it, enough is enough,” A resident who lives near a CEMEX plant said. “We’re here for the people, it’s about safety. We want to rebuild Fairborn, not tear it apart more.”

By Whitney Vickers

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Whitney Vickers can be reached by calling her directly at 937-502-4532.