NB Mayor looks back on year
NEW BREMEN — After the year that was 2020, 2021 did see a return to normalcy in New Bremen, especially with the return of annual festivals.
In his second year as village mayor, Bob Parker said the two years were remarkably different.
“Last year, being it was my first year and COVID was happening, it was all just really weird. You didn’t know what was part of the new job,” said Parker. “It was hard getting my feet wet. This year, it’s felt normal. It’s felt like everything was supposed to happen. We had council meetings normally. Trying to figure all that stuff out in your first year as mayor, it was kind of difficult. This year has been more of a normal year, it’s been more consistent.”
The return of festivals like Bremenfest, the New Bremen Fireman’s Picnic and Pumpkinfest also made it feel more like a consistent year.
“Having all the festivals and get-togethers again this year that we weren’t able to have in 2020 was great,” said Parker. “You saw how people wanted to get back out again. They were tired of being cooped up.”
“For Cider Time, I think that was a record crowd. We ran out of donut holes really early that day,” Parker joked.
One of the problems that plagued the village this year was the swimming pool. Last January, Village Administrator Brent Richter informed councilors that there were six underground lines that were leaking and that it had lost 1.7 million gallons of water since the pool first began leaking and the problem was detected.
Crews were able to detect the leak and get it repaired for the swimming season and Parker was glad they were able to get it taken care of.
“That was probably the biggest ac
complishment, getting the pool rectified,” said Parker. “Having an issue that’s been around for 20 years and we didn’t realize that it’s been a problem for 20 years. We didn’t realize we were losing that much water because of a recirculating pump that we had to turn off.”
Other notable news, projects or accomplishments the village experienced in 2021 include:
• Ordering a new pumper truck for the fire department.
• Hiring Parks Manager Adrian Speelman, who was hired in March. • Replacing the concrete for the fire station driveway.
• Receiving a $685,000 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to dredge the lagoons at the wastewater plant. The grant was part of the $250 million that was awarded in the state through the Ohio BUILDS grants. The lagoon needs dredging to reduce ammonia levels to try and meet standards set by the EPA.
• Getting custody of the Miami and Erie Canal portion that runs through the village. The village began a canal cleanup this year that will continue into next year. They aim to remove over 150 dead trees and plant new ones.
• Having wifi installed on the village water towers.
Parker expressed his gratitude to longtime village employee Elaine Lampert, who retired on Nov. 30. He also gave a thank you to longtime councilors Don Kuck and Jim Kronenberger, who will both leave village council following this year.
“I hate to see Don go. He’s brought a lot of good ideas to the village,” said Parker. “We’re losing Don, one of the historians of the village. I’m going to hate to see him go. I’m going to hate to see Jim go because Jim’s been a great asset the last eight years. It’s going to be weird not having them around.
We’re going to miss those guys.”
As they depart, two new councilors are stepping in to take their spots. Tess Elshoff and Dan Condon will begin their duties starting in January.
“I’m actually really looking forward to this new council. I think they’re going to gel well,” said Parker. “You don’t want to have a council that everybody agrees with everything and I think that’s what we got. You have some different opinions on things.”
Parker also mentioned how well Councilman Jacob Larger and Village Administrator Brent Richter have performed in new roles as president of council and administrator, respectively.