MINUTES, REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 15, 2015

Marble Cliff Minutes

MINUTES, REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 15, 2015

The regular, scheduled meeting of the Council of the Village of Marble Cliff was held Monday, June 15, 2015 in the Village Hall at 1600 Fernwood Ave. at 7:00 pm.

Those in attendance were: Council Members: Matthew P. Cincione, John F. Kukura III, Linda J. Siefkas, Robert W. Sterneker, and Kendy A. Troiano; Mayor, Kent E. Studebaker; Village Solicitor, Mitchel Banchefsky; Village Engineer, Joshua Ford; Administrative Assistant, William Johannes; Fiscal Officer, Cynthia A. McKay. A visitor was present. Mr. Cincione moved Mr. Voelker be excused. Mr. Kukura seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

VISITORS
Mayor Studebaker introduced Heidi Varner who was present to observe the Council meeting.

CONSENT AGENDA1) Receive – Mayor’s Court Report, May, 2015
2) Receive – Police Report, April and May, 2015
3) Receive – Fire Dept. Report, May, 2015
4) Receive – Building permits issued in May, 2015
5) Approval – Minutes of the regular, scheduled meeting of May 18, 2015
6) Approval – Financial Statements for May, 2015
7) Receive – Village Income Tax Report – $115,672.68

Mr. Sterneker moved approval of the Consent Agenda. Ms. Siefkas seconded. The Consent Agenda was approved unanimously.

MAYOR’S REPORT

Mayor Studebaker reported a new doctor’s office is locating in the previously vacant side of 2100 Marble Cliff Office Park.

Mayor Studebaker reported he has had another inquiry regarding redevelopment of 2015 W. Fifth Ave. He has scheduled a meeting with the developer.

Mayor Studebaker reported he attended the Blue Star Mothers’ Memorial Day event in Grandview.

Mayor Studebaker reported Grandview Heights has hired a new director for the Building and Zoning Department. Staff will arrange to meet with the new director in the next few weeks.
Mayor Studebaker presented staff’s recommendation for a new logo for the Village. He explained the goal is to have a crisper and more contemporary look with clean lines. The logo is a stylized “fountain.” The arch of the top mimics the new street signs. The text mimics the business development materials which have been in use in the Village for the past few years. Staff recommends the logo be black and white in keeping with the new street signs and the new street lights.
Mayor Studebaker asked Council for their review and recommendations. The new logo would be used on the new web site, letterhead and any other places where a logo is appropriate.

Mr. Johannes explained the logo designer asked staff what images come to mind when thinking about the Village. The fountain and the catalpa trees were suggested. The catalpa tree leaves were rejected because the design was too similar to Grandview Heights’ logo. Several versions of a fountain were considered with staff favoring the one presented to Council.
Mr. Sterneker stated he likes the proposed logo. Mr. Kukura asked if the street sign font and the logo font are the same or similar to the font on the “Marble Cliff” sign on Cambridge Island. Mayor Studebaker stated several fonts were considered. He expressed his opinion that the more traditional fonts, such as the “Marble Cliff” sign on Cambridge appeared heavy and dated next to the logo. The goal was to have a “fresh” and “fluid” look. Ms. Siefkas suggested the proposed design has a “friendlier” feel.
Mayor Studebaker asked for Council to provide feedback as quickly as possible so that staff may move forward with web site and letterhead design.

Mayor Studebaker introduced the final draft of the strategic plan report from Planning Next. He asked Council to review the document. He stated he would like the Council to give final approval to the document at the July meeting.
Mayor Studebaker also asked Council to consider which of the recommended action items should be moved to the table for consideration. Ms. Siefkas suggested that some of the mid to long term time frame items might need to have research undertaken in the short term.
Mayor Studebaker suggested that individual Council members are free to champion any of the action items. Ms. Troiano volunteered to work on the Fiscal Officer job description. Ms. Siefkas suggested resorting the spread sheet to better show action items in process as well as short, mid and long term action items

Mr. Banchefsky reported Ohio does not mandate that municipalities have strategic plans, but many find them very useful as guidance to address future requests from developers and property owners. Ms. McKay commented that strategic plans are vital to supporting applications for various grant and loan programs.

Mr. Kukura commented that the “fact sheet” and “map” provided in the report are excellent sources of Village information that could be used on the web and as business/development handouts.
No action was taken.

