City Council received a report on Tuesday about this year’s city swimming pool and splash park operations. The Heise Park Pool was open June 5 through Aug. 19, but YMCA Executive Director Terry Gribble noted there were several rain outs which reduced the hours it was open. There were 444 hours of operation, compared to 469 hours in 2016 and 366 hours in 2015. The YMCA operates the pool at a rate of $96 per hour, totaling $42,624. The income for the season was $28,388, so the reimbursement owed to the YMCA was $14,236. Gribble also said the security cameras were installed this year were “a huge blessing.”

The Splash Park was open June 6 through Sept. 4, and then reopened Sept. 23-27. “16,400 people visited this year. That’s a tremendous success,” Gribble commented. The Splash Park was open 477 hours at a rate of $12 per hour. A YMCA staff member opened and closed the facility and monitored visitors. A total of $5,724 is owed to the YMCA. “Both facilities were managed well. It’s a great collaboration between the Y and the city,” Gribble said.

In legislation, council authorized an application for a combined loan-grant through the Ohio Public Works Commission. The grant amount is $165,000, with $238,540 in loan funds and a city match of $200,000. Mayor Tom O’Leary explained the proposed project would be the next phase in a storm sewer project done two years ago. The new project would address service lines in the areas of Wood, Pierce, and Riblet streets, and alleviate drainage issues currently affecting residents. Council passed Ord. 2017-59 as a final reading 6-0. Councilman Jim Hedges was absent.

Ord. 2017-61 accepted a safety equipment grant from the Ohio Bureau of Compensation. The grant amount is $8,745 with a local share of $1,749. Fire Chief Phil Jackson said the grant will pay for a gear extractor (similar to a washing machine), and new hoods and gloves that offer firefighters more protection from fire and heat.

Ord. 2017-60 approved several appropriation transfers and reductions:

• $375,000 was reduced in the construction line item of the Electric Fund.
• $7,500 was transferred from unappropriated funds to the insurance line item for City Council.
• $10,000 was transferred from unappropriated funds for aviation fuel.
• $1,000 was transferred from unappropriated funds for deposit refunds.
• $15,000 was transferred within the Electric Fund for substation testing.

Res. 2017-14 accepted the annual property tax rates set by the Crawford County Budget Commission. Res. 2017-15 approved a then and now certificate of $8,832 to Underground Utilities. The company did this year’s Portland Way North construction project, and this payment covered a change order for the waterline break incurred during construction.

All items of legislation passed unanimously as final readings.

In the mayor’s report, O’Leary provided updates on three ongoing or upcoming projects:

• At the BP gas station, the relocation of fiber optic lines is ongoing in preparation of the facility’s $3 million expansion project. The company hopes to start construction this year.
• There has recently been concern of an auction sign erected at the site of an upcoming Valero gas station. The auction is not for the land, but rather for the timber in the wooded areas of the property. “The owner wants to clear the land in order to make it more developable. Sometimes social media gets ahead of the reality,” O’Leary said. In addition, the city is in the process of annexing the road right-of-way from the Ohio Department of Transportation in order to have permitting jurisdiction for the project.
• A developer for BellStores, a gas station-convenience store chain, has purchased a property on Portland Way North and is working to make changes to its project plans in order to alleviate concerns of an adjacent property owner.