On Nov. 4, the Gambier Village Council assembled for its monthly meeting. The councilmembers discussed a list of items, most notably the Village’s financing of its COVID-19 wastewater testing. The Council also discussed concerns surrounding local policies about trees in the Village. 

A topic of conversation throughout the meeting was the distribution of funds to combat COVID-19. One of the places the funds are going to be allocated is the testing of Gambier’s wastewater for COVID-19, as they have since July. Councilmember Betsy Heer detailed the urgency of allocating funding and proposed a resolution that could help start the funding. “Because it’s an emergency, we have to make it happen,” Heer said.

The Council proposed possible methods for increasing COVID-19 testing in the Village, and how to dispense the funding necessary for the tests. Additionally, some councilmembers mentioned the idea of establishing a relief fund for the financial burdens of the pandemic, namely by giving aid to Gambier businesses through avenues such as grants or emergency loan funds.

Another common thread throughout the meeting was a proposal aiming to count the number of each species of tree in Gambier. “To protect those trees, the overarching goal really is to increase the diversity [of tree species],” Tree Commission Chair Jerry Kelly ’96 said of the proposal. In order to accomplish this goal, the Council outlined the next steps of completing a tree inventory so that they can make more informed decisions about purchasing trees. 

The next Village Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m, and those interested can find the Zoom link at villageofgambier.org.