Tuesday – February 15: Wellsville Village Council held their regular bi-monthly meeting Tuesday evening in Village Hall. Present at the meeting was Mayor Joe Surace and Council Members Sue Haugh, Rosie Goss, Joe Soldano, Randy Allmon, John McMahon and Tony Cataldo. Also attending was Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, Village Administrator Jim Saracco, Village Legal Adviser Andy Beech and WFD Chief Bill Smith.
In the Public Speaking portion of the agenda, Lisbon Street resident Lori Harmon thanked John McMahon and all the others “for diligently working to rectify the situation with the parking problem and vehicles”. Harmon addressed Council at the February 1 meeting in regards to the hazardous safety problem with all the traffic on 9th Street when Daw Middle School lets out. A WPD officer is now stationed there controlling a traffic signal and eliminate the illegal parking during school dismissal. Harmon indicated it's wonderful to be able to safely cross the street without fear of an accident.
Riverside resident Lonnie Hentzell was seeking Council's approval for the Wellsville Revitalization Committee (WRC) to proceed with their planned Riverside Avenue walk project. Hentzell explained they want to replace all the park benches and make a pathway with pavers. It wll run from the War Memorial at 4th Street and go to 9th Street. The Mayor remarked he thinks it's a great idea but advised there are plans to replace the sewer line forced main along that avenue. Current plans are for that project to start in June and be completed in December. The Village's engineering firm is doing a survey at the present time. Although the forced main runs under the street that area may be torn up during the project. Also he would like to avoid any conflict between the two projects. Hentzell explained the WRC improvement project is contingent on the completion of the sewer line. WRC member Joe Bucher noted that is what they needed to know saying the committee wants to begin making plans if it is acceptable to Council. The pathway is planned along the strip running between the curb and railroad tracks on the river side of the street.
Soldano inquired if it was the same plan the committee proposed three or four years ago. WRC President Candy Bangor explained it is a simplified version than what was originally proposed. The original plan was extremely expensive and cost prohibitive. The revised plan would actually be making a pathway on existing land without including retaining walls and such.
The question was brought up on who actually owns the property in question. Cataldo said at a meeting two years ago it was discovered many of the residents believe they own that strip of land. Many of them maintain the land. Surace said he doesn't believe so. When he bought his house the survey did not include that area and stated it will have to be clarified. Saracco will check into it and the request was referred to the Property Committee. Property Committee Chairwoman Haugh noted she believes it is Village owned but wanted to assure that they work with the residents along Riverside on that.
Broadway resident Dawn Johnston gave a report on the 2010 Tree Board activities. She advised Council that the board has once again sent in for the Tree City USA certification. Last year new trees were planted in Broadway Park, on 5th Street, Commerce, Washington and in Hammonds Park. A total of 21 new trees were planted. Including those done by Village workers there were 11 trees removed and 88 trees pruned. Johnston reported that with all the work done, by the Village, the volunteers, the litter clean up, Arbor Day observance, Tree City USA ceremony, workshops and administrative hours, amounted to $84,881 worth of efforts in 2010 in the Village.
Johnston noted that Joe Russell, owner of Russell Tree Service Experts in Worthington, OH, brought his equipment with him over the Christmas Holidays and along with his brother John and Travis MacLain, pruned all the new trees in Broadway Park for the first time free of charge. Russell is a Wellsville native and takes a keen interest in those trees. His father started the donation campaign for the trees way back when. Every time he is in town visiting he checks on those trees and has offered to do any future pruning as needed. If done properly it only needs done every few years. The Mayor noted he will have to get a proper thank-you off to Mr. Russell.
In the Mayor's Report Surace reported that Village Street workers have started filling pot holes with cold patch on Broadway. They will concentrate on one street at a time unless there is one considered extremely bad elsewhere. Village Administrator Saracco said if he gets a call he will check it out. If determined it needs immediate attention they will patch that one hole and return to whatever street they are working on at the time.
Tony Cataldo reported for the Finance Committee that the General Fund has $5,500, Streets $1,300, Cemetery $1,900, Permissive $8,000, Floodwall $18,000 and the total of all Village funds is $513,000. At the end of December 2010 the total of all funds was $490,957.
Cataldo also announced there will be a Finance Committee meeting Thursday at 10 AM to compare the 2006 budget with last years. In 2006 there was a $1.2 million carry over compared to $500,000 this past year. Everything will be compared for revenue and expenditures item by item.
For the Sewage Committee Randy Allmon made a motion to suspend rules for approval of Application #6 to pay Mike Pusateri Excavating for the sewer digester improvements for $68,420. The Mayor stated the payment is funding money from the OMEGA, Ohio Public Works & STAG funds. The motion was approved.
Also, Allmon stated “three or four years ago, false accusations, a letter was sent to the EPA saying there was malfeasance in your (the Mayor's) office concerning the STAG grant and that came back quickly clean, nothing done wrong and probably cost the city thousands of dollars in waiting, labor time and just time searching everything. I (Allmon) think we should make a motion to ask the Attorney General who these people are and maybe seek monetary damages for making false accusations like this. Delaying us all these years wasn't fair to the village at all. We're probably talking $90,000”. Cataldo stated the estimate was between $50,000 to $70,000. Allmon said he could see it if there was wrong doing but there was no wrong doing what-so-ever. He continued “I would like to make a motion to ask the Attorney General the names of the two people. I know who the one was but, you know, we got to get it on paper. It was a vendetta, all it was”. Allmon said to ask for the information under the Freedom of Information Act and to copy in the EPA. Cataldo seconded the motion.
Haugh asked that when we find out who did this and we pursue this civilly where is this money going to come from? Allmon responded the residents need to know who did this and still thinks they owe an apology. Haugh then asked if all he intends to do is to get the names out and let it go from there? Cataldo added you have a right to know who your accusers are. Haugh agreed but noted pursuing it legally would be expensive. Allmon added lets find out who it is first and a decision could be made later, on down the road, whether to pursue it or not. The motion is only for a letter to be sent to find out who it was. The motioned passed unanimously.
Soldano advised there will be a Personnel Committee meeting next week sometime, depending on Goss' work schedule. The purpose is to have some people come in to explain about drug testing employees. Since then the meeting has been set for next Thursday, February 24 at 2 PM.
For Property, Equipment & Cemetery, Susan Haugh reported she has spoken to Wellsville Terminals co-owner Chip Muse regarding the dirt mound they have along Main St. Muse advised that weed killer was applied last fall and the mound was seeded with a special grass. Muse expects the full effect of the grass to take two or three years but it already has shown signs of success. The mound will be sprayed again in the spring.
In an attempt to bring attention to “Wellsville's potential influx of people” Haugh reported she has been talking to various company corporate offices. To accommodate her contacts Haugh is making a list of all available property in town along with the pertinent contact information. She asked that any owner with property for sale to contact her at 330-532-5762 to add to her list. It doesn't matter whether it has a building on it or is just a empty lot. Admitting she was being vague for confidentiality reasons she noted she is beginning to see some positive results for her efforts.
Haugh also reported “there have been a few of us working with Fire Chief Smith looking into ways to solve the problems with our floodwall”. Smith reported last year the he was informed by the Army Corp of Engineers that with the condition of the floodwall system the Village is no longer eligible for FEMA aid for flood damage. The cost to replace the pumps is more than Wellsville can afford at the present time. However, they have made a list of items, that is affordable, that may get the Village back in the good graces of the Corp of Engineers.
OSHA requires that “confined space entry equipment” be available. That means a tri-pod and a “retract-a-lot” at a mid-line combined cost of $8,972. Also required is a detector that measures gas and oxygen levels at a cost of $1,265 for a middle of the line tester. Megger testing is required on all pump stations and electrical circuits. That tests the integrity of the insulation on the electrical wires and the electrical equipment. A Megger has been located but the cost is not yet known.
The Port Authority needs to replace the “trash rack” on the inlet for Pump Station #4. It's in the lease contract that Village has with them. Surace advised it is being worked on. That rack is located by the Intermodal Park. The flap gates and pump house doors need painted and Spaulding & seam repairs need to be done. Brush and stumps need to be removed and ruts & holes repaired on the levy from the new Port Authority crane on down.
Smith added that there is a meeting scheduled next Thursday with Port Authority Officials to go over what needs to be done on their part. He also noted that Pump Stations 1 & 2 are basically sewage pumps but are considered part of the flood control system. He needs to meet with United Water officials about those pumps. Smith concluded there is a lot of cosmetic stuff that needs to be done but it would show the Corp we are making an effort to maintain the system.
At the end of December the Floodwall Levy Fund had a balance of $18,836. Fiscal Officer Davis reported that year-to-date the levy has brought in another $1,800. Money from that fund is used to pay Smith's salary when he's doing his flood system duties, for Village workers when they are working on the system and supplies. The levy is one-half a mill bringing in $14,000 to $15,000 per year.
Haugh further noted that the cost of these may seem huge to us but to FEMA it is minor. There is a chance they may come back on board. We need to try to protect our citizens from flooding and this is extremely important to get done. It may make Wellsville eligible for some grant funding. Soldano noted that the residents passed the levy last year. He added he realizes there is not nearly enough money in the fund to do all that needs to be done but the Village owes the residents to do all that it can afford.
There is a meeting scheduled on March 8 at 2 PM with ODNR and FEMA. The meeting will be open to the public from 4 to 7 PM to answer any questions for FEMA, ODNR, Village officials or on flood insurance. A second meeting is scheduled for April 4 at 1 PM with the Army Corp of Engineers.
Under Old Business Councilwoman Rosie Goss reported she was able to salvage a piece of the old Sterling China Pottery from the owner for historical purposes. That plant is now in the process of being demolished. The name letters that were on the front of the headquarters office building pictured above were donated by the owner and are now in possession of the Wellsville Historical Society.
Goss also inquired on the status of the street sweeper repair. Saracco replied parts have been purchased and he would get an update.
Although no longer shown on the agenda there are still two ordinances that were tabled last year that have not been acted on. One is Ordinance 10-08 which will authorize the bidding on the sink hole repairs at 17th & Main. The other is Ordinance 10-09 which will repeal the Tree Board ordinance.
The meeting adjourned at 6:40 PM. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, March 1 at 6 PM at Village Hall. That meeting will include a public hearing on the Ohio Bread Company proposed zoning request.
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