Chillicothe Council Hears Mayor on City Briefing

Council met in their first regular session Monday evening, after their first special session last Wednesday to get things established.

While they did not pass any legislation, their regular guest Mayor Luke Feeney gave his regular briefing on city activities, news, and events.

In summary:

The city bus system will have a new app to request free rides on-demand through your smart phone. “RidePingo” should be in the app story this Friday. Feeney said the Transit Department is working on implementing the new system.

I mis-phrased my question to Feeney: Transit is not moving away from its fixed routes, but expanding their on-demand service – which he describes as complimentary operations.

The Renick Avenue yard waste site was closed for a clean-out in December, but has been reopened again. Feeney said a contractor cleared out half of the site so that it is available again Wednesdays and Saturdays 10am to noon.

It’s open to only city residents, not contractors or county residents. The Yard Waste Site is in front of the sewer plant at the end of Renick Avenue, behind the McDonalds at the east end of MainStreet. You can also request to have your yard waste picked up.

The city had its first snow, though it wasn’t much – but Feeney said the city is prepared for more. He explained that crews will hit the hills first, then major thoroughfares, then side streets. It’s not to completely clear streets, but to make them passable.

The Chillicothe Fix-It app continues to notify the city of repairs and other needed services. Feeney said it has posted 177 notifications since its inauguration last summer.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this coming Monday, and city offices will be closed for the federal holiday. The city traditionally works with the Ross County chapter of the NAACP to celebrate him and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and Feeney says they will do that on “Jubilee Day” 4pm this Sunday at Quinn Chapel AME Church.

Find this article on the Scioto Post, including a video interview.

Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.