November 21st, 2016 Council Minutes
Once approved, a link to the official council minutes will be at the bottom.
COUNCIL MINUTES
November 21, 2016
St. Clairsville City Council met in Council Chambers on Monday, November 21, 2016 with the following present
Jim Weisgerber, Council President Terry Pugh, Mayor
Mark Bukmir, Council 3rd Ward Jim Zucal, Service Director
Linda Jordan, Council-At-Large Jeff Henry, Police Chief
Beth Oprisch, Council-At-Large Tom Murphy, Planning & Zoning Administrator
Jake Olsavsky, Council, 1st Ward Richard Myser, Law Director
Frank Sabatino, Council 2nd Ward Cindi Henry, Finance Director
Mike Smith, Council-At-Large
David Trouten, Council, 4th Ward
The meeting was called to order by Council President Jim Weisgerber
MINUTES
Minutes of the November 7, 2016 meeting were distributed to Council. A motion to accept the minutes was made by Jake Olsavsky and seconded by Mike Smith.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Olsavsky Yes
Jordan Yes Sabatino Yes
Oprisch Yes Smith Yes
Trouten Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
CITIZENS HEARING:
Lance Rice, Chief Cumberland Trail Fire District
I met with Mr. Zucal several months back about our Fire Station on Marietta Street. The building is owned by the City. The Fire District was created in 1989 and they began staffing the station in 1990. In the past 26 years our organization has grown to provide service to the City and the Township. The location of the current station is ideal for response to emergencies in the City and also Richland Township. Where it is located is a great location, I don’t know if we could find a better location with Route 9 and quick access to Interstate 70 and Route 40. We have a Fire Station out east which we staff with three or four people so one emergency call out there and it is pretty much depleted. We do keep five firefighters staffed at the main station 24 hours a day. They are also cross trained as EMS, EMT and Paramedics. We also use that as our central fire headquarters. That is where I am stationed and also the Assistant Chief who does a lot of our fire prevention work so we have all of the business on the Administrative side of the Fire District. We do keep the ladder truck there, two fire engines and two Emergency Units, the brush unit a boat and a technical rescue trailer. I came up and spoke to Mr. Zucal and explained what has happened is the building is 40 years old and it is in need of some upgrades. The windows and doors are not energy efficient so they are going to need replaced. The lighting and the electrical components in the building are starting to become dated so we are having issues. Every few months we have ERB Electric in there to help us find problems. Technology has improved so we have a server that serves our Fire District and it is not really meeting our needs. We have no exhaust diesel removal. That needs to be improved. We have outgrown the facility. The shower facilities are inadequate for our people. That is why we are looking to do an expansion. There is one shower that serves five personnel, when they come back and they are trying to shower. We are trained now as firefighters to get back and shower to get those carcinogens off of us because the fire service has seen an increase in Cancer almost double what you see in outside jobs. We have been working with Jeremy Greenwood to develop a master plan not only the improvements that we have talked about that need done immediately but also a future expansion. With that being said we brought a design service in to evaluate the facilities the electrical and the plumbing that is starting to become outdated and needs some improvements. The building itself is a very sound structure. It was built 40 years ago, they did a great job building it. Going back to where we are as a fire district it has made it very difficult not owning the building to get outside funding. That is where the real challenge has been. If we are looking to get a loan or a grant it is probably not going to happen without ownership. Right now there is a lease that has been there since 1989 or 1990 whenever they took over staffing the fire station. We have been there ever since. The lease is $1 per year. That is where we are now. We have met with Christine Crowell from the U.S.D.A. she would love to work with us with a low interest loan. We probably wouldn’t quality for the grant. Frank Sabatino sits on the Fire Board and I try to keep the Board members in the loop of where we are. After the master plan the next thing is what is it going to cost. Do we go through with the plan, do we scale it back, or do we do it in stages. That is something we work on with the Fire Board and our Fiscal Officer. One thing I have talked with Frank and Mr. Zucal about is if we get ownership of the building, there are no hidden agendas here we just want to make improvements to the building so we can use it for another 40 years and provide service to the community. But if for any reason we would move out of the building it could go right back to the City. That is something that Mr. Myser and Gerry Duff could sit down and see the possibility. I really don’t see us having much luck getting money or any type of funding not having ownership of the building we have been pretty much told that by several people. We did apply early this year for the Ohio Fire Marshall’s Grant which has been awarded and we didn’t get any money out of it. That doesn’t mean we can’t apply again now that we are a little further along with our project and we will at least have something to submit to them. Jim Zucal: I thank Lance for coming in here tonight. I have been working with Lance and I want Council to be informed. The thing for Lance is the U.S.D.A. loan is typically their best option and the Fire District has to own the building so I think that is what Lance is asking for. I have not talked to Christine Crowell but I have met her in the past. I don’t know if there is an option where the City can own the land and the Fire District own the building. We are kind of just taking it one step at a time. Lance Rice: The levy money goes to staffing and equipment. Jim Zucal: I will be glad to talk to Christine and talk to Lance again and take it a step further. We can talk to Richard about what the options are legally and then get back to Council. Beth Oprisch: So the ask is that the City turn the building over to the Fire District with the understanding that if the Fire District would no longer need the building it would return to the City. Lance Rice: We service the City of St. Clairsville. Richard Myser: A Government entity cannot give or sell property without advertising it for bid and sell it to the highest bidder unless you go through a C.I.C (Community Improvement Commission). We could go through the County or St. Clairsville has a C.I.C. itself. We could also look into the possibility of the City applying for the grant.
