Garrettsville – Village officials present at the village council meeting on May 12th were Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, Mayor Rick Patrick, Assistant Fiscal Officer Deb Wordell and Councilpersons Tom Hardesty, Chris Knop, Sheri Johnson, John Chambers, Jeff Kaiser and Tom Collins. Due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements, the meeting was held in person with no audience. The meeting was streamed to Facebook for the public.
Prior to the regular meeting the floor was open for public comment on proposed Ordinance 2021-20, which establishes a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) extending from the intersection of Main Street and State Route 88, up Main Street to the Eagles Club parking lot on Water Street, and the south side of the Windham Street bridge. The alley connecting High Street to Center would also be included in the DORA. As a reminder, a DORA allows people to legally consume alcohol purchased at licensed bars within specific parts of a municipality. Prior to the public hearing there were only two comments on the proposed ordinance (both were in favor). During the public hearing Wordell shared that there were no emails, or phone calls received about the ordinance. The public hearing was then closed, and the regular meeting began.
On May 19th, a quorum of councilmembers (Knop, Kaiser, Collins, Hardesty) met for a special meeting to complete a third reading of the ordinance. The ordinance was approved and enacted at the meeting and will be in effect on June 16th. The village is in the process of ordering the necessary signage, cups, and waste receptacles. Councilmembers joked that additional signage may be needed to label makeshift temporary trash cans as such if the nicer ones they were considering would not be in before the DORA took effect.
At the start of the regular meeting the minutes of the April meeting were reviewed and accepted as written. Following the approval of the minutes, council reviewed the financial reports and income tax receipts. Kaiser questioned a line item for two mowers from S&K. Wordell shared that the second mower was purchased by the Board of Public Affairs (BPA). The reports were accepted as presented.
Jerry Kehoe was recognized and thanked for his 40 years as a businessman, and his service to the community in a resolution read by Mayor Patrick. Kehoe has been a mainstay in the business community, and served on Village Council, the Village Planning Commission, and as a board member of the Garrettsville Chamber of Commerce.
Ordinance 2021-09 received a third reading. The ordinance amends chapter 1199 of the codified ordinances of the village and permits the village to undertake correction of exterior maintenance violations. The legislation targets residents leaving multiple items out on the curb for extended periods of time. Council hopes to reduce the time frame for dealing with the trash piles from six weeks to two. The trash piles often appear at rental properties when renters move on, sometimes due to eviction or other short notice. This ordinance will have a public hearing and vote by council in June.
Resolution 2021-23, which authorizes the village to apply for grant funding through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Nature Works grant funding, was approved on first reading. Hardesty shared that the village has an estimate for sewer and water at Hardesty Park which came in at $35,000. This is for utility work only, not the foundation and building structure. The village would not need to have matching funds until work begins in 2022.
Larry Beatty was recognized and thanked for the time he served on village council in a resolution read by Mayor Patrick. Jan Boehm was recognized and thanked for the time she served as zoning inspector in a resolution read by Mayor Patrick. Boehm is retiring, and Beatty stepped down from council to serve as the new Zoning Inspector.
Resolution 2021-26, accepting the low bid of $194,428.20 from Chagrin Valley Paving for the 2021 paving projects around Garrettsville. Streets receiving paving are High Street (from Maple to Center); Park Avenue (from Maple to Liberty); Wolfe Drive through the cul-de-sac; and Garfield Drive which will receive 1300 feet of paving and 425 feet of curbing where needed thanks to the lower-than-expected bid. Resident Nora Lynch asked if the extra savings could go towards a new recycling program in the village. She shared that in some communities Portage Solid Waste District offers curbside recycling for $3.20/home. Patrick explained that the funds saved on paving projects are being rolled into more paving projects. Over the past few years, the village has been working to catch up on road maintenance projects that had been delayed in years past due to budget constraints. Hardesty shared that the remaining budgeted funds may result in other areas receiving chip and seal work, with plans for more road paving in 2022. Kaiser asked if anyone on council had heard from Bill Steiner at the Portage County Solid Waste District since the removal of the bins on Water Street. Nobody had. Patrick shared that the County Commissioners are working on something, but there has been no news on that.
Round Table Wrap-Up
At a previous meeting, Wordell had been asked to lookup the garbage services that also offer recycling services. She shared that Waste Management, and Sunburst both service the village and offer recycling. From feedback heard during prior discussions about curbside recycling, council is aware that residents are generally opposed to being forced into a curbside program. Council researched curbside recycling availability because residents had asked about personal options available. Patrick shared that newspaper and cardboard can still be recycled at the JAG Bus Garage – the Garfield PTO receives funds from recycling at this collection bin.
Wordell shared a thank you letter sent to Tom Collins for his work spearheading Rotary efforts at the Windham Street trailhead for Headwaters Trail. She also informed council that guidance has been received for the latest COVID relief funding.
Hardesty shared that the Safety Committee has been in discussions for the dispatching contract with Mantua Village. The village moved to shared dispatching after changes to requirements from the state of Ohio would have doubled dispatching costs. Community EMS and GFN Fire Department have both moved to the Portage County Sheriff’s dispatching service, the police have looked into moving their service there as well. The move would save the department $5,000. The other benefit for the village would be that all emergency services are dispatched by the same service. Patrick questioned how long Mantua’s dispatch can continue to operate with the equipment they have. He also expressed worry about missing out on being able to move to the county dispatching service. Hardesty added that there may be some sidewalk work this year, but he is waiting to see if any sidewalks are damaged during the South Street Project.
Patrick informed council that all Memorial Day services will occur normally in-person. He also shared quotes for replacement of the flagpole at Village Hall. The price for a 25 foot flagpole came back at $1,598 – including installation. A resident had offered to sandblast and repaint the existing pole, but Patrick had concerns that the pole was too far gone to refurbish well. Hardesty really wants to see the flagpole replaced with a powder coated one. Patrick had been advised that powder coating on flagpoles chips easily, and that the vendor did not recommend it. Knop asked if the pole would be anodized or mill-finished as the mill-finish weathers poorly.
Kaiser requested that maintenance guys take a look at the boardwalk and replace questionable boards as needed.
Collins shared that Rotary is looking at installing bike racks around town. The Rotary serves Garrettsville and Hiram and Hiram is requesting some of the racks. Patrick suggested splitting the amount evenly between the villages, unless Hiram does not want 5.
The meeting was adjourned after roundtable.
