Marietta City Council President Susan Vessels discusses the Start Westward Monument at Wednesday evening’s council meeting.

Marietta City Council addressed multiple items during its regular meeting Wednesday evening, including the ongoing 4th Ward cleanup program, committee priorities and preservation efforts surrounding the Start Westward Monument.

Several pieces of legislation passed during the meeting:

* Ordinance 194, amending the Table of Organization to reflect current positions within the city passed unanimously.

* Ordinance 196, declaring the improvement to certain parcels of real property, referred to as First Colony – Phase II, to be a public purpose and exempt from taxation; establishing a municipal public improvement tax increment equivalent fund and providing for the collection and deposit of service payments into that fund passed 5-1, with Councilman Jon Grimm opposed due to concerns over the inclusion of an emergency clause.

* Resolution 61, allowing 527 Federal Credit Union to use a portion of city right-of-way, also passed unanimously.

* Resolution 62, which proposed repealing a resolution that previously designated the Start Westward Memorial Society as a fundraising and consulting body, drew lengthy discussion. Grimm moved to table the resolution, but the motion failed in a 2-4 vote.

During public comment, a resident expressed concern over a May 12 memorandum from McKay Lodge Art Conservation Laboratory and questioned the objectivity of the firm due to a perceived financial interest in replacing the original sandstone sculpture with a bronze replica.

“Once it’s removed, the memorial itself no longer has the same historical significance,” Grimm said.

Council ultimately voted to amend Resolution 62 by removing Section 4, which would have directed remaining funds from the Start Westward Memorial Society to the city. That amendment passed 4-2. The amended resolution was then adopted, also by a 4-2 vote.

* Resolution 63 sought to support the Memorial Society’s application to place the Start Westward Memorial on the National Register of Historic Places. Councilman Rutherford clarified that the resolution had no bearing on the statue’s disposition. Despite that, the resolution failed 2-4. Councilman Bret Allphin said that he would prefer such efforts come directly from city administration.

Tony Durm, vice chairman of the monument restoration committee, outlined the project’s history, including nearly $750,000 raised for preservation. The committee determined that replacing the deteriorating sandstone sculpture with a bronze replica while storing the original in a climate-controlled facility is the most sustainable approach. Durm emphasized the urgent timeline, aiming for completion by July 4, 2026, and clarified that ownership of the monument and the 25-by-25-foot parcel lies with the State of Ohio, under Ohio History Connection’s jurisdiction.

Planning and Development Director Geoff Schenkel further explained that the goal is to both preserve the original sculpture and install a bronze replica as a placeholder in the park.Schenkel read a letter from consultant Fred Smith stating that State Historic Preservation Officers and Ohio History Connection support relocating the original sculpture for preservation and installing a bronze replica. The process, involving digital scans, mold preparation and eventual reinstallation, is already underway, with next steps including a Memorandum of Agreement between the city and the state organizations.

All ordinances below had their second and third readings suspended and were passed unanimously:

*Ordinance 204, to appropriate and transfer funds.

*Ordinance 205, gives consent to the director of transportation to complete the 2025 Safe Routes to School Project.

*Ordinance 207, authorizes and directs the director of public safety and service to enter into a contract on behalf of the city with GeoStabilization International for the City View Avenue Slip Repair Project at a cost not to exceed $229,871.

*Ordinance 208, authorizes and direct the director of public safety and service to apply for, accept and enter into a Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Agreement through the Ohio EPA Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance Office, on behalf of the city for the Colegate I/I Improvement Project; for an amount not to exceed $9,133,789.

*Ordinance 209, creating four part-time, non-union dispatcher positions in the Police Department.

* Resolution 65, authorizing Christopher M. Myers and Andrew Myers, on behalf of Pine Tree Towing & Recovery Inc. and PCI Holdings, to connect property owned by PCI Holdings LLC at 174 Enterprise Drive, outside the city limits, to Marietta sewer lines.

* Resolution 66, authorizing and directing the director of public safety and service to apply for, accept and enter into a loan agreement on behalf of the city with the Ohio Public Works Commission, for an emergency slip repair located on City View Avenue, in an amount not to exceed $500,000.

In other business, Mayor Josh Schlicher provided an update on the ongoing 4th Ward cleanup. He reported that approximately 15 tons of debris had been collected, 22 tires removed and 38 brush piles picked up. He praised city workers and said he hopes the effort will be repeated in the fall.

The next regular council meeting is scheduled for June 27.