COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARY OCTOBER 15, 2024
Willoughby City Council Meeting Summary
• October 15, 2024 •
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 Minutes are posted on the City of Willoughby Website
https://willoughbyohio.com/city-council/
Committee Meetings:
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING:
Committee: Ken Kary, Dan Anderson, Dan Garry
The purpose of the Environmental Planning Committee meeting is to review:
• EAS #10-7-24(b) - Construction of thirty (30) townhomes (five (5) buildings) located at 32801 Euclid Avenue (Village Park West).
EAS #10-7-24(b)
Construction of thirty (30) townhomes (five (5) buildings) located at 32801 Euclid Avenue (Village Park West).
Mr. Kary stated that the Planning Commission approved this EAS with a few notations. The biggest concernwith the project is the storm water. The City Engineer noted that the site has capacity to handle the demands of the proposed project. It was noted that high wall plumbing discharge to sewers should be used.The applicant also stated they would use a gravity sewer lift station underneath the townhomes. Mr. Novak stated it would be located near the northern property line, which is the lowest part of the property so all the effluence will flow down out of the units through the gravity sanitary sewer. The pump station will be locatedto the right of the northern building and will be pumped to an existing sanitary manhole on Euclid Avenue. Mr. Lannon stated the applicant must follow the storm water code and meet the current runoff with the futurerunoff after the development is complete. Mr. Lannon stated there are problems with capacity under the railroad and along Euclid Avenue to the north. Mr. Kary stated that stand by power is required. Mr. Novakstated that what is being proposed is that the pump station would be under contract and if there was an issueor failure the company would be notified and they would provide a generator. Notification to WPCC wouldalso be required. There are two retention ponds located on the property to the rear. There were no traffic concerns. Sidewalks will be installed inside the development as well as on Euclid Avenue that should lineup with the sidewalks near the Storage King facility. Mr. Novak stated the interior sidewalks would only be installed on one side of the street. Mr. Kary noted that due to the width of the street and layout, the entire width of the circle shall be a fire lane with signage noting same. No street parking is permitted. Fire hydrant locations need to meet the code. Landscaping should not block the line of sight for traffic. There are no noise, water or air pollution concerns. No impact on the schools. No hazardous waste concerns. The project will begin in the spring of 2025 with completion in the spring of 2026. The applicant agreed that thetownhomes would be owner occupied; not rented. Mr. Kary thanked the applicant for agreeing to adddiversity to the units by using different siding, door and shutter colors. Mr. Novak asked if the applicantneeded to get approval on the color schemes. Mr. Kary stated that once the builder has been chosen, the builder should come before the Planning Commission for approval. Mr. Anderson asked how a contractor would have access to put in generator(s) if needed. Mr. Novak stated the area is located relatively close to the street so there will be access. Mr. Anderson asked if it took a while for a generator to be placed on the property, would it back up into a house. Mr. Novak stated it would depend on how long the power is out for; there is a wet well inside the pump station so there is some capacity but he doesn’t know how much.
There were no other comments or concerns. Mr. Kary stated the committee is recommending to Council the passage of EAS #10-7-24(b).
• EAS #12-9-24 - Construction of an oil change facility located at 35901 Euclid Avenue (formerly Mr. Chicken).
• Mr. Kary stated that the Planning Commission did approve this EAS with a few notations. He stated there is the capacity to handle sanitary sewer at the site. High wall plumbing with a grinder pump should be used. There is a reduction in impervious area by 20%. There will be less trafficfor this facility than the previous restaurant at the location. There were no concerns from thePolice and Fire Departments. No noise, water or air pollution concerns. No impact on the schools. Regarding hazardous waste, Valvoline will take everything off site every couple of days torecyclable plants; this includes oil and oil filters. The project would start in the spring of 2025 withcompletion in summer or fall of 2025. It was noted that the applicant agreed to install pedestrianaccess from the sidewalk to the building. Mr. Kary stated the applicant agreed to construct the building with brick and stone. The current Valvoline located near Chick-fil-A will be closed and thestaff there will be relocated to the new facility.
• There were no other comments or concerns. Mr. Kary stated the committee is recommending to Council the passage of EAS #12-9-24.
• The Environmental Planning Committee adjourned at 6:17 p.m.
PARKS & RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING:
Committee: Kristie Sievers, Dan Garry, John Tomaselli
**The purpose of the Parks & Recreation Committee meeting is to discuss the Euclid Avenue Pool.
PLEASE READ THE COMMENTS MADE BY RESIDENTS IN THE PUBLIC PORTION. This topic will be revisited again by the Parks and Recreation Committee.
AGENDA
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
October 15, 2024
APPROVAL OF MINUTES-
Regular Council Meeting of October 1, 2024
STANDING AND REGULAR COMMITTEE REPORTS
Committee of Full, Mr. Carr – No report. Mr. Carr stated that as the City’s representative for the LakeCounty 9-1-1 Review Committee, he attended an organizational meeting last week. He stated currently thereare eight PSAP’s in the county and the new state code is recommending that it be reduced to three. The City would like to be one of those three representing western Lake County. He recently met with the Mayor andboth the Fire and Police Chiefs to review what transpired at the first meeting. County Commissioner John Hamercheck is chairing the committee and would like to finalize the plan by the end of the year.
CORRESPONDENCE
No correspondence
PUBLIC PORTION
Erick Buckland, 5803 Royal Drive, Willoughby – Regarding the master plan for the Euclid Avenue pool, Mr. Buckland stated that there are a number of residents in his neighborhood, Halle Estates, which haveexpressed concern about the closure of the current pool. He stated he has two children; his daughter who is 16 is a lifeguard at the Osborne pool and can drive but his 11 year old son has a hard time getting to thepool conveniently. (He gave kudos to the City for the sidewalks on Rt. 91.) He stated there are a lot of newfamilies in Halle Estates who would like to have easy access to a pool; driving to the Osborne pool is a 15minute drive. Mr. Buckland stated he was formerly the team president of the Willoughby Stingers. He stated many families representing the Stingers attended the last meeting which shows the dedication of thefamilies. He stated that the City of Solon updated a pool that had been built in the 1950’s.
Brian Katz, 5461 Oakridge Drive, Willoughby – Regarding the decrease in attendance at the Osborne pool this summer, Mr. Katz stated he felt it was a cooler summer and attendance at the pool is weather related. He stated two pools were originally built in the City: one for the north end and one for the south end. He stated the pool at Osborne can have a 10 degree difference from elsewhere in the City due to thewind coming off the lake and the lake in general. He stated that the City got lucky this year that the pool paid for itself; he stated you won’t find five pools in the state of Ohio that pay for themselves. Cities pay for recreational experiences for their residents; if it were a money maker, the private industry would be doing it.
Cindy Bernardo, 4524 River Street, Willoughby – Ms. Bernardo asked for better communication regarding the River Street slope stabilization project. She asked when the project will begin and what the road closures will be. She stated she felt the south end of Willoughby needs a pool. Mr. Lannon stated thatthe City is out to bid currently for the retaining wall and the watermain replacement on River Street. The project should start this winter and wrap up mid-year 2025. ODOT will be resurfacing mid-year. He isexpecting full closure of River Street near South Street with local traffic being maintained. The lane closures will be established at a pre-construction meeting later this year or in early 2025.
Sarah Jasinski, 4594 River Street, Willoughby – Ms. Jasinski stated she moved to Willoughby 12 years ago and one of the reasons she chose Willoughby was because it was walkable. She said Willoughby hasbeen a great fit for her family but she stated they have lost access to a lot of things with the pool being the biggest. Her children were able to bike to the Euclid Avenue pool independently. She stated the basketball courts and swings were taken away when the senior center moved out of Browning. She stated there is a lot of new housing being built downtown but the City isn’t adding any new amenities. She stated her familyis part of the swim team and they have been using the Osborne pool but not as much if a pool was closer.
Michael Ross, 4735 Wood Street, Willoughby – Mr. Ross stated this was the first year he didn’t renew his pool pass because of the distance to the Osborne pool. He did state he was at the pool every Saturdayand it was cold often. Mr. Ross sells homes in the community for a good price and taking away amenities will not continue to achieve the higher sale prices. He stated that $13 million to $17 million is a lot of money(referencing the price of a new pool), but it would continue to bring in new people and keep people in the community.
Michelle Echevarria, 38501 N. Beachview, Willoughby – Ms. Echevarria stated she doesn’t believe it’s fair to assume that those who previously attended the Euclid Avenue pool would attend the Osborne pool.She stated that if the City wants to increase the amount of families in the community, not having a pool onEuclid Avenue would be contrary to that goal. She stated she is concerned about the increase in traffic if the Osborne pool is the only pool in the community on top of the added amenities being added to the park.
NEW BUSINESS
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-105. MOTION CARRIED 7-0
A resolution approving EAS #10-7-24(b) for the construction of thirty (30) townhomes (five (5)buildings) located at 32801 Euclid Avenue (Village Park West).
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-106 MOTION CARRIED 7-0
A resolution approving EAS #12-9-24 for construction of an oil change facility located at 35901 Euclid Avenue (formerly Mr. Chicken).
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-107 MOTION CARRIED 7-0
A resolution expressing an intent to sell unneeded, obsolete, or unfit property by internet auction,establishing a procedure for conducting the sale, and declaring an emergency.
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-108 MOTION CARRIED 7-0
A resolution authorizing the Mayor to accept the Ohio Department of Development Water andWastewater Infrastructure Program Grant to implement the Nason Basin to Grove Avenue Storm Sewer Phase 1 Project, and declaring an emergency.
NOTE:
For accuracy, this section has been copied from the council meeting minutes
MAYORS REPORT
Mayor Fiala reported that the City is in the final phase of the new Police Station design documents. He requested a Safety Committee meeting on November 5th to review the costs; the next step is to go out to bid.
DIRECTOR’S REPORTS
Service Director Palmisano – Mr. Palmisano stated the new lights (downtown) are going up and should be completed within the week. Mr. Anderson asked when the leaf pick up begins. Mr. Palmisano stated it will begin the last week of October and last through the first week of December. Bagged leaves will be picked up through December 15th.
City Engineer Lannon – Mr. Lannon reported there are new sidewalks on SOM Center Road after talking about it for 25 years. He stated the road program is ongoing; they are preparing for the final surface course which will start next week.
Chief Building and Zoning Inspector Keller – No report. Mr. Tomaselli asked how close it is to issuing occupancy permits at the new apartment at Riverwalk. Mr. Keller believes it would be about 90 days.
Parks & Recreation Director Keller – Ms. Keller stated there was a recent groundbreaking for the Chagrin River Floodplain and Restoration and Trail Project. The outside fence is complete at the OsbornePark pickleball courts; she is working on a ribbon cutting day. Interior fencing and wind screens need to go up.
COUNCIL REPORTS
No Reports
ADJOURNMENT
COMMENTS BY COUNCILMAN KARY
I am offering my constituents the opportunity to share their feelings regarding the conversations on what to do with the area of the “original” city pool (Euclid Ave).
This past summer, we closed the 60-year-old pool for various reasons, keeping the Osborne Park pool active. Now, the City Council is discussing what the future can hold for that asset and that area that has served the city for so long.
· Do you want to see another version of the Pool built at the site?
· Would you like to see a NEW POOL and amenities at this site?
· Would you be in favor of a massive renovation of the original layout?
· Did you and your family attend the City Pools?
· When the Euclid Ave. pool closed for summer 2024 did you go to the Osborne Pool?
· What pool amenities do you see as a “MUST”?
· Do you have any helpful suggestions for the amenity itself and its operation?
Share Share Share your ideas with me, please.
I promise to use your comments in my decision-making process!
NOTE
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 Minutes are posted on the
City of Willoughby Website
https://willoughbyohio.com/city-council/
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