Meeting Notes September 3, 2019
Willoughby City Council Meeting Summary
• September 3, 2019 •
Ken Kary • Councilman Ward 2
NOTE
These notes “are not” the official minutes for Willoughby City Council.
The views I express in these Council Meeting Summaries are my own and do not reflect any official view or position of the City of Willoughby.
The “official” Council Minutesare posted on the City of Willoughby Website http://willoughbyohio.com/government/city-council
Tonight's Council Meeting dealt with Economic issues on several fronts. In fact, to start, there was an Economic Development Committee meeting which will we discussed later in this summary. The council dealt with a plan to re-submit bids on a major WPCC Capacity Enhancement Project that desperately needs to be addressed. (Water Pollution Control Center). Many of these upgrades are a result of Ohio EPA mandated improvements.
For your information:
· This plant was put into operation on August 4, 1961 with a design capacity of 3.9 million gallons per day (MGD).
· By 1967, the discharge limitations of the Environmental Protection Agency required that the plant be upgraded. In 1968 additional facilities were designed to provide secondary biological treatment, phosphorus removal, and sludge dewatering and incineration. The plant modifications, finished in 1974, provided a capacity to treat an average flow of 7.8 MGD with a peak of 19.4 MGD.
· The plant underwent major modification and expansion in 1985 with improved treatment to meet a new discharge permit. Plant capacity was expanded to treat an average flow of 9.5 MGD with a peak flow of 20 MGD. These latest plant modifications, completed in 1987, included the addition of primary and final settling tanks, aeration tanks, chlorine contact tank, plant water system, chemical feed systems and conversion of the anaerobic digesters to sludge mixing and holding tanks.
· The WE-WPCC services the cities of Willoughby and Eastlake, the Village of Timberlake, Lakeline and a portion of Willoughby Hills, Mentor, Willowick and Kirtland. Collection system facilities include 25 sewage lift stations and five (5) sewage flow equalization basins located throughout the service area.
PRIOR TO THE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
SPECIAL MEETING/EXECUTIVE SESSION
None
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING
Katie McNeill, Chris Woodin (absent), Ken Kary
*The purpose of the Economic Development Meeting is to discuss:
• Economic DevelopmentUpdate
The discussion centered around the topics below.
Economic Development Director, Tom Thielman spoke to Council on the following:
· Glennridge RFQ
Discussion on the proposed city parking/residential (mixed use) area planned on the land between Chagrin River, Todd Field Parking and the hill behind Sol and the Brewery.
The purpose of the RFQ is to seek statements of qualifications from real estate developers and development teams to lead the development of that area. The intent is to pre-qualify the respondents who will be invited back to submit redevelopment projects for review.
This is a six-acre site with 500 feet of Mentor Ave. frontage and 200 feet of riverfront along the Chagrin River. The City owns or has purchased or secured options on the redevelopment parcels.
Plans are to ask for an RFQ (request for qualifications). There has been a good deal of interest shown by investors in these early stages.
The project goals are:
• NEW Parking for the City and its patrons
• Public Space on the Waterfront
• New Office Space providing tenants to the City
• Residential space
• Excellence in Design
· Citizens Bank to be located on the corner of Erie St and Mentor Avenue
The Citizens Bank located for years at 38115 Euclid Ave, Willoughby, will be moving soon. The new bank should be opening in November.
The original building, the City would like to see the building stay as is. To date the City has not been approached by anydevelopers.
Some discussion took place regarding the “Public Art” that is planned for the corner of Erie St. and Mentor Ave. The Arts Collaborative has chosen the design. Design revisions are taking place, and efforts are there to secure the primary funding source. The Cities Arts Collaborative will be involved in these two processes.
· Willoughby Junior and Willoughby Union High Schools
These two structures are being dealt with separately. The old Junior High was purchased and will be the new home for TDA Architecture, which currently resides in downtown Willoughby. Work is taking place on the interior of this building now. The owners of Willoughby Union Point are seeking a partner to complete the residential component of the project, theOld Union High School building. There are now three (3) options existing for this the larger of the two buildings.
Those currently interested can go out and look for new investors
The City can go out for a new RFP (Request for Proposal) for new investors
The City can give the building back to the school system
*The City would like to place a time limit on these options
*There are still interested investors and possible movement forward on the plans to develop the larger of the two buildings.
