Village of Boston Heights: Council Meeting June-2002

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This document is Public Domain Information from the Village of Boston Heights OH.
Editors notes are shown in [italics] and are not part of the public document

VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS
45 E. Boston Mills Road
Hudson, OH 44236

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING - June 12, 2002 - 8:00 P.M.

AGENDA
[and Editor's Notes on Council Meeting]

ROLL CALL

*[All council members were present; also present were Mayor Ray McFall, Clerk/Treasurer Carol Zeman, Engineer Steve Schreiber, & Solicitor Russ Pry.]

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
APPROVAL OF AGENDA

*[The agenda was amended to add Resolution P-2002 (see below). The agenda was accepted as amended.]

MINUTES PRESENTED FOR CHANGE, CORRECTION OR ADOPTION
CORRESPONDENCE
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

*[Art Wickersham of Community Support Services addresses the council about the services provided by CSS in support of mental health needs in Summit County. CSS operates under the auspices (and funding) of the county Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board. Among other things, he noted the mental health "emergency hotline" number -- 330-762-6100.]

*[A number of citizens spoke about zoning issues, including further comments on the proposed new Village Zoning Plan that had been considered at the recent Public Meeting, 05-June. Specifically:

**[Mary Griffiths complained of design and placement problems with some new commercial buildings on Hines Hill Road. She suggested increasing the architectural demands placed on new buildings in the village. There didn't seem to be a groundswell of support for this idea among the village leaders. Ms. Griffiths also noted a possible hazard on Beverly in the form of a boulder placed in the right-of-way. The Mayor said he'd look into that.]
**[Bob Galus of Sholle Drive complained of a derelict home next door to his, at 71 Sholle Drive. Apparently this house has been vacant for a number of years, and is in a recurring state of disrepair. He also complained that the yard was not being maintained and was constantly overgrown. He complained of non-residents partying in the yard, and dumping wastewater on his property. Mr. Galus further noted that the house's ownership had changed hands several times in recent years. (A quick search of property records reveals that this house, county parcel 1400056, is currently owned by Bank One, and that property taxes had been in arrears repeatly for some years, but are currently paid up, at about $1340/year).
The Solicitor mentioned the possibility of declaring the house a nuisance.
Ellen Campbell, also a nearby property owner and resident, also spoke up to complain about the same house. She mentioned trying to get the village Zoning Inspector involved in the matter, to no avail.
The Solicitor noted that it was not a matter for the Zoning Inspector, but rather for the Building Inspector, and that any action could take "months". He suggested that concerned citizens "talk to the Mayor" to stay apprised of the matter. He further noted that the village had provision for a "Nuisance Abatement Board", headed and called to meet by Mr. Bela Goncy, that would address this sort of problem upon receiving an assessment from the Building Inspector. Mr. Goncy stated this board should meet "the sooner the better". The Mayor mentioned that he had spoken to a lawn maintenance crew that had promised to cut the lawn at the house in question; the citizens said that this had been started but never completed.
Mr. Galus noted that vandalism had occurred at the house and that is was decaying. He also asked whether the Village could cut the yard and back-bill the owner, if they did not act. The Mayor said "yes," that was possible, but specified no timetable.
Ms. Campbell tried to hold the Village's metaphorical feet to the fire on this matter, asking when -- perhaps "tomorrow" -- she could call to find out what progress had been made on abating this nuisance. The Mayor replied "not that soon", and did not commit to any particular time frame.]

**[Mr. Cerny complained that he had not received the promised mailing and so did not attend the recent Public Meeting on the proposed changes Village zoning. Upon questioning, he confirmed that he usually received the "Boston Heights Report" newsletter, from which the mailing list addresses were drawn for this special mailing. Dr. Cheung and the Mayor made a few brief remarks about the major changes in the plan.]

**[Mr. Papes, representing the family that owns the Papes "Sheep Farm", stated that the proposed change to Office/Professional (or other commercial zoning) for that property on Hines Hill Road, suited his family better than it remaining Residential.]

**[Ms. Griffiths spoke again to ask about income tax revenue from home-based businesses in the Village. The Solicitor and Mayor states that such businesses should be paying incomes taxes to the Village through RITA but that there was no specific auditing mechanism. The Solicitor further stated that RITA was offering to perform an account audit, but that the Village was perhaps reluctant to go this route. He noted cases in other towns of accidental harassment of senior citizens who did not actually owe any income taxes. (This does raise some interesting questions about whether the Village is "leaving money on the table" by not universally enforcing its income tax beyond what is deducted directly by employers in the Village.)]

ORDINANCE L-2002
[Second Reading] AN ORDINANCE DECLARING THE GYPSY MOTH A NUISANCE.

SECOND READING.

RESOLUTION J-2002
[passed as Resolution 10-2002] A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CLERK-TREASURER TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS FOR TEMPORARY REPAIRWORK FOR THE AKRON-CLEVELAND ROAD BRIDGE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RE-OPENING THE BICYCLE PATH UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE.
[The Engineer noted that the village, in conjunction with Summit County MetroParks, had solicited bids for temporary repairs to the Akron-Cleveland Road bridge over the Bike-Hike Trail (which is closed). At the bid limit of $15,000 there were no bids offered. Upon further consulation, SCMP upped their proposed contribution to $12,000, so bids will again be solicited at a new limit of $24,000.]

RESOLUTION K-2002
[passed as Resolution 11-2002, with Councilor Cheung abstaining from both amendment and resolution, as his son is a lifeguard at the pool.] A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE RATES OF PAY FOR MUNICIPAL SWIMMING POOL LIFEGUARDS AND EMPLOYEES.
[The resolution was amended to make the pay rates retroactive to 18-May, when the employess began working to prepare the pool for the season, instead of the original 01-June date.]

RESOLUTION L-2002
[passed as Resolution 12-2002] A RESOLUTION HIRING AND APPOINTING RUSSELL M. PRY AS SOLICITOR FOR THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS, OHIO.

RESOLUTION M-2002
[passed as Resolution 13-2002] A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO PLEDGE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS AND SUMMIT COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (STA[T]E ISSUE II, DISTRICT 8) AND REQUESTING FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED PROJECT: OLDE EIGHT ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, AND DECLARING AND EMERGENCY.
[C/T Zeman stated that the amount being sought was $3,850,000. It was unclear to this observer just what futher "improvements" were being considered.]

RESOLUTION N-2002
[passed as Resolution 14-2002] A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO PLEDGE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS AND SUMMIT COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (STA[T]E ISSUE II, DISTRICT 8) AND REQUESTING FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED PROJECT: PHASE I AND PHASE II VILLAGE WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, AND DECLARING AND EMERGENCY.
[C/T Zeman stated that the amount being sought was $1,300,000. This apparently refers to the long-planned water mains for the northwestern part of the village, where people have started to have trouble with their water wells. Funding has not been available to implement any part of these improvements, up to this point.]

RESOLUTION O-2002
[passed as Resolution 15-2002] A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO PLEDGE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS AND SUMMIT COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (STA[T]E ISSUE II, DISTRICT 8) AND REQUESTING FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED PROJECT: REPLACING OF AKRON-CLEVELAND ROAD BRIDGE PROJECT, AND DECLARING AND EMERGENCY.
[C/T Zeman stated that the amount being sought was $1,400,000. The Engineer had noted, at various earlier meetings, that the bridge was not only in need of temporary repairs (see above) but also in need of replacement. It is falling apart and may eventually have to be closed if it becomes hazardous. This was a State of Ohio bridge until Route 8 was deflected onto the adjacent limited-access highway. The Village then inherited this bum bridge.]

RESOLUTION P-2002
[passed as Resolution 16-2002] A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF THE 1981 MACK HEAVY RESCUE FIRE TRUCK NO. 2526 TO ANOTHER POLITICAL SUBDISIVISON.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

*[Councilor Cheung stated that the Planning Commission/BOZ had met on 05-June-2002, and received a proposal from Mr. Steve Nichols for a zoning ordinance that would permit his company to build a senior housing development at the Papes Farm site on Hines Hill Road. Dr. Cheung stated that no action was taken by the Planning Commission. That regular meeting was followed by the "special Council Meeting" that constituted the Public Meeting on the current Draft Rezoning Proposal. He did not elaborate on what transpired at that meeting, presumably since all of Council was there.]

*[Councilor Slane stated that she had reviewed the Village's expenditures for the month of May 2002. She further noted, with respect to the Safety Committees meeting, that the Fire Department was seeking volunteers, and asked that that notice be included in the village's next newsletter mailing.]

