What's in store for 2024 in Brewster? New council member after councilman-elect resigns

Editor’s note: The Canton Repository asked leaders in each of Stark County’s 17 townships, 11 villages and six cities to share some highlights about what's in store for 2024 in their communities.

The responses include the return of some family-friendly events, a variety of new businesses and some much-needed improvements to longstanding structures. We will be presenting these community highlights to you throughout the upcoming months.

BREWSTER – Village council members are starting the new year by appointing a new member and planning to move forward with a variety of infrastructure projects, such as a new walking and biking path and new manholes.

Here is what’s in store for 2024 in the village of nearly 2,100 people:

New council member sought

Council is seeking to replace Councilman Scott Killy who was expected to take office on Jan. 1.

Killy, who ran unopposed in the November general election, told council in October that he would not be able to serve as a council member because he was moving to Navarre.

Nine people applied for the position by the Jan. 13 deadline. Council plans to interview each applicant today at Village Hall.

Walking, biking path coming to Main Street SE

A 10-foot-wide paved path for walkers and bikers will be installed along the southern side of Main Street SE, as part of the village’s Safe Routes to Schools plan that it and Fairless Local Schools adopted in 2018 to encourage and enable students to walk or ride their bicycle to school.

The path will stretch from Cleveland Avenue to Park Drive SE, where it will connect to the portion of Park Drive that was finished last year. The project is expected to cost $28,000, which will be paid out of the village’s capital improvement fund.

Administrator Michael Miller said the village is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to obtain the needed permits and approvals to extend the path along Park over the levee at Elm Run so it can connect to Seventh Street (Kings Highway SE).

Manholes to be constructed

Two manholes will be installed along the sanitary sewer line that runs between McKinley Avenue SW and the levee to give village workers easier access if the pipe needs to be repaired or cleaned. The project is expected to cost $93,300 and will be paid through a no-interest state construction loan.

Two existing manholes along a sanitary sewer line that runs between Fifth Street SE, Jefferson Avenue SE and Fourth Street SE will also be improved. The sewer line also will be given a new lining to extend the life of the pipe. The project is expected to cost $219,500 and will be paid through a no-interest state construction loan.

Waterline project to wrap up

The village’s $1.5 million project to replace its main water supply line is wrapping up.

The project replaced 6.65% of Brewster’s 16.67 miles of waterlines, some of which were more than 80 years old. It also added 250 feet of new transmission line to establish a redundant feed to the village’s water plant in case the main water supply line cannot be used.

Nearly 30 valves were replaced or added so the village could better isolate and bypass waterline breaks, six hydrants were replaced, and 67 water customers were reconnected to the line. Brewster has 888 residential water customers and at least 60 commercial and industrial water customers, the administrator said.

Most of the project was paid through state public works grant funds, with the village billed for roughly $323,000.

Reach Canton Repository writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Brewster to appoint a new council member, install path, add manholes