· SID (Special Improvement District)
The purpose of this SID was to create a funding source for DTW property owners to have funds available to help pursue improvements to the Downtown area. The property owners would provide the funds to be used annually. They would also determine what those funds would be used for.
This plan initiated by former Mayor Dave Anderson working with the Downtown property owners was not successful in getting the 60% cooperation to move forward.
Some landowners were will interested and seem to want to pursue the SID in other ways.
Hopefully, the owners will move forward with aSID.
· DTW
Downtown Willoughby at this time has four vacancies. Efforts are there to fill these sites.
There has been some interest in the spaces but by restaurants who want liquor permits and there are non-available.
There seems to be a need for better communication between the property owners and potential investors.
Courthouse Square is moving forward and hopes to be ready by the end of the year.
Young’s Sushi is moving soon to its new location at 12 Public Square on East Spaulding Street.
LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS
The general purpose of the Legislative Caucus meeting is to review and discuss the legislation on the Regular Council. More on the legislation covered later in this summary.
AGENDA
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
September 3, 2019
ROLL CALL
PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
APPROVAL OF MINUTES- Regular Council Meeting of August 13, 2019
STANDING AND REGULAR COMMITTEE REPORTS
No major reports
CORRESPONDENCE
No correspondence
PUBLIC PORTION
NOTE:
For accuracy, this section has been copied from the "official council meeting minutes."
Mark Gerber, 4176 Clark Avenue - Regarding the Riverwalk development, Mr. Gerber would like the developer to adhere to the current development plan and not allow more apartments.
Anthony Cerer, 5148 Robinhood Drive - Mr. Cerer voiced his concerns regarding the excessive amount of skunks and other animals and feels that residents feeding birds and feral cats could be the cause. Mr. Cerer would like the City to address residents who feed animals and possibly raise the number of animals trapped by the City's trapper at nocharge.
Robert Dunn, 5158 Robinhood Drive - Mr. Dunn echoed Mr. Cerer's comments regarding the trapping of animals. He asked if someone who rents a home can use the trapping service provided by the City.
Service Director Bock said a renter can call and get on the list for the trapper. There is a limit of five animals max that can be trapped; there is a charge for anything more. He said the City has spent $14,000 on trapping this year.
Terry Foreman, 2405 Bunker Lane - Mr. Foreman asked for an update on Riverside Commons. Mayor Fiala said the matter is still active litigation; therefore, no information is available.
Willoughby Cleveland Elks Club, 38860 Mentor Avenue - The club presented Chief Ungar with a $500 check to be used towards carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for residents who are not able to afford them. Gloves that protect first responders from opioids and fentanyl were also presented to ChiefUngar.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
ORDINANCE NO. 2019-84
An ordinance certifying to the auditor of Lake County certain unpaid bills owing to the City of Willoughby, Ohio.
· That the Clerk of Council is hereby authorized and directed to certify the following unpaid bill to the Auditor of Lake County for collection; said unpaid bill, for the clearing of litter from private property, is to be paid to the City over a one- (1-) year period beginning in2019:
o One party named in Ordinance
· That the Clerk of Council is hereby authorized and directed to certify the following unpaid bills to the Auditor of Lake County for collection; said unpaid bills, for the removal of noxious weeds, are to be paid to the City over a one- (1-) year period beginning in 2019:
o 43 Parcels named in Ordinance
The hope is the City can "get out of" these landscaping business tasks!
RESOLUTION NO. 2019-85
A resolution authorizing the Mayor to review and accept the best pricing and time period proposed by a retail electric supplier for the subsequent inclusion within an agreement for purchase of electricity for the Willoughby-Eastlake Water Pollution Control Center, within such time period parameters to be from twelve
(12) to thirty-six (36) months, effective June 22, 2020.
In Ohio you can choose the electric supplier that provides the generation of your electricity; and
it is the intent of the City to determine the best pricing and time period by a provider of electricity for the Willoughby-Eastlake Water Pollution Control Center.
RESOLUTION NO. 2019-86
A resolution authorizing the Mayor to reject all bids for the WPCC Capacity Enhancement Project.
All bids received by the City for the WPCC Capacity Enhancement Project are hereby rejected.