*[Councilor Cheung also stated that he had reviewed the Village financial statements available through May. Oddly enough, Council P-PT Goncy did NOT make his usual statement concerning his review of the monthly bank reconciliations.]

*[Councilor Hudson reported that the Streets and Highways committee had received a summary of the usual doings by the Roads Department. He did note that catchbasin repairs had been made in the Ashbrooke neighborhood.]
*[The Engineer noted (again!) that he had contacted Northern Ohio Paving to arrange for them to complete crack sealing and other repairs on the newly-repaved stretch of Olde 8 Road. He further noted that he is working on the submission of fund requests to the State of Ohio, per the above resolutions.]

OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
ADJOURN

[Signed...]
CAROL ZEMAN, Clerk-Treasurer

ORDINANCE L-2002 [Second Reading]	AN ORDINANCE DECLARING THE GYPSY MOTH A NUISANCE. SECOND READING.
RESOLUTION J-2002 [passed as Resolution 10-2002]	A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CLERK-TREASURER TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS FOR TEMPORARY REPAIRWORK FOR THE AKRON-CLEVELAND ROAD BRIDGE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RE-OPENING THE BICYCLE PATH UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE. [The Engineer noted that the village, in conjunction with Summit County MetroParks, had solicited bids for temporary repairs to the Akron-Cleveland Road bridge over the Bike-Hike Trail (which is closed). At the bid limit of $15,000 there were no bids offered. Upon further consulation, SCMP upped their proposed contribution to $12,000, so bids will again be solicited at a new limit of $24,000.]
RESOLUTION K-2002 [passed as Resolution 11-2002, with Councilor Cheung abstaining from both amendment and resolution, as his son is a lifeguard at the pool.]	A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE RATES OF PAY FOR MUNICIPAL SWIMMING POOL LIFEGUARDS AND EMPLOYEES. [The resolution was amended to make the pay rates retroactive to 18-May, when the employess began working to prepare the pool for the season, instead of the original 01-June date.]
RESOLUTION L-2002 [passed as Resolution 12-2002]	A RESOLUTION HIRING AND APPOINTING RUSSELL M. PRY AS SOLICITOR FOR THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS, OHIO.
RESOLUTION M-2002 [passed as Resolution 13-2002]	A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO PLEDGE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS AND SUMMIT COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (STA[T]E ISSUE II, DISTRICT 8) AND REQUESTING FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED PROJECT: OLDE EIGHT ROAD IMPROVEMENTS, AND DECLARING AND EMERGENCY. [C/T Zeman stated that the amount being sought was $3,850,000. It was unclear to this observer just what futher "improvements" were being considered.]
RESOLUTION N-2002 [passed as Resolution 14-2002]	A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO PLEDGE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS AND SUMMIT COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (STA[T]E ISSUE II, DISTRICT 8) AND REQUESTING FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED PROJECT: PHASE I AND PHASE II VILLAGE WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, AND DECLARING AND EMERGENCY. [C/T Zeman stated that the amount being sought was $1,300,000. This apparently refers to the long-planned water mains for the northwestern part of the village, where people have started to have trouble with their water wells. Funding has not been available to implement any part of these improvements, up to this point.]
RESOLUTION O-2002 [passed as Resolution 15-2002]	A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO PLEDGE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF BOSTON HEIGHTS AND SUMMIT COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (STA[T]E ISSUE II, DISTRICT 8) AND REQUESTING FUNDING APPROVAL FOR THE HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED PROJECT: REPLACING OF AKRON-CLEVELAND ROAD BRIDGE PROJECT, AND DECLARING AND EMERGENCY. [C/T Zeman stated that the amount being sought was $1,400,000. The Engineer had noted, at various earlier meetings, that the bridge was not only in need of temporary repairs (see above) but also in need of replacement. It is falling apart and may eventually have to be closed if it becomes hazardous. This was a State of Ohio bridge until Route 8 was deflected onto the adjacent limited-access highway. The Village then inherited this bum bridge.]
RESOLUTION P-2002 [passed as Resolution 16-2002]	A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF THE 1981 MACK HEAVY RESCUE FIRE TRUCK NO. 2526 TO ANOTHER POLITICAL SUBDISIVISON.