The time change is a clear indicator that spring, and summer, are just around the corner. With that in mind the Callaway Village Board had a discussion during their regular meeting on March 8 about the cost of admittance to the Callaway pool.

The discussion was generated by pool manager Brenner Beavers, who suggested the cost is too low and should be reviewed. However, after comparing the prices in Callaway to those of other communities, board member Abe Hinman said Beavers reconsidered that idea.

“He was concerned that if we raise our prices people may go somewhere else, like Broken Bow,” Hinman said.

For now, at least, the prices for this season will remain the same. The board also approved hiring Beavers to manage the pool again this year.

A considerable amount of time was spent at the meeting discussing issues concerning the building housing Judy Meredith’s accounting office. Due to a broken water pipe the office sustained some water damage, and after discussing the liability of the Village the board decided to turn the matter over to the Village insurance company for review.

The issue of fire department sirens was another topic of discussion at the board meeting. A recent fire in Callaway had some residents - including board members - questioning why they never heard a siren summoning the fire department. Board president Mark Kimball said he was one of those who wondered about the sirens, even though the fire department quickly responded.

“There was never a siren, so I questioned that and was told they don’t do that anymore because they all have pagers,” said Kimball. “I wasn’t aware of that so I figured we better make everyone else aware too.”

The siren system will still be in place for emergency situations such as tornado warnings. Village Ordinance Officer Lawrence Stump presented his report to the board, prefaced with the announcement that he is resigning his position at the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. Stump has served for about 22 years in law enforcement. He does plan to remain as the village ordinance officer.

Stump said he plans to begin getting information out to the residents of the village outlining the policies for keeping up their properties regarding weeds, etc. He did admit that there are not clear ordinances in place currently regarding vehicles on properties, as well as some other issues.

“It seems to me the first thing we need to do is get some ordinances in place that we can enforce,” said board member Ken Pitkin.

The board tasked Stump to work on getting those things plainly stated in village ordinances moving forward to be prepared for spring cleanup on local properties.

The recent implementation of licensing dogs within the village has been quite successful, but Stump said the village does need to adopt some type of fine schedule for those who fail to comply. Again, the board asked Stump to do some research into what other communities are doing, along with state statutes, to formulate those schedules and policies.

In other business, the board appointed Dr. Kenneth Loper as the Critical Health Official for the village. They also approved creating a separate bank account for local Keno funds.

A new policy was approved for rental and deposits of the Callaway Community Center. Under this policy no tables, chairs or other equipment will be loaned out. Entities using the center for nonprofit events will not be charged for use; any other uses will be charged a fee. A policy relating to the refund or transfer of utility deposits was also approved.

Finally, the board formally accepted the resignation of Shelly Griffith as economic developer for the village.

The next meeting will be April 12.