By Joe Schriner

Herald Correspondent

news@adaherald.com

ADA — “Time to slow your Mustang (Honda, Lexus, VW…) down!”

And that goes especially those motorists in the village here. Ada Police Chief Michael Harnishfeger told Ada Council Tuesday night that the new digital speed signs have just gone in on North and South Main Street at the village limits.

Last year, similar digital speed signs went in on Lincoln and Lima avenues, respectively. And that, incidentally, is what the chief is hoping for. That is, motorists ‘respecting’ the signs.

After the initial two signs went in, the chief had said they were, indeed, having a significant impact on motorists slowing down. The department has been compiling data and trying to quantify how much that is happening. And there will be a report to council relatively soon on this data, Chief Harnishfeger added.

Shortly after the first two speed signs went in, the chief had said that, yes, this was making the roads safer, but it was also making the village at large safer as well. That is, he said with the signs being there, squad cars were freed up more to patrol the rest of the village.

Also, coming in on Main Street past those new speed signs, from either direction, motorists will also soon see the next edition of the Ada High School “Senior Banners.” This was a tradition that was started during the beginning of Covid, as an alternative way to honor seniors whose Graduation Ceremony had been closed down because of Covid.

However, the tradition has become so popular that, even though things have opened up again, so to speak, the banners are back by popular demand again this spring. And council unanimously approved the project again. (An ad hoc parents group generally arranges for the banners each spring.)

And speaking of spring…

Village Administrator Jamie Hall said that with the weather breaking, residents will be out preparing gardens, trimming back bushes, trimming tree limbs… And he said residents could call the Municipal Building to start to schedule brush pick-ups, etc.

Mr. Hall also emphasized that the relatively new village mulch pile is also open. And residents can bring branches, leaves, grass clippings, garden material there. And residents can also pick up mulch there, for free, as well.

The mulch facility is located on Pebble Court (just off Lincoln Ave.), behind the Water Treatment Plant. Using this facility is by appointment as well. And Mr. Hall reported previously that when picking up mulch, a village employee would be available to, for instance, use a front loader to put, say, a bucket full of mulch in a pick-up truck. Or residents can bring, for instance, buckets and shovels to get the mulch themselves.