LISBON — Discussions on two key issues will be continued next month, as the Lisbon Council weighs selling the village-owned portion of the rock climbing cliffs at Logstown Quarry and considers a single-trash hauler for the village.

Those issues will be explored at the Committee of the Whole meeting, which is set for Aug. 14 at 5 p.m.

At Tuesday’s regular council meeting, council heard from the Columbiana Park District and the Western Reserve Conservancy on the groups’ proposal to purchase the cliff faces and parts of the Willow Grove Park. Western Reserve Conservancy is hoping for one of two things, a purchase conservation easement for 60 acres or a fee title acquisition for 41 acres –the latter of which would not include parcels within Willow Grove.

The areas being pursued by the Western Reserve Conservancy are along the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail next to the Kerestes property. The village would still maintain ownership of the property but with restrictions put into place for conservation purposes.

The purchasing process, however, would have been completed through an auction with the village reserving a right of refusal.

Based on other property values in the area, a fee-title acquisition could fetch $12,000 an acre with an easement bringing in $1,000 an acre.

In May, the Kerestes property (nearly 30 acres of property that included the main cliffs at Logstown) were purchased by the Columbiana Park District through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy for $300,000 to develop the area into a rock-climbing destination, but it turned out the Kerestes property did not include the popular climbing cliffs area. The village of Lisbon owns the cliff face while the park district owns the top part, not the actual cliff where climbers climb.

To complete the Park District’s vision, the Lisbon-property is needed.

Lisbon Mayor Pete Wilson called the cliff-property proposal which draws rock climbers from all around and under the Park District’s control would draw even more is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the village and a “win-win.” Those rock climbers, he said, spend money in the village.

“It would be a big win for the village. We would be receiving money that could be used as investments in other parts of the village,” Wilson said. “And we are ridding ourselves of the liability attached [to the cliffs]. This would keep it as a green space in the Park District forever and that would only increase Lisbon’s attractiveness as a tourist destination. This is great for the economy, great for the village and great for Western Reserve.”

Council also heard from the Village of Carrollton Administrator Mark Wells on the benefits of having a one trash hauler in his community. Wells at the meeting to provide information on Carrollton’s experience of having a single contracted refuse collector for the past several years.

He spoke about the pros and cons. The pros included garbage cans being put out once just once a week, lower costs for customers and less wear and tear on village roads due to less garbage trucks traveling on them. The cons, Wells said, are that customer complaints are taken directly by the village, residents are no longer given a choice on trash collection companies (they can not opt out as garbage is treated more like a public utility ) and it’s difficult for smaller refuse companies to compete for the contract.

“One trash hauler works well for Carrollton. How it will work in Lisbon, I don’t know,” Wells said. “But I will tell you its cleaner and its neater.”

Wells said there were some grumblings when his village voted for one village-wide refuse company, but he said it was the best choice for his village.

“That’s the way it works in Carrollton and we’re pretty happy with it and there are people who don’t like it,” he said. “But there are people who don’t like whatever you do.”

Residents at Monday’s meeting were both receptive and against the idea. One said he would welcome anything that would reduce the garbage truck traffic in the village. He noted that his neighbors use different refuse companies, meaning nearly every day a garbage truck makes its way down his street. Another spoke out in opposition. He said the village should not have any say in who hauls away his trash.

Also on Monday:

— Wilson reported that the paving of the downtown squares will take place the week of August 11 and the BPA reported that the swimming pool will re-open sometime tomorrow. The pool has been closed while repairs were made and cannot reopen until the refilling of the water lost can be completed.

— Council held the second reading on an ordinance granting permission to revise the village zoning code and passed as an emergency amended appropriations for the 2025 Drug Task Force deposit.

— Council decided to revise village regulations about skateboarding which currently prohibits the activity on village streets.

— Council heard from two residents during the public comment portion. Resident Jeff DeCort continued to advocate for improvements to the village’s pickleball courts and Mike Wilson asked for zoning code regulations guaranteeing access to “landlocked” buildings, reporting a property he owns on Lincoln Way can only be accessed through adjacent land and he requires permission to do so from the owners of that property

— Council tabled discussion on drainage around the pickleball court and proposed pavilion at estimated cost of $2,000 until specs of the pavilion to be donated by the Lion’s Club were received and reviewed.

— Council accepted the resignation of full-time police officer Mathhew Greenlief and approved the hire of three part-time officers.

— Council held an executive session to discuss the employment of a public employee with action taken afterward.