The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Old Worthington Library. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Nicholas B. Bartels, Scott K. Gordon, Janet Heidkamp, Leah M. Pyter, and Dan E. Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and William Charles, Acting Street Commissioner. Guest of Council was Worthington Services Director/City Engineer John Moorehead. At 6:32 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Selby Bridge Construction

John Moorehead, Services Director/City Engineer for 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 constructing a temporary access road for heavy vehicles between Melbourne Pl in Riverlea and Northbrook Ct in Worthington. Construction on the access road would begin in the spring or summer of 2024, and Worthington is requesting that Riverlea grant a temporary easement to build it. The Mayor explained that he had met with Moorehead, as well as acting Worthington City Manager Robyn Stewart and Worthington Law Director Tom Lindsey, to draft a potential agreement between Worthington and Riverlea for this purpose. The draft agreement had been distributed to Council members in advance of the meeting.

Bartels had a question about section 5 of the agreement, inquiring as to whether the Worthington side of the easement will be restored to its previous condition. Moorehead stated that it would likely not be fully restored, as Worthington does not have a facility to store the soil that would be removed to construct the access road, and there would be no reason to replace it. The area would be graded to a reasonable level and if a sidewalk is installed, it would need to be ADA compliant. Bartels asked if trees can be planted once the area is restored and Moorehead stated that this is a possibility. Gordon asked if the project will create more runoff and Moorehead replied that this was not expected.

Pyter inquired as to what types of vehicles would be affected by the weight restriction on the bridge. Moorehead stated that there are eight weight classes for vehicles and classes six and above would be affected. Moorehead provided an example of a heavier weight class, such as a school bus or a fire truck.  There will be signs posted throughout Riverlea to direct any large vehicles that need to use the connector.

The Mayor asked if there would be parking restrictions on Melbourne during the project and Moorehead replied that parking would likely be limited to the south side of the street to allow space for larger vehicles. The Mayor also inquired about the safety of the water lines that were installed below the potential connector and Moorehead stated that these are at a depth that should be safe from any potential damage.

The Mayor questioned where the liability responsibilities would lie, and Moorehead stated that this would be a Worthington project and they would assume the liability for it. Gordon raised the possibility of requiring Worthington to obtain a street bond from the Village before starting the project. Moorehead stated that the area near the construction being bonded for damage is typical, but that it is not standard to bond any streets further away against potential damage, as such damage would likely be caused by a third party. Gordon felt that some type of protection for the Village for potential damage done to Village or private property as a result of the additional traffic is key. Moorehead stated that he would ask the Law Director whether this is possible.

Minutes

The minutes of the Council meeting of September 18, 2023 were not read since each member had received a copy. Pyter moved and Bartels seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (5-0).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

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

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor reported that manhole work for the sewer relining project had been completed the previous week.
  2. The Mayor reported that he had met with Worthington acting City Manager Robyn Stewart on October 6 to discuss the previously mentioned draft agreement for the Melbourne connector.
  3. The Mayor stated that the Sharon Township fire levy would be on the November ballot and that there would be an open house at the Worthington Fire Station on Monday, Oct 23, when residents could ask questions about the levy.
  4. The Mayor notified the Council that Daniel Schlichting had qualified for the November ballot as a candidate for Mayor, but that there were no qualifying candidates for the Clerk-Treasurer or either of the two open Council positions. Council will need to fill these positions by appointment in January.
  5. The Mayor stated that the Riverlea Fall Festival will be on Sunday, October 29 in the Circle Park.
  6. The Mayor reported that the lot at 5691 Olentangy had been cleared for the planned construction of a house to begin.
  7. Pyter inquired if a street sweeping had been scheduled and the Mayor stated that there is none scheduled at this time. Pyter moved and Bartels seconded a motion to approve up to $1,000 for street sweeping and the motion was approved (5-0). The Mayor will schedule this for after Thanksgiving, when most of the leaves are down from the trees.

Report of the Solicitor

The Solicitor stated that she had worked with the Mayor and the City of Worthington on the agreement for the proposed Melbourne connector.

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner stated that there had been several tickets placed with OUPS for construction projects in the month of October.
  2. The Street Commissioner reported that the outside of the new build at 131 W Southington looks good after the sewer line was connected to the wye on the main line and the property was properly graded. The condition of the line inside the house is unknown.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

The Planning Commissioner was not in attendance but had submitted an update to the Mayor stating that the Commission had approved a patio behind the house at 225 Riverglen. The Planning Commission also tabled discussion on the replacement and expansion of a patio at 5848 Falmouth pending questions about lot coverage on the property.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

Resident Marc Benevento stated that he felt that Riverlea should use the discussions with the City of Worthington about the possible Melbourne connector to gain concessions from the city. Potential targets for these concessions would be the relining of the water line belonging to the City of Worthington running below Falmouth or assistance in accessing the force main running along the southern edge of the Village. The Mayor stated that he had spoken to Worthington about the force main and they are unable to help with this, as it is located in Rush Run Park, which belongs to the City of Columbus. He also stated that he had mentioned the possibility of cost sharing for the relining of the water line and that this might be a possibility. Gordon stated that he feels strongly that the Village needs to receive some kind of concession from Worthington if they agree to the connector, as the Village has leverage and there is a high likelihood that Village residents will be inconvenienced and upset as a result of this project. There was a strong consensus view among Council that Riverlea should receive some sort of concession from Worthington, with the cost sharing on the relining of the sewer line the most likely proposal. The Mayor will bring this up in his conversations with the City.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee, reported that the Committee did not meet in October. Now that the sewer relining project is complete, the Committee is waiting to receive the inspection reports from Burgess & Niple.

  1. Web Manager

The Web Manager was not in attendance.

  1. Communications Committee

Pyter, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the Committee did not meet in October.

  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 second reading.

New Business

  1. Ordinance 02-2023

Ordinance 02-2023 – 2024 Annual Appropriation Ordinance (Village) was introduced by Pyter and had its first reading.

  1. Resolution 2023-12

Resolution 2023-12 – A Resolution to Provide Legal Counsel for the Village of Riverlea was introduced by Gordon. Gordon moved and Bartels seconded the motion to waive the three readings of this resolution in order to sign the contract in a timely manner. The motion carried (5-0). Bartels moved and Schlichting seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion carried (5-0).

Expenses

There were no expenses to approve.

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, November 20, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at a location to be determined.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Pyter moved and Bartels seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (5-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:06 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor