Wellsville Village Council Meeting

Tuesday - April 6: The Wellsville Village Council meet in regular session this past Tuesday evening at Village Hall. Present at the meeting was Mayor Joe Surace, Council Members Susan Haugh, John McMahon, Randy Allmon & Tony Cataldo. Also in attendance was Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, Village Administrator Jim Saracco, Zoning Administrator Rick Williams & WFD Chief Bill Smith. A motion was passed to excuse Council Members Joe Soldano & Rosie Goss.

During the Public Speaking portion of the agenda Bud Ceneviva & Thomas Brophy representing the Hammonds Park Commission spoke on the condition of the play ground equipment in the park. Mr. Ceneviva advised Council that the wood chips around the swings & sliding board are completely gone. At the direction of the Mayor, Village Administrator Saracco will call around for prices to replace the chips. The last time wood chips were purchased it was part of the project when new equipment was installed in the park according to Councilman Cataldo.

Mr. Ceneviva also advised there were only four swings in the park. During ball games last Saturday against E. Liverpool there were quite a few kids that were waiting in line to use the swings. Ceneviva said he realizes new equipment is expensive and the Village is strapped for cash but asked if Council has considered anything new for the park. Councilwoman Haugh advised the Village has a grant that was awarded for 18th Street and it has to be used for that specific playground. The Property Committee is presently investigating ways to possibly shift some of the equipment around once new equipment is installed at 18th St. Saracco advised a member of Covenant Prebyterian Church is storing a big swing set that they want installed at 18th St. As soon as a qualified installer is located that will be installed. If not cost prohibitive some of the older equipment from 18th St. can be moved. Haugh advised the equipment behind the old McDonald School and donated to the Village will be placed at the Jim Kenny Center. There are not any swing sets included in that deal and at present there is nothing in the upper part of town for the kids. Haugh noted that before McDonalds was built the First Street Playground was heavily used.

Questions were also brought up about something being laid out in left field of the T-ball portion. There are sections staked out with orange tape but no one has approached the Park Commission or Village officials for approval on any type of construction. After the meeting Commissioner Brophey asked that we remind folks that any building or plans for changes in the park must be approved by the Park Commission before proceeding. Any questions can be directed to Brophey by calling him at 330-532-2245.

Dave Buchner of 12th Street praised and thanked members of both the WPD and the WFD that responded to his recent bicycle accident on Main St.

Past VFW Commander Don Brown & Sr. VFW Vice Commander Don Clutter addressed
Council on the senseless vandalism on the newly installed reserved parking signs for disabled veterans and former POWs. Since erected they have been vandalized three times. Brown noted the parking spaces are for any disabled vet whether they are members of the VFW or not. Brown said he believes Wellsville is the first post in the state to have designated parking spaces for disabled vets and POWs. In his travels all over he noted every post in the district has handicapped spaces but none honoring disabled vets. The Mayor noted that if caught vandalizing the signs, those caught will be severely dealt with.

Ruth Gibson, representing the WHS Alumni Activities Committee, asked for and got approval to modify their previous request for blocking Main St. for this year's All-Class Reunion. Third St. to just beyond McGraws's Drive-Thru will now remain open for customers to be able to get to businesses located in that portion. The mobile stage will be placed just beyond the eastern part of the Square and will serve as the barricade at that end. Main St. will be blocked from there to 5th St. Gibson noted with the approval the antique car show will now be on Main instead of Riverside.

Zoning Administrator Rick Williams had the only Administration Report to give in person. He reported that the Zoning Office took in $370 for Zoning permits during the month of March. A written report from the Animal Control Officer was left stating she had 36 calls last month.

For Committee Reports, Finance Chairman Cataldo stated he is being asked by Village residents if Wellsville is going to sponsor a spring clean-up again this year. In past years dumpsters were provided free of charge for residents to dispose of unwanted items. Last year Daily Refuse donated dumpsters with the Village paying a fee for the tonnage of disposed items. Last year's spring clean-up cost the Village $2,600 to $2,700 for that tonnage according to Cataldo. The Mayor asked Saracco to contact the two refuse companies that do business in town to see if any help will be offered.

Cataldo also stated the health insurance provided for Village employees will be going up $18,000 this year. They are presently working with the insurance carrier checking other places for quotes.

Cataldo also reported that he and other Village officials received an e-mail from Bill Boyle of the engineering firm GG&J that Ohio Public Works (OPW)could not give the Village any help on the estimated cost to once again remove sludge from the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). At a Sewage Committee meeting last week it was reported that another 424 tons of sludge has accumulated in the two inoperable digesters since last being cleaned out. Boyle estimates it's going to cost $52,000 to clean them out. This was last done two years ago and wound up costing the Village around $90,000 to clean up 552 tons. The contractor operating the STP can not process the sludge without the digestors. Two years ago they were directed by Boyle to use one of the digesters to store sludge until work was done installing the new system. Two years later nothing has been done about making it possible to process the sewage.

This prompted a lengthy discussion on who is responsible for what at the STP. United Water has the contract to operate the STP. The plant is owned by the Village and Village Administrator Saracco reported that the Village legal advisor stated that the contract calls for the Village to maintain the equipment so the contractor can treat sewage. The Mayor stated that there appears to be a total lack of communication between the engineer, the contractor & Village officials and suggested another meeting be called to resolve the communication problem. Sewage Committee Chairman Randy Allmon reminded everyone that there is a 30 day out clause in the contract if Village officials are not satisfied with the operator. Both Allmon & Cataldo expressed indignation that additional sludge has accumulated because the Village did nothing to fix at least one of the digesters. Allmon even suggested that Wellsville return to operating the STP with Village employees.

Although Allmon had nothing to report for the Sewage Committee there was a Special Council Meeting last week covering two sewage projects. The first is the lining up of grants and loans to install aerobic digesters at the STP. The second was the renovation of the sewage forced main and its power station. The Village was awarded an Ohio Public Works grant in 2007 for $250,000 to work on the forced main. In addition to that they have another grant for $146,824 to be used on the aerobic digesters. Council members voted to accept that $146,824 grant and to apply for loans totalling $401,387 to be repaid over the next 20 to 30 years for these two projects plus the Highland Avenue project.

All three of those projects are at the top of the priority list for the Village once the remaining $621,994 is released by the Federal EPA in STAG funds. That's the "big if". So far Village officials only have GG&J's Boyle's word that those funds are soon to be released. As of April 7 Village officials have heard nothing from the EPA. It is hoped that will occur in the very near future. If it does part of it will be used to once again remove accumulated sludge.

Property Committee Chairwoman Haugh reported they are working on a lot of projects but they are not ready to report on any of them at this time.

There was no new legislation.

Under New Business, Allmon reported he has been asked by County Commissioners for Council's support of the 1% sales tax renewal that will appear on the ballot in the May Primary. A motion was passed to support the renewal and the Mayor said he will write a letter to the Commissioners stating that Wellsville supports this important issue.

A decision on approving issuance of a C1 Liquor License to 'For Your Convenience Inc.' was not acted on. The company operates the convenience store on 17th Street between Commerce and Lincoln Avenue.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:31 P.M. There may be another Special Meeting scheduled for next week to deal with that liquor license decision. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20 at 6 P.M.

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