Garrettsville – Village officials present at the village council meeting on September 9th were Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, Mayor Rick Patrick, Assistant Fiscal Officer Deb Wordell, and Councilpersons Tom Hardesty, Chris Knop, Jeff Kaiser, Larry Beatty, John Chambers and Tom Collins. Due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements the meeting was held in person with no audience, however Portage County Common Pleas Judge Becky Doherty, and Portage County Regional Planning Commission director Todd Peetz joined the meeting via Zoom. The meeting was streamed to Facebook for the public.
After the meeting was called to order by Mayor Patrick, the minutes of the August meeting were reviewed. Following the approval of the minutes, council reviewed the financial reports and income tax receipts. Patrick shared that income tax collection looked good. Knop questioned a line-item in the payment report for insurance. He noted that there was a $3,000 increase between the August and September meeting. Wordell explained that two village employees have gotten married and one is now on the other’s insurance.
Judge Doherty addressed council via Zoom video chat. She reintroduced herself as a candidate for Portage county judge. During her presentation she shared ways that the courtrooms have been made “COVID friendly” and shared that the courts are taking every precaution to keep everyone safe from the disease. Doherty also shared details of the addiction recovery program; she believes the constant contact requirement is what makes the program successful. She also detailed the county’s work release program for inmates, a joint effort between the sheriff’s department, county commissioners, job & family services, and Paris Healthcare Linen Services. A graduation ceremony for participants in the addiction recovery program will be held on September 24, at 2:00pm in Ravenna.
Todd Peetz, director of Regional Planning, shared that the county recently received word of grant money for “placemaking” within the county. Peetz would like to use the grant to connect all of the communities in northern Portage County. He asked council to draft a letter in support of the plan, and for the village to assign three people to donate their time.
The five goals of the program are:
- Provide Broadband for Rural Communities
- Diversify the Local Economies
- Embrace Innovative Technology
- Support Workforce Development
- Improve Quality of Life
Council approved drafting a letter of support and sending it over to Regional Planning on September 10, 2020.
Ordinance 2020-08 was un-tabled at the meeting. The ordinance enacts section 1199.091 of the village’s codified ordinances and involves maintenance of detention ponds and other improvements. The ordinance now contains an amendment to subsection D, which authorizes the village to authorize the Street Department to take steps necessary to abate nuisance detention ponds. The amendment specifies that this does not apply to underground detention basins which remain the exclusive responsibility of the homeowner, property owner, or homeowners’ association. The ordinance was approved as amended.
Resolution 2020-20 was approved at the meeting. The resolution accepts the amounts and rates determined by the budget commission and certifies them to the county auditor.
Resolution 2020-26, a resolution authorizing the preparation and application for the diesel mitigation trust fund grant application, was discussed. Collins explained that there is a grant available from the state of Ohio that would fund the installation of electric vehicle chargers in northern Ohio. Portage county is one of the eligible counties for a project. Collins would like to apply for the grant in hopes of installing an electric vehicle charger in the lower municipal lot (behind the Police Department). If the village is awarded a grant there would be no cost to the village for installation. Knop asked Collins who would pay for the electricity if the project were selected. Collins mentioned that there is about a 50/50 split between communities that offer free charging as a community service, and those that install credit terminals on the chargers to recoup costs. Collins views this as a way to draw visitors to town and get them to visit the shops and restaurants as their vehicle recharges. The grant application would be for about $15,200 which covers installation of a charging station for two parking spots, and electrical work by Scotchman Electric. Patrick questioned the cost of an ongoing maintenance plan, Collins responded that it would be covered under the grant. Knop and Beatty stated that they think it is a great idea to prepare for the future. Council approved completion and submission of the application for the grant.
Resolution 2020-27, authorizing a financial contribution of $1,803.58 from the village’s Coronavirus Relief Fund to the Community EMS District for purchase of UV disinfection lamps. Kaiser shared that Chief Sanchez had found a company that manufactures high-powered UV lamps that can be used to sanitize a 500 sq.ft. room in about 30 minutes. The lamp is on wheels so it could be rolled throughout the station to disinfect every room throughout the day. There are also smaller units that will enable Community EMS to disinfect their ambulances. The total cost of these lamps is about $5,400 and will be split between the communities (Garrettsville, Freedom, Nelson) that make up the district. Kaiser mentioned that he believes the Police Department would be purchasing a similar setup – they may also be looking at a sanitizing station to wash up in the garage before entering the building.
Roundtable Wrapup
Stuck, on behalf of the Police Department, requested a change to the medical/paid time off for SRO Emily Ahrens. She is currently on FMLA for twelve weeks and is currently using some of her paid time off. The current village policy is that employees must use all of their vacation time before going onto unpaid status. Ahrens would like to reserve 40-hours of vacation time and 30-hours of sick time and enter unpaid leave when that amount is left. Essentially, she will be using three more weeks of paid time off, and then go into unpaid time off. Ahrens plans to return to work on October 19th, 2020. In order for this to happen council will need to approve an exception to the policy for her case. Kaiser stated that he understands that with a new baby it makes sense to hold back some of the paid time off and sick days. Council voted to approve the exception.
Knop shared that it looked like some of the shingles were missing on a dugout at Bill Phelps Park. He also asked Hardesty how the billing for sidewalks works. Hardesty shared that property owners are billed $12 per linear foot which covers the cost of material and labor on the project.
Hardesty stated that the Liberty Street sidewalk project should be complete soon. Road paving will follow in the coming weeks.
Patrick shared that because spring cleanup was held so late (pushed to July this year) that it doesn’t really make sense to do a second one a few months later. Council agreed with Patrick and will be saving $3,500 by waiting until Spring 2021.
Patrick also mentioned that the recycling bins have been looking rough lately due to the Portage County Solid Waste District’s trucks being down for repairs. The village’s bins are also getting hit hard due to Freedom and Windham ending their recycling services – making Garrettsville “a central location” according to Patrick. Knop also questioned the usefulness of the recycling plan when the majority of plastics are not accepted. Hardesty stated that the commissioners were planning to have discussions with the Portage County Solid Waste District to find out what can be done as the majority of recyclables just end up being trucked separately to landfills. Patrick shared that the village currently pays $6,500 per year to provide a recycling spot in town, but if the village doesn’t offer it, residents may end up being forced to pay for curbside recycling pickup.
The tree removal budget for 2020 has already been depleted due to billing for several removals carrying into 2020. The budget for tree removal will reset in 2021.
Wordell shared that Adam Wohlever, park ranger at Eagle Creek Preserve and Nelson-Kennedy Ledges, reached out again about the trees around the Buckeye Block. Several are diseased or dying and will need to be replaced. Council will do some research and make a decision about replacement at the next meeting. Wordell mentioned that Wohlever also suggested replacing the shrubbery around the boardwalk fountain with native rhododendrons.
Collins shared that the area around the gazebo will be mulched by Rotary soon. Patrick thanked Rotary for the work they had done with the sign at the Windham Street entrance to Headwaters Trail.
The meeting was adjourned following the roundtable session.
