The Blanchester Parks and Recreation Department has received a large donation toward the purchase of new handicapped-accessible playground equipment for the Blanchester Municipal Building and Community Center.

The First National Bank of Blanchester donated $10,000 toward the purchase of the equipment, half the total cost. Wayne West, representing the bank’s board of directors, made the announcement at the Thursday night meeting of Blanchester Village Council.

West said the board of directors approved the donation earlier Thursday. “I hope other business leaders in the community will get behind the project. It is a good asset for the community,” he said.

“This will be the very first playground around this area that is set up for handicapped children,” said Paul Jackson, a member of the Blanchester Parks & Recreation board.

Jackson said the board is trying to get the project funded by donations. He said Tina Fischer, also a member of the parks board, will be pursuing other businesses for donations.

Catalog price for the equipment is $28,489.50, but the board will receive a discount of $9,496.49, leaving a total cost of $18,993.01.

In other business, Stephanie Howard was hired by council to replace Mary Reynolds in the village office at the municipal building. Howard will start on or after Dec. 21, Reynolds’ last day.

Council approved a motion to offer Andrew McCoy a one-year contract to serve as village solicitor/prosecutor. He is employed full-time at the Clinton County Prosecutor’s office in Wilmington. The contract would be effective Jan. 1. If accepted, McCoy will fill the position now held by Dexter Bastin, who will be leaving the position at the end of December.

The position of fiscal officer for the village is still open. Patti Loftin, clerk-treasurer, plans to leave at the end of the year to pursue a CPA (certified public acccountant) degree full-time. Council members agreed to re-advertise the position. Loftin agreed to serve as a temporary consultant as needed, at $20 per hour. The Board of Public Affairs (BPA) will pay half of the salary.

Councilman Wayne Clifton, also street commissioner for the village, told council all of the leaves in the villlage have not been picked up because the equipment had to be converted for snow removal. If residents will bag the leaves, village employees will pick them up, he said.

Before using salt over the past weekend, Clifton said the village had 40 tons of salt. “I’ve got on reserve 150 tons from the county (engineer), but I can’t get any more until January,” he said.

Clifton said it takes nine tons of salt to take care of the entire village. “We salt 19 miles of roads,” he said.

One of the village snow plows needs to be replaced. Last year, street department employees worked on the plow and now two switches must be pulled to get the plow to go down, Clifton said. “What I’m saying is, we’re going to have to buy a plow if you want your snow plowed.”

Clifton said he priced snow plows in Cincinnati and they range in price from $3,725 to $4,050.

Council approved the purchase, leaving the decision to Clifton which would be the best plow to purchase.