REPORTS:
Service Director: Jim Zucal
In front of you there is a good piece of information about the slip on Legion Road that is involved with a portion of a sanitary sewer line. We talked about grant funding and I moved on that to apply with the Public Works Commission for an emergency grant for the repairs. I met with the Mayor, Cindy Henry, Tom Murphy and Roberta Mertz and worked together as a team to submit a package to O.P.W.C. We submitted that a couple of weeks ago on a Friday and actually had good news by Monday. They contacted us and the City can receive a grant for $200,000. The project was estimated at $258,850 certified by Engineer Jeff Vaughn. The $58,850 would be a loan at zero percent interest for up to 30 years with no penalty on early payoff. I was very happy about that and I want to thank everybody and Richard Myser who drafter the legislation. I am asking for the legislation to be passed tonight so we can move forward.
As to the Young Lane water line project we met today for a pre-construction meeting with ASK Services. That was the bid project. The Company ASK is out of Zanesville. It is a prevailing wage job. We had a great meeting today. Bill Street administered that meeting and we are moving forward. The contractor will he believes be moving in the first of the year. We are excited, everything seems to be in order, all of the chips are starting where they should and we will get that water line in. We met with the property owners on Young Lane and we feel confident we have covered all the bases and we will get that water line in for the city.
Mayor, Terry Pugh
We owe a lot to Jim to go after this loan. They initially offered us $175,000 and Jim went back and negotiated and they came back at $200,000. I want to recognize a number of people for the Christmas Parade this last week. I heard a number of people say what a nice event it was, there were kids everywhere. I want to start out by thanking April Carpenter for the tree, Property Maintenance for sweeping the street and donating that to the city. Brenda Ponzani and all her helpers from the Garden Club, Don Smithberger and all his men for putting up all the decorations and trimming the tree, the Police Department for traffic control and the Street Department for cleanup. Of course the whole event was put on by the Chamber of Commerce and all the volunteers.
I received copies of the final draft of the Personnel Procedure Policy. I got them to all the committee members. I am hoping we can stay on a timeline. I am hoping that the committee will go over it and bring their recommendations back. I will say that Clemons and Nelson said that they are more than willing to come on November 28th to answer any questions. My goal is that we bring it to Council on December 19th and ask for you to pass it on an emergency basis on the recommendation of this committee and make it to go into effect with the city on January 1st.
Police Chief, Jeff Henry:
The Street Department was involved in the Parade with us blocking the streets off. We made it through another year without any major incidences.
Finance Director, Cindi Henry:
A reminder that the Post Audit will be held tomorrow in the Conference Room at 10:30. Anyone may attend, this is the 2015 post audit.
Next meeting I will be bringing Resolutions. Hopefully by then I will have an opportunity to get all the final money moves made for the year to close out the year and get ready to move into the next year. It is when I go in and move money from one appropriations to another to keep them all on a positive number and there has only been a few actual transfer of funds through the year unlike several per month that we have had in previous years.
Planning & Zoning, Tom Murphy
At the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting last Wednesday there were two items on the agenda. The first being the approval of a conditional use for a Computer and Cell Phone Hospital that was approved. The second item was a variance at 184 Woodrow Avenue in order to construct an accessory structure and that was also approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Beth Oprisch: Can you give an update on the Dairy Dream? Tom Murphy: Nothing has started there yet. They have their City permit in order to proceed. They are looking to finalizing their State permit. I don’t know if they have received their State permit or not. The weather could have something to do with the progress on that also.
COUNCIL COMMITTEES
Finance, David Trouten: No Report
Utilities, Frank Sabatino: No Report
Police, Mark Bukmir: No Report
Street North Side, Jake Olsavsky: No Report
Street South Side, Linda Jordan: No Report
Safety, Beth Oprisch: No Report
Building & Grounds, Mark Bukmir: No Report
Planning Commission, Mike Smith: No Report
Fire District, Frank Sabatino
Our next regular scheduled Fire Board meeting will be Wednesday, November 30th at 3:00.
Lance Rice: We are in the process of replacing one of our Medic Units. I will be making a report to Frank when I have all the information so the Board can review that purchase. The one we have has served us for over 10 years. The equipment has had maintenance and is ready for winter. I did meet with Scott Brown a little bit today and we are glad to see that they are making improvements and planning to replace some fire hydrants. It is easy to talk to Scott he talks our language. He is interested in hearing our side and our suggestions.
Recreation, David Trouten:
Bantam Basketball is starting up
Park District, Linda Jordan:
They had a meeting today and mainly discussed the repairs that have been done to the pool. They are holding their meetings every third Monday of each month now.
ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS
Law Director, Richard Myser
The only resolution we have tonight is 2016-39. This grant that we have was on such a fast track that the resolution was just prepared today that is why you didn’t have a copy Friday. It does have emergency language in it so we can pass it as an emergency tonight. It is for the Legion Road repair project that we have. I also want to commend our Service Director for obtaining a $200,000 grant for the City with such a quick turnaround.
There was presented and read to Council on its first reading by title only, RESOLUTION NO. 2016-39; A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICES TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE OHIO PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION STATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND/OR LOCAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM(S) AND TO EXECUTE CONTRACT AS REQUIRED AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. David Trouten moved that the rules requiring ordinances and resolutions to be read on three separate readings be suspended and declaring an emergency; Jake Olsavsky seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Olsavsky Yes
Jordan Yes Sabatino Yes
Oprisch Yes Smith Yes
Trouten Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
There was presented and read to Council on it third and final reading by title only, RESOLUTION NO. 2016-39. David Trouten moved that Resolution No. 2016-39 be passed by Council. Linda Jordan seconded the motion.
Roll Call Vote
Bukmir Yes Olsavsky Yes
Jordan Yes Sabatino Yes
Oprisch Yes Smith Yes
Trouten Yes
Roll Call Vote: Seven (7) Yes Zero (0) No Motion Approved
Resolution No. 2016-39 was declared adopted.
NEW BUSINESS: Mayor’s Report: The Mayor’s Collection for October 31, 2016 was $3,897.40. A motion to accept the Mayor’s Report was made by Jake Olsavsky and seconded by Linda Jordan.
David Trouten: Come January 1st I will have to resign from Council due to my being elected Belmont County Clerk of Courts. I think we need to talk about a replacement. Jim Weisgerber: We will miss you but correct me if I am wrong but we have to wait until after the 1st. Richard Myser: If David’s resignation is official as of January 1st the Charter provides that Council has thirty days to replace that person by a vote of majority of the remaining Council Members. If they do not replace that person in 30 days then the Mayor may appoint someone. That is the procedure. If you want to announce the vacancy and start accepting applications from interested parties you may start that process now. The candidate has to have lived for two years in the 4th Ward.
Jim Weisgerber: As long as I can remember it was opened up to residents of the 4th Ward to submit a letter. Council formed a committee to review the applications and they went from there. Frank Sabatino: My recommendation is we have set the precedent and we should continue that and this time the three Council Members who were not on the last committee that would be Myself, Mr. Olsavsky and Ms. Jordan should be on this Committee. Jim Weisgerber: I have no problem with that. Jake Olsavsky opted out of the Committee and Mike Smith was appointed in his place. Applications should be in by December 10th.
NEXT MEETING: Monday, December 5, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. in Council Chamber
There being no other business to come before Council a motion to adjourn was made by Jake Olsavsky and seconded by David Trouten.