The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Thomas Worthington High School, Worthington. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Marc Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Chad A. Lowe, Kathy McClintock, Ted C. Miller, and Leah M. Pyter. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, and L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor. Guests of Council were representatives from the Robert Dunn Trust and Worthington Chief of Police Jerry Strait. At 7:04 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Worthington Police Chief
Worthington Chief of Police Jerry Strait addressed Council concerning potential enrollment in the Northwest Regional Emergency Communications Center. The Northwest Center currently handles police dispatching for Dublin, Hilliard, and Upper Arlington, as well as fire dispatching for the Norwich Township, Washington Township, and Upper Arlington fire departments. The Worthington Police and Fire departments conducted a study of the city’s dispatching services and are recommending that Worthington join the Communications Center for dispatching services. Chief Strait explained that enrollment in the Northwest Center will decrease response times for those who dial 911 from cell phones, since those calls are currently answered elsewhere and transferred. He stated that it will also enable Worthington to leverage this partnership to maintain the latest technology. He stated that the city will be having several meetings with residents on the subject in early May.
Minutes
The minutes of the regular Council meeting of March 18, 2019 were not read since each member had received a copy. McClintock moved and Benevento seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Miller moved and Pyter seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for March 2019 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Repor of the Mayor
- The Mayor mentioned that the final stages of the construction project had begun. Over the next two weeks, crews will be restoring topsoil & grass on lawns and adjusting manholes to the new grade. After this, they will replace asphalt in driveways and add the final layer of asphalt to the streets, as well as complete repairs on the punch list.
- The Mayor reported that Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola will be in attendance at the May Council meeting.
- The Mayor stated that he had been working with the Worthington School District to add a new bus stop at 275 Southington, but the district does not wish to come so far west into the Village. The Mayor stated that he will email parents in the Village about options for the next school year. Gordon stated that he could speak with the district Superintendent on the issue if desired.
Report of the Solicitor
The Solicitor stated that she would hold comments on the Village’s social media policy regarding records retention and other issues until the May meeting. Dan Noonan, who helped draft this policy for the Village, will be in attendance at the May meeting and can speak to this as well.
Report of the Street Commissioner
- The Street Commissioner stated that there had been an event in which the lift station had been clogged at the end of March. The Street Commissioner contacted Radico to take care of this issue, and they responded promptly and resolved the issue.
- The Street Commissioner reported that he had spoken with Jim Dippel of Burgess & Niple about the requirement in the contract calling for no rocks greater than 1 inch in diameter to remain in resident’s yards after the lawn restoration. Though the contractor, Elite Excavating, had stated that they will not be able to meet this requirement, Dippel will discuss the issue with them. Lowe asked if the Village could hold back more retainage funds until this is dealt with. The Mayor stated that he would ask Jim Dippel about this.
Report of the Planning Commissioner
The Clerk Treasurer reported that there had been a meeting in April at which the Planning Commission approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for a retaining wall, concrete patio, and pergola at 5786 Carrington Ct.
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
Representatives of the Robert Dunn Trust, who live at 5693 Olentangy, asked Council what had been done to compel the contractor, Elite Excavating, to properly store equipment and to prevent trash and debris from being dumped in front of the house during the project. Benevento, the Chair of the Infrastructure Committee, stated that this had been a point of discussion at meetings throughout the project and the contractor had not been responsive. The Mayor explained that the Village has a limited ability to enforce the contract provisions, but they were working with Burgess & Niple and the contractor on these issues.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
Benevento, the Chair of the Committee, mentioned that the April meeting had been postponed from April 1 to April 16. The Committee will be discussing the street project, long term asset management, and the tree planting program.
- Committee on Communications
Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, stated that there was no meeting in April, but that they were working with the Web Manager on compiling information for the directory.
- Web Manager
The Web Manager was not in attendance.
New Business
There was no new business to discuss.
Expenses
McClintock moved and Benevento seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
– $ 290.00 – Radico – Lift Station Alarm Response
– $ 110.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating
– $1,000.00 – MORPC – 2019 Membership Dues
The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).
Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents.
Next Meeting Announcement
The next regular meeting will be Monday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Thomas Worthington High School.
Adjournment
There being no further business, McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor