Harima-cho Deputy mMyor Yuji Hirano presents Lima with a painting as a gift as members of council look on.
Jacob Espinosa | The Lima News
LIMA — Lima council’s president said the ordinances at Monday night’s regular meeting were designed to focus primarily on services for seniors and the youth as part of the effort to show visitors from sister city Harima-cho, Japan, how the city invests in its future and its elders.
Council, in addition to welcoming the guests in town for a tour, also honored Anna Selfridge and passed ordinances to move forward on the planning of a new fire station.
“It’s just about creating a line item in the budget,” Lima Fire Chief Jack McDermitt said about the ordinances that created a capital project fund and authorized the mayor to enter into contracts with Atlantic Emergency Solutions and Municipal Emergency Services. “We have very limited details at the moment. Our newest station was built in 1975, and it’s not conducive to how we want to operate right now.”
The Ohio Fire Chiefs are currently conducting a study McDermitt hopes will be done by the end of the year to get the project moving.
Harima-cho Deputy Mayor Yuji Hirano addressed council and shared a painting of the house Lima delegates visited on their trip to the sister city a year ago.
“It is a great pleasure for me to be able to meet you here today,” he said. “The exchange was interrupted for some time due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but we would like to deepen our friendship as it is invaluable,” he said.
Lima Sister Cities Association president Matthew Neeley said the delegation visited a garden and a local school to observe the city’s investment in its youth programs.
“Without the help of the city, we would not have this successful program,” he said. “Without shaking hands around the world, we couldn’t share peace and love.”
To that end, council passed resolutions to enter into contracts with Bradfield Community Association for senior programs, Soldiers of Honor for youth boxing programs, Lima City Schools for after-school programs, Trinity United Methodist Church for the Freedom School Program and Oheneba Soccer Academy for a youth soccer camp.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
