During what would be Howard Elstro’s final meeting as public works director, the Lima City Council members passed a resolution of appreciation for his 32 of service to the city.
Elstro’s last day on the job is Thursday before he starts his retirement, and councilors each gave their thanks for his guidance and decorum over the years. Elstro says he has attended over 830 council meetings and countless other committees, finance, and citizen meetings. He says it has been a pleasure serving the council, the city, and its people.
“I certainly salute my wife and my children who have made sacrifices that allowed me to be away to do this job. But it’s terribly rewarding,” says Elstro. “Lima is a community that I certainly fell in love with and having the ability to do what I did with the community and do the projects that we've been able to accomplish, like the Ottawa River Corridor, the two grade separations, and just the 100s of projects we were able to do in cooperation with the council for the citizenry it has really been an opportunity that I have really enjoyed.”
Council also approved a local public agency agreement with ODOT to put a sidewalk along the north side of Spencerville Road from Cable Road to Pierce Street. The nearly 1,000 long sidewalk will cost around $800,000, with Lima picking up $40,000 of that cost and the rest coming from ODOT funds. The project is expected to start in the fall of 2020.