The bid received was significantly over the engineer's estimate and cannot be awarded. The authorization for a re-bid will not take place at this time.
More on this in the future.
ORDINANCE NO. 2019-87
An ordinance authorizing Amendment No. 1 to Ordinance No. 2019-32, the Manning & Payroll Ordinance, relative to Hourly Personnel, Part Time, and declaring an emergency.
Exhibit B-4 of Ordinance No. 2019-32, the Manning & Payroll Ordinance establishing the compensation levels for Hourly Personnel, Part Time, is hereby amended to amend the compensation rate range for the job classification of SRO (School Resource Officer).
The school district sets the pay rate for this position. The Schools also reimburse 100% of the hourly rate paid for this position.
NOTE:
For accuracy, this section has been copied from the "official council meeting minutes."
MAYORS REPORT
Mayor Fiala requested an executive session at the next Council meeting to discuss pending litigation and City-owned properties.
Mayor Fiala reviewed some criminal data from apartments within the City. Chief Beckwith said this data from apartment complexes are sent to the management who try to deal with problematic units and repeat offenders.
Regarding the Special Improvement District (for landowners near the lake), Mayor Fiala said homeowners can go ahead and do improvements now and have their property assessed later.Hesaidhemetwiththe LakeCounty Commissionerstodiscusshowtodiffuseasmuch of the costs associated with the SID to the Lake County Port Authority more specifically the Office of Coastal Management. Having thirteen communities and Euclid on board will give more leverage for obtaining grants. A petition from a lakefront property owner needs to be received by the legislative authority in order to create theSID.
DIRECTOR’S REPORTS
Service Director Bock - No report. Mr. Carr asked about communication going out to residents regarding the changeover of rubbish removal contractors. Mr. Bock said communication will be going out soon from both companies as well as the City. Two condominium associations contacted the City about contracting with the new company and he doesn't see any issues witheither.
City Engineer Sayles - Reported he met with residents from Steve Guard Court regarding their water issues. The City was successful in obtaining an OPWC grant in the amount of $265,000 for concrete road repairs for next year.
Building Inspector Keller - Regarding the feeding of birds and issueswith skunks, he said the City does have ordinances that deal with those issues. Perhaps the City can get information out on the City's Facebook page to remind residents what their responsibilities are and the penalties when nuisance conditions arecreated.
COUNCIL REPORTS
Ms. McNeill - Reported she will be looking into the criminal activity at apartments in the City over the next few months.
Mr. Carr - Reported he will be having a ward meeting next Tuesday at the Senior Center at 7:00 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
COMMENTS BY COUNCILMAN KARY
I am pleased to share that I am the only candidate for the Council position for Ward 2, Willoughby. With two more years now to continue my work, I will again offer that I will do my best to:
· serve Ward 2 and its residents
· keep our Ward healthy and desirable as a place to live, work and play
· keep Willoughby moving forward in a positive direction on multiple fronts
· continue to be open and transparent about what is taking place in our City
· be available to you in a timely fashion regarding your concerns
I will also continue my work as the Council Representative on the Planning Commission to:
To approve and recommend to City Council plans for development or redevelopment
To review and recommend to City Council plans and maps for dividing the City into zones or districts
To review all development plans as required by the Planning and Zoning Code
To review all applications for conditional use permits
To make a determination that a proposed use that is not listed or provided for in the Zoning Code is substantially similar to a listed principal or conditional use
To investigate and to propose on its own initiative amendments to the Planning and Zoning Code
To review and act on all plans and plats for subdivisions
To adopt rules and bylaws for the holding of regular and special meetings for the transaction of the Commission business.
I will also continue to serve on the City of Willoughby's Arts Collaborative Team to promote the Arts in our City.
Finally I will serve my committee duties on the:
· Economic Development Committee
· Environmental Planning Committee
· Finance and Audit Committee
· Personnel Committee
It looks as if I will remain busy, but I must share I feel I am truly putting in the time to make the City and Ward 2 a better place for all.
Have a great Fall Season, and I hope to meet up with all of you soon.
NOTE
These notes “are not” the official minutes for Willoughby City Council.
The views I express in these Council Meeting Summaries are my own and do not reflect any official view or position of the City of Willoughby.
The “official” Council Minutesare posted on the City of Willoughby Website
http://willoughbyohio.com/government/city-council