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LISBON -- The Lisbon Village Council approved the installation of a new $16,180.15 audio recording system for council chambers to record and transcribe meetings Tuesday.
Fiscal Officer Tracey Wonner said she expects the system, which she said is a necessity to replace the aging recording system now in place, to be installed by the end of the first quarter of the year.
"It's better than this," Wonner said as she held up a cassette recorder council has been using to tape meetings for the record.
SCI-Integrated, of Grove City, Ohio, will install the system that will come with all new microphones, cloud-based storage, and transcription of the audio to aid in keeping official minutes. The cloud-based storage will cost the village $3,684 each year.
Wonner said that money from the capital improvements fund will cover the installation and storage costs.
Mayor Peter Wilson asked if there was a second bid for the recording system. Wonner said there was another company she was talking to but they didn't offer the same capabilities as SCI.
"This is who does all the county buildings," Wonner said. "Every court in this county uses it."
Wilson noted that the upgrade is necessary in order to properly record everyone who speaks, including members of the public, at council meetings so those who cannot attend can still listen to the meetings.
Council also approved an expenditure of $20,957 for Eells-Leggett Fashion Floors, of Lisbon, to replace the carpet and tiles throughout village hall.
"For anyone that's in here a lot, you will notice how it's coming up, how it's got snags in it," Wonner said of the carpeting in council chambers.
Wilson mentioned that there were two bids received that were discussed at the last committee of the whole meeting.
In other business, the village council approved the appointment of Lisa Wycoff to the Architectural and Historic Board of Review. There is still one vacancy remaining on the board.
Council also approved the resignation of part-time 911 dispatcher Ashton Dixon and the hiring of Brady Ketchum to fill the role.
Wilson told council that letters of interest for an environmental study concerning the Pritchard Avenue bridge project will be presented at its Feb. 13 meeting.
Also on Tuesday, council approved Wilson to seek more information about a possible conservation easement for Willow Grove Park. The easement would prohibit development or any construction on the land, but allow the village to build hiking paths or develop it for recreational or park uses. The village owns about 53 acres of property at the park and along Little Beaver Creek, and the easement would also allow the village to retain ownership.
In 2022, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy offered the village $2,000 per acre, for a total of $40,000 for a 20-acre easement. Council then voted down the easement.
Wilson would like to initiate talks with the group again to gather information for council and gauge if there is still interest.
Wilson has said the easement would make sure that the park remains a park. He has been recommending it since 2018.
"Their idea is to do a complete easement from the Boy Scout camp all the way to the eastern edge of Lisbon," Wilson said. "They want a green necklace along Little Beaver Creek. They're looking for easements along the entire route."
He said the entire area is a floodplain and cannot be developed anyway.
Councilwoman Linda Donnalley said she is in favor of the easement.
"It's never going to be anything other than a park," Donnalley said.
"Decades ago, there was a motion made to keep Cedar Street Park a park. This is nothing different, except this way, we're getting money for it," Wilson said.
Council also approved the Columbiana County Regional Park District's application for a sign at the new trail head of the Little Beaver Creek Greenway at the park and ride on state Route 154. At council's last meeting, Columbiana County Regional Park District Board Chairman Eileen Dray Bardon said she's hoping the new leg of the Greenway Trail can be dedicated in the spring.
Council set the next committee of the whole meeting date for Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 5:15 p.m.