Garrettsville – Village officials present at the April 12th council meeting were: Councilmembers Tom Hardesty, Chris Knop, Sheri Johnson, John Chambers, Rich Beatty, Mayor Rick Patrick, Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, and Assistant Fiscal Officer Deb Wordell. The meeting was called to order shortly after 7:00pm.
Minutes of the March 8th meeting were reviewed and approved in a motion made by Knop, and seconded by Johnson.
Council reviewed the financial reports and income tax receipts. Mayor Patrick noted that the village will be in good shape through the year as long as delinquencies start coming in. In a motion made by Knop and seconded by Johnson, council accepted the ledger of bills paid.
A group of residents from Zupancic Drive were present to provide council with documentation of flooding in their yards that they feel is the result of improper drainage from the Industrial Drive detention basins. Hardesty disagreed with the residents, stating that he and Village Water Superintendent Jeff Sheehan had walked the area a few days earlier, and saw no visible indicator of water flow into their property.
Discussion between council and the property owners continued for some time. It was decided that Hardesty, Sheehan, and some of the concerned residents would head back into the woods behind Zupancic Drive during the next rain storm to take a look at the water flow. Hardesty will reach out to the village’s engineer (Said AbouAbdallah of Arcadis) if he feels a indepth review is needed. Stuck mentioned that as the detention basins are privately owned, on private property, the village is not responsible for waterflow from the private business and it would be considered a civil matter.
Residents from Silica Street were present to inquire about street cleanup as drivers tend to litter along the stretch of road. On a recent cleanup, the residents collected about two large bags of trash. They also notified council that garbage from the Sky Plaza shops and restaurants has been blowing through the area. They reported that dumpsters are rarely closed, and usually overflowing. They brought in pieces of boxes from Cals & Sky Lanes (for fish, pancake syrup, etc) and asked council what can be done regarding the issue. Knop mentioned that zoning had stepped up enforcement in 2017, and passed an ordinance about dumpsters, and asked that residents notify the village or the zoning inspector when they see an issue. Mayor Patrick will reach out to a group interested in community service projects to see if they would be interested in doing street cleanup.
In regular business, council discussed paying for the second columbarium at Park Cemetery. Hardesty inquired about a $25,000 grant from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (funded with ARPA money) that would be used to offset this project and landscaping within the cemetery. Wordell told council that they needed to make a motion to formally apply for the grant (to meet the requirements within the document). Council authorized payment for the second columbarium and passed a motion to formally apply for the grant.
Knop presented council with options for first aid training programs available through Community EMS for the village employees. Council approved the Heart Saver Basic course, along with a few job-related subtopics. They also approved spending $25/person for course materials and certificates.
The EV Charge station in the Maple Ave municipal lot is still a work in progress. While it has been installed, Knop is working on putting together a recommended fee structure based on utility costs and recommendations from the manufacturer. He is concerned that the village may end up upside-down depending on what the rate is set at.
Spring Cleanup will be held on Thursday, June 8th this year.
In Legislation:
- Ordinance 2023-07, which amends the village’s employee handbook as it relates to mandatory first aid training, was passed, and enacted on the second reading.
- Ordinance 2023-08, which authorizes participation in ODOT’s road salt contract, was passed and enacted on first reading.
- Resolution 2023-09, accepting a bid of $264,806.25 from Cole Burton Contractors LLC for the Center & Water Street paving projects was passed
- Michele Stuck was named solicitor for the village for a final year (May 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) with the passage of Ordinance 2023-10. She plans to retire from the position after the term.
- Ordinance 2023-11, adopting the updated village plan for Garrettsville, received a first reading. The ordinance will have three readings and a public hearing before approval.
Roundtable Wrapup
Hardesty shared that the bid for road paving had come in about $30,000 under the estimate. He has been looking into conversion of one of the tennis courts (at Park Avenue or South Street) into a pickleball court. Based on the condition of the base material, Park Avenue is the likely spot for the new court. A new court typically runs upward of $100,000, but he plans to bring the costs down where possible by breaking up the project into smaller bids.
Mayor Patrick mentioned that Hardesty and Knop had been working on some revisions to the village’s vacation policy. He also shared that Hardesty had worked with the Garrettsville Youth Baseball association to reopen the concession stand at the South Street Park. Patrick also shared that the Park Cemetery gate in the circle had been removed, and that Regional Planning is holding an event to release the county’s regional plan. It will be held on April 20th at NEOMed.
Beatty brought a resident’s question about the recent NOPEC letters up with council. The resident wondered when NOPEC’s program was voted on. Stuck believes that NOPEC has been using the same form letter for the opt-out notice since it was launched years ago. Beatty also informed council of historic Garfield achievements at the State Quiz Bowl tournament, and on the wrestling mats in Columbus. Congratulating the Quiz Bowl members, and wrestlers Keegan Sell and Hunter Andel.
The meeting was adjourned following the roundtable portion of the meeting.
