Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Mayor Ed Kolanko and village council members recognized the work of Chris “Chilly” Rodriguez at its latest meeting on Nov. 19, introducing a proclamation and delivering a donation for his work on the mural at 102 N. Main St.
“We always want to recognize when good deeds and great deeds are done within our village,” Kolanko said. “There's been a lot of positivity from our community (with this project). People are seeing this, and it really is a testament to kind of the history of Walbridge … it's beautification. We want to make sure that we're acknowledging those kinds of activities, and it's great that a local resident kind of chipped in and spent some time in his efforts to beautify our town. We definitely want to make sure that we acknowledge that.”
The mural is located on the side of Pinky’s Scoop Shack near the corner of Main and Union. Rodriguez donated his time and supplies to complete the project.
“It’s definitely an important project to me,” Rodriguez told The Press while working on the mural. “I wanted to do something that could kind of uplift the community, bring some color over here. Murals are my full-time job. There wasn’t really anything like that in Walbridge that I noticed. But most importantly, I just wanted to give back to the community that I just moved into, just to make things a little brighter and better.”
Kolanko read the following proclamation during the meeting.
“This is the Village of Walbridge proclamation to recognize Chris “Chilly” Rodriguez, muralist, for his work on the building located at 102 North Main St., Walbridge, Ohio. Whereas it is the privilege and pleasure of the village of Walbridge, Ohio, to recognize and honor those individuals and organizations who contribute to our community and our nation, proving exemplary. Whereas the heart of our community is built on entrepreneurship, innovation, and a commitment to excellence in community service. Whereas art and public spaces play a vital role in enriching our communities, reflecting local identity, and inspiring pride among our residents. Whereas Chris “Chilly” Rodriguez has generously contributed his talent, his vision, and time to create a public art piece that beautifully transforms the side of a building into a vibrant work of community expression. Whereas the public art installation not only enhances the visual landscape of North Main Street and Union Street, but also symbolizes the spirit of our creativity, collaboration, and civic pride that strengthens our neighborhoods. Now, therefore, I, mayor of the village of Walbridge, on this 19th day of November 2025, do hereby recognize and honor Chris “Chilly” Rodriguez.”
Following the proclamation, village officials also presented Rodriguez with a $500 donation for his supplies and time.
Aside from the Rodriguez recognition, the meeting was brief and addressed several housekeeping items in preparation for 2026. Council president Ron Liwo also said that interviews for the new police chief would begin this week.
Among three second readings under old business was one to amend the village code for off-street parking. Under new business was the first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit door-to-door sales/solicitation without prior permission from the resident or owner.
Another ordinance getting its first reading is one amending Chapter 509 of the Walbridge Disorderly Conduct and Peace Disturbance Code, specifically section 509-08, which addresses expanding prohibiting loud noises from residential to all districts within the village limits.
“We were trying to address some noise complaints that were occurring in non-residential areas,” Kolanko said. “When we're looking at our code, sometimes it's pretty antiquated from the past. It was hard for us to look at that code and address a noise complaint that happened in a commercial district, because all of our code says residential. So, if it's not in a residential district, can we enforce the code? That's where we’re trying to clean things up and make them a little more clear. So really what this changes is that it says we can address noise complaints within all districts within the village of Walbridge.”
Walbridge to celebrate Christmas tree lighting Dec. 7
The village of Walbridge is hosting a Christmas in the Village celebration on Sunday, Dec. 7.
The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with Santa on his sleigh, parading through the streets of Walbridge. Then, around 6:15, village officials will host a tree lighting ceremony outside the administration building at 705 North Main St.
They will be lighting a 30-foot tree, and Santa will be visiting residents inside the administration building afterwards.
During the inside portion of the meet-and-greet with Santa, there will be a selfie station to capture some fun photos, and Santa Mail will be available in the lobby for kids to mail their letters to Santa and color a fun picture of him.
For more information, visit the village’s website at WalbridgeOhio.org.
