What’s Happening
Village Council
Meetings on July 6 and 19 at Council Hall at 7pm
Westjeffersonohio.gov/villagecouncil
Jefferson Township Board of Trustees
Meetings on July 14 and 28 at 6:30pm in Township Hall, 225 Cemetery Rd., WJ.
WJ Board of Education
Meeting on July 12, 7pm in the WJ High School Auditorium
Planning Commission
Meeting on July 7 at 6:30pm in Village Council chambers, 28 E. Main St., WJ
Westjeffersonohio.gov/building-zoning
Utility Department
Water Bills are due on or before July 15 to avoid late charges.
Try our new auto pay service. Stop in to sign up at the Water Department office, 28 E. Main St., West Jefferson
Parks and Rec
Lunch and Learn every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday this summer. July 15 is Cooking with Mayor Martin! Ages 5 and up. See the App for more details.
Pool
Open noon-8PM, except for weather closures.
Library
Check the website for weekly activities and programs.
hbmlibrary.org
Download the new WJ App
Village of West Jefferson Ohio
Available at the Apple Store or
Google Play https://apps.myocv.com/share/a53143162
Mayors Message
Last month, on June 14, two monumental events occurred here in town. The one that was noticed, in fact, covered by several media outlets at a press conference, was the announcement of an arrest for the shootings that rocked our little Village back in May. The second event was much quieter, but a much better example of our community. That morning, several firefighters from the Jefferson Township Fire Department met at the Veterans Memorial Park to paint the gazebo. A few days earlier, resident Karl Frybarger asked for a few volunteers to refurbish the park in time for the 4th of July celebrations. What came next was an outpouring of community spirit, and good old fashioned hard work. Donations came from local businesses; labor came from both Village employees and residents. While Chief Floyd and I were talking to reporters about a tragedy, our community was coming together for good. Cameras recorded then aired footage of the press conference, but they missed out on the real story.
We are a community that stands out in the rain to cheer as a Veteran’s motorcade drives by. We are a Village that gets up early on a Saturday to clean and refurbish a small part of our town dedicated to honoring those who paid the ultimate price. We are a place and a people who look out for each other. That is our greatest strength as a community, and one that will take us into the future.
Lunch and Learn
Battelle and the Village are partnering once again with the Lunch and Learn program. Lunch and Learn is a three day per week summer program that combines great learning activities with a free lunch for all children, ages 5-18. "Learning can happen anywhere," said Wes Hall, Vice President of Education and Philanthropy at Battelle. "This summer, out-of-school experiences will help students regain learning and these grants will help our partners to reach even more students."
Battelle’s partnership extends to actually presenting some of the classes, as well as funding other opportunities including COSI, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and Children’s author Tracy Blom.
“We are trying to have a variety of things to do and learn”, said Shelton Stanley, Recreation & Special Events Manager for West Jefferson. “We are getting a great response from the Village, and have had between 50 and 85 kids at every activity.”
One activity that is highly anticipated is Cooking with Mayor Martin, scheduled for July 13.
“I am going to teach how to make the World’s Greatest Banana Split! We’ve got ice cream, toppings, all the super special ingredients, AND some other special items that all chefs need”, said Mayor Ray Martin. “It will be the highlight of the summer!”
Amanda Adkins, the main face for Lunch and Learn, comes from a long line of “Lunch Ladies”. She, her mom, and her grandmother have all devoted years to feeding children. “I know what kids like, but I also know how to make nutritious food taste good. I also have the greatest volunteers!” she added.