The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at COHatch, 752 High St. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Scott K. Gordon, Janet Heidkamp, Leah M. Pyter, Emily J. Saving, and Dan E. Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, Leah Reibel, Solicitor, William Charles, Acting Street Commissioner, and Gregory Bonk, Web Manager. Guests of Council were residents Kyle Ruha and Steve Wisler and Worthington Services Director/City Engineer John Moorehead. At 6:39 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Selby Bridge Construction

John Moorehead, Services Director/City Engineer of the City of Worthington, was in attendance to answer questions from Council members and residents about the upcoming replacement of the bridge on West Selby Blvd over Rush Run. This project had been introduced to Council members at the August meeting and would involve setting up a temporary access road between Melbourne Pl in Riverlea and Northbrook Ct in Worthington. Construction on this access road would begin in the spring or summer of 2024 and Worthington is requesting that Riverlea grant a temporary easement to build it.

Moorehead asked the Council to table the resolution that it had introduced in September in order to draft an agreement between Worthington and Riverlea that would properly address the concerns that had been raised. Moorehead stated that he felt that there were three primary concerns that he heard from Council that needed to be addressed:

  1. Moorehead stated that Worthington’s agreement with the contractors for this project would include bonding for any damages within and around the construction zone and restoration of the area when the project is complete. This construction zone is defined as the entire Worthington right of way to the Riverlea easement. He also stated that all materials for the project, including for the construction of the access road, would be brought to the site from the Worthington side, not through Riverlea, which would limit the opportunities for damage.
  2. Moorehead explained that if anyone contracted to work on the project causes damage to any area of the Village, whether inside or outside of the construction zone, the contractor will be responsible for these damages. If the damage is caused by a third party, Worthington cannot be held liable for those damages. He also stated that it would be possible to add language to the agreement stating that Worthington and Riverlea would each be held responsible for their own actions.
  3. Benefit to the Village. Moorehead explained that Worthington would be grateful if Riverlea agrees to cooperate on this project and grant access to the easement, and that in return Worthington would assist in cost sharing for lining of the sanitary sewer line that belongs to Worthington, runs underneath Riverlea, and serves both communities. The two municipalities had previously discussed work needing to be done on this line and failed to reach agreement on responsibility for doing so. At the moment, the costs for this project are unknown and the exact agreement on cost sharing does not need to be finalized before the access road agreement is signed. The Mayor recommended that Worthington & Riverlea clarify responsibility for this work in the agreement.

Resident Steve Wisler stated that he would like to extend the end of Melbourne Ct by about 5 ft to the east at the end of the project to prevent plowed snow from blocking his driveway in the winter. He also stated that he would like to see something in place to slow cyclists heading west into the Village so they would be more visible when he was backing out of the driveway. Moorehead stated that Worthington is open to modifying the road at the conclusion of the project to address these concerns. He warned however that if the road is extended east far enough, this could push it into the Worthington right of way, which would negate the impact of the Riverlea easement if the city chose to extend Melbourne Ct. in the future.

Resident Kyle Ruha asked if the current elevation will be maintained on the Worthington side of the easement and Moorhead replied yes, that there would be a graded elevation on the Worthington side. Ruha asked about the width of the access road and Moorehead replied that it would maintain the width of the current road, which is 26 feet.

Minutes

The minutes of the Council meeting of October 16, 2023 were not read since each member had received a copy. Pyter moved and Saving seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The following vote was held on the motion: Yes: 4, Gordon, Heidkamp, Pyter, Schlichting; No: 0; Abstain: 1, Saving. The motion carried (4-0-1).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

Saving moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for October 2023 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (5-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor reported that Dan Schlichting had been elected Mayor in the November election and that he and Schlichting would work together to ensure a smooth transition. The Council will need to fill two open Council seats and the Clerk-Treasurer position in January.
  2. The Mayor reported that the Sharon Township fire levy had also passed in November.
  3. The Mayor stated that the Village is waiting for the inspection report from Burgess & Niple after the completion of the sewer relining project.
  4. The mayor reported that Sharon Township will be doing street sweeping within the Village on December1.
  5. The Mayor stated that the Riverlea Fall Festival had been cancelled due to rain. He also stated that the Luminaria event is planned for Wednesday, December 20.
  6. The Mayor stated that he and Mayor-elect Schlichting had met with the Mid-Oho Regional Planning Commission to review programs offered by the organization.
  7. The Mayor stated that he had heard from Worthington Police that the street signs at the east end of Riverglen are confusing with the new regulations and make enforcement difficult. The Village will review the signs and their placement.
  8. The Mayor stated that he had received the mosquito treatment contract for 2024 and that the Solicitor will review the proposal.

Report of the Solicitor

The Solicitor stated that she had drafted Resolution 2023-13 for the housing of prisoners in the Franklin County jail. This will be introduced later in the meeting.

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner mentioned that there is not currently a maintenance contract set up for the lift station generator. The Mayor stated that he had heard from Steve Orenchuk, the prior Street Commissioner, that Countryside Electric is sending the Village a proposal for this maintenance.
  2. The Street Commissioner asked the Council if there is interest in starting discussions with Burgess & Niple on the replacement of the lift station. He stated that given the age and condition of the current lift station, the Village should plan on this replacement within the next five years. Saving inquired as to whether this would mean that the Village should start researching which funding opportunities would be available and if a plan would need to be in place before pursuing this funding. The Street Commissioner stated that a plan would indeed need to be in place before applying for funding. The Mayor reminded Council that with OPWC funding, an application will score lower if it is within three years of a previous award, so the Village should attempt to time the request to be outside of this window after the funding for the sanitary sewer project. The Street Commissioner stated that he would contact Burgess & Niple to begin these preliminary discussions.
  3. The Mayor-elect asked the Street Commissioner to order some new signs to clarify the parking restrictions along the east end of Riverglen. The Street Commissioner confirmed that he would order these signs and that he already has a post & base if needed.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

There was no report from the Planning Commissioner.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee reported that the Committee did not meet in November, but that he had been in contact with Burgess & Niple about the results of the sewer relining project. Burgess & Niple has received the videos of the lines and is waiting on the results of the pressure testing of the lines. It will send these to the Village when available. The Chair also reported that the project manager expects the project to come in at about $30K under budget.

  1. Web Manager
  1. The Web Manager stated that he is working on email management for the Village and that he would need to transition the Mayor’s access and security upon the transition in January.

 

  1. Communications Committee

Pyter, the Chair of the Committee reported that two residents had been added to the Communication Committee. She also showed a mockup of the Village directory that the Committee had drafted.

  1. Resolution 2023-10

Resolution 2023 – 10 –  Resolution Granting a Temporary Right of Way Easement to the City of Worthington, Ohio Across Property Owned by the Village of Riverlea  had its third reading. Saving questioned whether the Village should draft a Memorandum of Understanding splitting ownership of the sanitary sewer line subject to cost sharing going forward. The Mayor stated that there are intricacies to this situation and that if the line belongs to Worthington, then the Village would need to grant them right of way access in order to work on it. This will require further discussion.

Gordon moved to table the resolution pending an agreement between Worthington and Riverlea on the areas of concern regarding the project and Schlichting seconded the motion. The motion was approved (5-0).

  1. Ordinance 02-2023

Ordinance 02-2023 – 2024 Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village) had its second reading.

New Business

  1. Resolution 2023-13

A resolution Updating the Village of Riverlea 1993 Contract with Franklin County, Ohio for the Housing of Individuals Convicted of Violating Village Ordinances in the Franklin County Jail was introduced by Schlichting and had its first reading.

 

  1. Feeding of Deer

Heidkamp stated that she had heard that Worthington had passed an ordinance to outlaw the feeding of deer by residents and asked if Riverlea should do the same. The Solicitor stated that she would further research the Worthington ordinance and possibilities for the Village.

Expenses

Pyter moved and Heidkamp seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:

  • $330.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating
  • $305.00 – Ohio Municipal League – 2024 dues

The motion was approved unanimously (5-0).

Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on non-agenda items.

Next Meeting Announcement

The next regular meeting will be Monday, December 18, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Worthington Library.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Heidkamp moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (5-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:27 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor