Council Meeting Minutes

August 11, 2008

The Village of Chippewa Lake Council met in regular session on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 7:30 pm at the Church At The Lake located at 7824 Lake Road.

All in attendance stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Present: Mayor Joanne Dodaro, Clerk-Treasurer Cathy Osborn,

Law Director Allan M. Michelson, Council President Keith Riedel, Members of Council Katrina Sommers, Terry Gray, Ray Olexa and Barb Hunter.

Absent: Debbie Bican

Motion made by Hunter to accept the minutes from the

July 14, 2008 council meeting. Olexa seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.

Motion made by Olexa to accept the minutes from the

July 30, 2008 Special Council meeting. Gray seconded.

5 Ayes. Motion approved.

The Clerk-Treasurer reported the following bills to Council:

Joanne Dodaro 218.45

Cathy Osborn 883.61

Robert Locher 332.52

Allan M. Michelson 759.29

Ohio Edison 1,373.26

Engineering Associates 4,307.76

Marissa Fowls 156.88

Amanda Arend 265.68

Leanne Hannahs 74.74

Megan Hannahs 162.01

Jeremy Meadows 19.00

Daniel Gaudet 146.17

Amy Arend 273.01

Christina Meadows 123.66

Jacob Ramsdell 161.33

Kaitlyn Strimple 321.08

Randi Keefe 219.26

Icandi Graphics 166.06

The Gazette 211.72

Edgewater Landscaping 4,304.00

Elite Excavating 83,483.84

Osborne Medina 722.09

Public Entities Pool of Ohio 2,824.19

SecuriTech 29.85

Illes Architects, Inc. 6,450.00

Ohio Public Employees Retirement System 1,176.24

Pro Touch Lawn Care 775.00

Medina County Sanitary Engineers 90.20

Verizon North 91.84

Columbia Gas 14.81

Medina County Sheriff’s Office (police only) 5,432.43

*No gasoline invoice received. Bill on next month* 0

G&O Spray Service, Inc. 2,655.00

Bill Zweifel 1,000.00

Total Of All Bills $119,205.15

Motion made by Riedel to pay the bills from their proper funds. Sommers seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.

Mayor Dodaro announced that the Chippewa Lake Water Ski Team is ranked 13^th best in the United States after the most recent competition. That means they are the best in the State Of Ohio. Also on the ski team is Karly Van Devere who is now ranked the best female skier in the United States.

Committee Reports

Safety: Gray reports that Deputy Harhay is present tonight and he will read the patrol report for the month of July. The July patrol report is as follows: 4.5 hours at calls & working on reports, 18 calls assigned by dispatch, 3 self-initiated calls,

1 written report taken, 69 vacation watches, 318 citizen contacts, 11 traffic stops, 4 citations issued, 8 warnings issued, 8 suspicious persons, 3 suspicious vehicles,

32 assist to other police departments and 6 presence at fire-rescue calls. The deputies worked a total of 201 hours for the month of July. They logged 1,250 miles on the cruiser using 125.5 gallons of gasoline.

Mayor Dodaro gave our thanks to the sheriff’s department and all involved in finding Ray and Kellie Olexa’s daughter recently.

Gray reported that everything is going well with the officers logging in and making notes for the next deputy on duty at the village hall.

No one had any questions for Deputy Harhay and he was thanked for attending this meeting. Deputy Harhay left the meeting and returned to patrol.

Cathy had a question for the Law Director and she wanted his reply on record. Cathy said she had to call the sheriff’s department to get an actual figure for police and gasoline invoices for the month of July. She did receive the police service actual amount, but not the gasoline amount. Cathy advised Carol that she is not going to ask council to approve an estimated amount at the council meetings. Cathy asks the Law Director if she is within her rights to delay payment for 30 days for any invoice that is not received by the council meeting. This will allow council to approve only actual amounts. The Law Director said yes, that was alright to do if that’s what it takes to get invoices before the council meetings.

Zoning: Olexa read the minutes from the August 5, 2008 Zoning Board meeting. (See attached minutes) Olexa reports that Bob Locher and Shelly Wharton met with Christy Moats about her driveway and what needs to occur to bring her driveway into compliance.

Zoning Inspector Bob Locher has sent several letters to property owners that need to clean or mow their yards.

Under new business, Andy & Lynn Vidra purchased the lot north of the Steward place on Shorefield. They would like the village to give them permission to remove four peach trees that are on the village right-of-way and are pretty ragged. Motion made by Olexa to give the property owners (Vidra) permission to remove the four peach trees that are on village right-of-way. Gray seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.

They also complained about the Steward garage that drains onto their property and floods it. They said there are no culvert pipes under the driveway and the water floods their property. Inspector should send a letter addressing this issue. Wharton advises Naragon that the property she owns across the street also has no culvert pipe under the drive or it is blocked as water collects on the north side of that driveway. The standing water is a haven for mosquito growth.

The Stiegelmeier/Dudash/Tarr property at 69 Longacre wants permission to rebuild steps that have been on the property for many years. Mayor Dodaro said that this family has owned this property since 1969 and now the three daughters own it. The steps were already there when the property was purchased.

They asked if they needed a zoning permit to rebuild these steps and they were told no. So work began and then someone complained so they put the work on hold. They know that most of these steps are on village property, so the Zoning Board advises them to take this issue to the next council meeting for their approval. Sue Stiegelmeier and Kim Tarr are present this evening to ask for council’s permission. They bring a sample of the material that will be used for the new steps and answer any questions that council has. Motion made by Olexa to grant permission to the property owners to rebuild the steps at 69 Longacre which includes steps on village property. Gray seconed. 5 Ayes. Motion approved. They thanked council for their decision.

The property at 171 Rockridge is in need of clean up and lawn mowing. The people who lived there have moved out and the property is up for auction in September. The Zoning Inspector will look further into this.

Mayor Dodaro said that the property at Briarwood Blvd and Lake Road (Old pizza shop) looks like it is falling down. The Zoning Inspector will visit that location and cite accordingly.

Finance: Cathy said that the 2009 Village tax budget was mailed to the county auditor right after the special council meeting that approved it. She gives her thanks to Mayor Dodaro and members of council who attended the early morning meeting.

Cathy said that she is still gathering documents for the accountants who are doing the two year state audit.

Cathy met with one of the accountants, Laura, on July 24^th to answer many compliance questions. Hopefully the audit will be finished soon.

Cathy reviews the bank statement and accounting reconciliation ending July 31^st with all balances reconciled. She said the only adjusting factor is the checking interest which she just received. If the interest is not received by the closing date then it is entered as an adjusting factor amount.

Cathy said that she has looked at many reports available on the UAN system, but she thinks the cash summary by fund report is the easiest to understand and gives all needed information. She will continue to give council this monthly report until she finds a report that is better. The cash summary by fund report reflects figures from July 1^st through August 11^th. The starting balance was $369,542.16. The total revenue collected was $20,660.92 and the total expenditures were $114,840.60. The checking balance is $263,223.23. Star Ohio has a balance of

$12,139.25.

Cathy said she ran some figures concerning the new building. She said that last time she ran figures which was at the end of July, the village had around $81,000.00 towards the building. Now the village has $75,321.91. That amount is the balance of Pochedley Trust and the balance from when the village sold the garage on Bungalow Bay. Cathy said that Pochedley continues to received about $30.00 per month in interest until all funds are depleted. Kerry Illes told Cathy to take what the village pays for utilities and double it would be a good figure to plan for the new building.

Cathy is estimating the utilities for the new building at $5,000.00 to $6,000.00 per year. That includes gas, electric, water and trash. She knows with central air and heating a larger area will increase operating cost, but knows the building is planned to have good insulation which the current building certainly does not. She will plan to appropriate building utilities as a line item when the building is completed.

Cathy said that her recommendation to council is to build no more than we need at this time as we are working with limited funds. The village needs a place to meet and a place to vote and we don’t need anything more than that right now. Additions can be planned as funding allows in the future. We do, however, have enough money to at least give us a home. Cathy said we are not going to buy a lot with $75,000.00 having to pay prevailing wage. The village met at the bank for over 10 years until they closed and now we are holding meetings at the church. The village is thankful to the church and the bank for giving us a place to meet, but it is time to build our own. In the meantime, we are picking away at available funds with legal notices and architect fees. Before we put a legal notice in the paper to advertise for bids again we need to make sure we know what our Plan B is.

Mayor Dodaro said that village has submitted the Issue Two application for Phase Four on time which will be the Craggy Creek Drive project.

Buildings: Sommers reports that a Buildings Committee meeting was held on July 30, 2008. (See attached minutes)

Sommers said that the bids for the proposed addition exceeded the amount available for this project. So it was suggestion that the village would go for a smaller addition. It would include an entry way with restrooms, mandatory janitor’s closet and that would leave enough space for a small office. Sommers did receive drawings today, but there are some changes needed. Sommers said that Kerry Illes stated that if the village paid him ½ of the original contract amount that would close out that job. Now the village starts fresh and Kerry Illes is on an hourly fee. Cathy added that prevailing wage has been our worst enemy for the last five years. We have to downsize the building to make it happen. Sommers said the threshold for new construction is $73,891.00 and additions are $22,000.00 to have to pay prevailing wage. Cathy said that no one wants to go back to the drawing board for the third time, especially Katrina who has put a lot of her heart and soul into this project. Cathy just wants to be sure to build only what we can afford so we can get it finished as soon as possible. It is mentioned that we can eliminate the fountain, but have that area plumbed for future installation. It is also decided to eliminate the vestibule and just build the entry way with restrooms, janitor’s closet and a small office area. Motion made by Riedel to go with the basic print as changed by council to go out for bids. Gray seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.

Dee Dee Duecker asks Cathy to explain prevailing wage. Cathy said that state law mandates that municipalities pay prevailing wage when doing any construction work.

Sommers said she heard back from Ohio Edison and that adding a transformer would cost an additional $300.00. Motion made by Sommers to encumber up to $2,000.00 to have Ohio Edison install a transformer to a pole behind the existing garage. Riedel second. 4 Ayes,

1 Abstain. Motion approved.

Community Relations: Hunter didn’t have anything to report, but turned the floor over to Pam Williams who heads up the Beautification Committee. The committee held a party at the Point Park on Sunday, August 10^th. Pam said the party was well attended despite the rain. Pam said she is in the process of getting a non-profit organization status going for the committee. The name of the organization will be called the Chippewa Village Pride Program. They have collected $500.00 towards next year. She said the enthusiasm of the village residents was just incredible. Pam is trying to figure out a way to have better communication throughout the village and they have great ideas for next year. Mayor Dodaro said the committee has worked hard and they made people feel proud of their community. Although, Mayor Dodaro did mention that one resident said that she would like the committee to come over and pick up sticks in her yard. Mayor Dodaro said that somehow we need to clarify that this committee are not the village slaves. Mayor Dodaro suggested that in the future the Beautification Committee might want to consider getting their own website that could be linked to the village website. Pam thought that was a good idea.

Mayor Dodaro said that last month Barb Hunter talked to you about Medina Township wanting a grant and council approved $500.00 to be involved in that. Mayor Dodaro looked into this further when she arrived back home. The Clerk from Medina Township called her wanting to know if the village was going in on getting this grant. They want a grant to study to see if it would be beneficial to regionalize a fire department. Mayor Dodaro’s concern would be if they decided it would be best to move the existing fire station on Heather Hedge which services our village to another location. Hunter was told repeatedly that there would be no charge. The Clerk of Medina Township faxed a copy of the grant to Cathy and then Cathy forwarded it to Mayor Dodaro. There is a match involved depending how many communities got involved. Mayor Dodaro did talk to Barb Hunter and they decided that the village would not be involved in this. Mayor Dodaro did try to contact Lafayette trustees and they did not get back with her. Mike Todd from Medina Township basically told Mayor Dodaro that they have a lot of money and could cover any money the village would have to pay. Mayor Dodaro told him no, that the village is already paying because we are in Lafayette’s fire district. Mayor Dodaro said that Lafayette Township chose not to involve us in this decision and she’s not done with them yet. Barb Hunter requests a copy of the grant and Cathy will forward a copy to her. Mayor Dodaro thanks the Clerk of Medina Township for sending a copy of the grant for her to review.

Parks: Bican is absent, so Mayor Dodaro gives her Parks report. Monday, September 1^st (Labor Day) will be the last day the beach will be open. On Sunday, August 31^st there will be a ski show at 5:30 pm followed by the dance. Mayor Dodaro asks for donations from council members or anyone else of hot dogs, matching buns and pop. Door prizes are also needed for the raffles.

Mayor Dodaro said that the last boat ramp gate key was returned today. There were two keys that were held for 30 days because of a violation.

Mayor Dodaro asked Bican to change the closing time of the beach to 8 pm as it is dark by 9 pm.

Mayor Dodaro did talk to Bican about having G&O Spray Service spray for mosquitoes three times a week. Mayor Dodaro thought they are bad and the village did spray three times a week last year about this time. The spraying would be done on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Motion made by Riedel to spray three times a week until the next council meeting on September 8^th at which time council will decide if this will continue. Gray seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.

Streets: Riedel reports that Circle Crest is done. Riedel said that the walk through was done and all work done by Elite Excavating for the village is satisfactory. Since the county sanitary engineers were a part of the project we are on hold with retainage until they are satisfied with the work that was done for them by Elite Excavating. At present, they are not satisfied. This involves our road, but this is not our issue. Elite and the county need to work together to remedy this situation.

Law Director: The Law Director said that he sent the ordinance that the village passed amending the flood plain regulation to ODNR. They have approved it, but asked for verification of posting of the ordinance. The Law Director has prepared an affidavit for Cathy to sign that states where the ordinance boxes are located within the village. Cathy said that the Law Director’s secretary, Shari, is a real “asset” to his business as she is very pleasant to talk with.

The Law Director sent a letter along with the amended boat ramp regulations to Lt. Detchon. He told Lt Detchon that these are important and the village wants the deputies to enforce them. Violations to this ordinance are criminal as well as civil, so he hopes the message gets across to them.

No word from Columbia Gas after a letter was sent to them.

As far as pending cases, one case was disposed of when a defendant changed his plea to guilty of no operator’s license and that will be entered on August 12^th. The second case is for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle which is set for trial on September 24^th.

Riedel asks the Law Director if the only criminal charge part of the new boat ramp regulation is loaning of the gate key. The Law Director said that he wrote the ordinance so that anyone violating any term of the ordinance is guilty of a minor misdemeanor for the first offense.

The Law Director received the signed lease back from the Parks District. Cathy has a copy for the village records.

New Business: Carol Hannah asked if her part of Craggy Creek which is actually on Chippewa Road would be part of the Phase Four project. The answer is probably not, as the county usually takes care of that part of the road. The village hasn’t been awarded the money yet so plans are not complete at this time.

Cyndy Naragon’s brother-in-law, Jim Rich, could really help the village clean up the property of Reese’s Pond that the village bought. He works for the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus and has done quite a bit of exterior landscaping. He would not charge for his time, just materials to create the plan. Jim lives in the village and has been looking at Reese’s Pond as a natural park area that he would like to help clean up. The village could get a plan that could be completed in stages with elevations for a cost of $1,000.00. This plan would normally cost about $50,000.00. Mayor Dodaro has recently received some information about the Clean Ohio grants that may be able to help us clean up that property. Mayor Dodaro asked council what they thought of this proposal. Sommers said that she was alright with spending the money for this plan as long as it didn’t come out of the buildings fund. Council decides to walk around Reese’s Pond to determine what they envision for this property. This topic is tabled until the September 8^th council meeting.

At 9:05 pm, Sommers made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. Gray seconded. 5 Ayes. Motion approved.

Next Meeting: Monday, September 8^th at 7:30 pm at the Church At The Lake located at 7824 Lake Road.