The Valmeyer Village Board met in regular session April 6 to discuss upcoming projects and to hear a report about the recent 5Kave event held in the Rock City caves in March.

Advisors and students in the Monroe County startUP program thanked the village for its accommodations during the 5Krace held in the Old Valmeyer business cave system.

“We has 350 runners,” startUP member Reagan Herrmann reported. “We learned valuable lessons about cooperative teamwork, organization, planning and leadership as well as making valuable connections.”

The group also presented a check to the village for $500 to cover the cost of village police and other services.

Valmeyer Mayor Howard Heavner told the group that the city had already planned on covering any expenses incurred during the event and the village will use the money for “some special purpose” that will be “useful for the people of Valmeyer.”

Valmeyer Police Chief Marty Seitz commended the group for their hard work and organization.

“You had it set up the night before, and that really made a difference because you could hit the ground running” on the day of the event, Seitz pointed out, adding that it was “really well-planned” and the students did a “good job.”

In other business, Valmeyer Village Manager Dennis Valentine said the bidding process to begin street repairs was finished. The first approved bid will allow a concrete application to begin. The step is necessary for repairs prior to applying an asphalt overlay.

Valentine also asked for a motion to approve a bid for repairs to the roof of the village’s emergency services building. 

He asked that the lowest bid not be accepted because the bidder did not follow the criteria for the bid. The village wanted bids to remove and replace the existing roof and correct a drainage issue. The lowest bidder only submitted an estimate to repair the roof without removing anything. 

The board also approved a request from Valmeyer High School to hold a graduation parade similar to the parade held last year.

Seitz said that he thought that if the parade was handled in the same manner as 2020, there should be no problems.

The board voted to approve a graduation parade on either May 15 or 16. The school will decide which date works best.

In other school-related business, the board voted to approve buying banners with Class of 2021 students’ names as they did in 2020. 

Heavner later confirmed that the banners were in the process of being created as of April 9 and are planned to arrive and be displayed in the weeks leading up to graduation.