Happy Wanderers leader Linda Ruehrmund reported to the Mount Gilead Village Council on Nov. 20 how the senior group was returning by bus from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when members received word their cars were being towed from the Kroger parking lot in Mount Gilead.

The group, which included several who are disabled, was first alerted their cars were being taken away when one of the vehicles remotely signaled it was being towed about 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Ruehrmund called the Morrow County sheriff, who sent the Mount Gilead police to Kroger.

The towing company was informed the group would soon be returning. The group called friends who came to try to stop the towing. A friend was able to stop four cars from being towed by paying $80 for each of the cars. A total of five cars were towed to an impound lot near Galion. It cost $340 to retrieve each car from the impound lot.

Ruehrmund said her point in speaking to the council was to “inform people of the new policy of Mount Gilead Kroger to tow away any unauthorized vehicle in their parking lot.” She said signs are on the rear part of the parking lot near the road. Since the group left town at 6:30 a.m. when it was dark, members never saw the signs.

Ruehrmund said she had received permission to park in the lot 14 years ago and has used the lot ever since, mostly for day trips and once a year for an overnight trip. When she spoke with the Kroger manager a day later, she was told the business needs the parking spaces and can no longer accommodate the group parking there.

Mount Gilead Village Council members thanked Ruehrmund for the alert on the change in parking at Kroger, which is used by many in the area as a meeting/parking place.

Mayor Donna Carver said it’s unfortunate no warning or prior notice was given to the public. Council had several suggestions on where the Happy Wanderers group could park in the future and will look into permission from those properties.

Mount Gilead Kroger Manager Abby Cotter told the Sentinel the group had not asked for permission to park in the lot, and she referred any further questions to Kroger Corporate Affairs Manager Mark Bruce.

In an email to the Sentinel, Bruce wrote: “To ensure our customers have ample parking and ease of shopping, signs were installed earlier this fall to make all visitors to our parking lot aware of company policy prohibiting parking for anyone other than customers actively shopping. No person or organization sought permission for parking once the signs were posted.”

In other business:

• Police Chief Adam Lakey reported calls for service were down from 69 calls in 2022 to 48 calls in 2023 from Nov. 6-19. Charges are up for the same period with 26 for speed, seven registration violations, six license violations, two warrants, two equipment violations, two moving violations, one gross sexual imposition, one obstruction, one resisting arrest, one failure to comply, and one unruly juvenile.

• Supplemental appropriations were approved of $12,771.84 for a valve/water repair on Union Street.

• Council passed resolution 10-16-23 B for funding of North Main Street repairs for the ODOT project.

• Council member Kay Hines reported for Finance and Human Resources Committee. She said council needs to take a hard look at the budget and funding. A new tractor/hoe is needed, and there is a request for an additional street crew worker.

The next village council meeting is 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4, in the Municipal Building.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.