ENGINEER’S REPORT
Mr. Ford reported the W. Fifth Ave. repairs have been delayed due to the weather, but the work should be completed within the next week.
Mr. Ford reported he is working on an engineering estimate for the W. Fifth Ave. Rebuild and Bike Path Project. A Scope of Services document which fully defines the project has been completed and reviewed by Village staff and Upper Arlington’s engineer. An estimate will be presented to Council in the next month or two.
Mr. Ford reported AEP is working on the west side of the river to place utilities underground and will begin working on the east side of the river in coming days. The work is being completed as part of the W. Fifth Ave. bridge replacement project. The project is on schedule and the bridge will be shut down in mid-July.
Mr. Ford reported he and Ms. McKay are gathering cost information for the 2015 Sidewalk Repair and Replacement Project.
Mr. Ford reported he attended a preconstruction meeting with Columbia Gas on May 27, 2015 to discuss phase two of the gas line replacement project in the Village. The project will begin in the next few weeks. Mr. Ford and Ms. McKay also met with Columbia Gas to discuss phase three which will replace gas lines on Village Court and Cambridge Blvd. south of First Ave. The third phase will be undertaken early in 2016. Because of the work associated with phase three, Mr. Ford has determined that the Village should postpone street repairs for Village Court which were scheduled for 2015.
Mr. Ford reported a major collapse has occurred in the sanitary sewer which runs east and west from Roxbury Rd. to the railroad tracks between 1559 and 1599 Roxbury Rd. The line has been cleaned to the extent possible, but the collapse precludes running CCTV to determine the full extent of the collapse. Mr. Ford stated he is working to collect quotes for repairing the damage and restoring the line to full functioning. Mr. Ford said he is monitoring the level of backup in the line to ensure that there are no sanitary sewer overflows while the repair work is being scheduled and performed.
Mr. Ford recommended that, because of Columbia Gas’s schedule to perform gas line upgrades on Village Court in 2016 and the unanticipated major sanitary sewer repair work required, the Village perform no pavement maintenance in 2015 beyond the repairs scheduled for W. Fifth Ave.
Mr. Ford reported Phase 1 of the Street Lighting project is complete and the final bill from the contractor has been approved for payment by his office. Mr. Ford said he plans to have a Scope of Services and fee document for Council’s review at the July meeting.
Mr. Ford reported he anticipates having all the documentation for the Cardigan Ave. Water Line Replacement Project from OPWC in July for Council’s review. Ms. McKay reported she is meeting with the Franklin County Infrastructure Loan Committee on June 16, 2015 to present the Village’s request for funding for the water line project.
Mr. Ford reported the repair of the storm sewer catch basin at the corner of Cambridge Blvd. and W. Fifth Ave. is complete.
Mr. Cincione reported a resident concern regarding drainage at the end of the driveway at 1525 Cambridge Blvd. Mr. Ford said he would look into the report.
Mr. Sterneker stated he has had inquiries into the necessity of the “No Turn on Red” sign at the intersection of W. Fifth Ave. and Cambridge Blvd. Mr. Ford said he will have the traffic engineering department at B&N investigate the necessity of the sign.
Mr. Ford left the meeting at this point.

SOLICITOR’S REPORT
Mr. Banchefsky had no report for Council.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT’S REPORT
Mr. Johannes reported Rine Landscaping will begin the honeysuckle and vine removal from Tarpy Woods on July 20, 2015.

APPROVAL OF BILLS
Mr. Cincione moved approval of the June 2015 bills totaling $101,125.13.
Ms. Troiano seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

FISCAL OFFICER’S REPORT
Ms. McKay stated she will bring the annual insurance renewal proposal to Council at the July meeting.

COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS
Ms. Troiano reported the GH Recreation and Parks Board has narrowed the quotes for the pool from 8 to 2. The board is continuing their review and plan to have a decision within two weeks. The work will be done in 2016 and 2017.
Ms. Troiano reported Start Talking Grandview did not meet in May, but their Facebook page is up and running.
Mr. Kukura reported he would submit the list of Falco Scholarship recipients to the staff along with the amount of each award.
Ms. Troiano the Collaborative Work Group is meeting next week to discuss the reports from the schools and the library on facility utilization.
Mayor Studebaker reported he attended a meeting called by the Franklin County Health Department for the development of a CHAT (Community Heath Action Team). Several community groups were represented at the meeting. Mayor Studebaker reported that the emerging focus appears to be on senior health and “aging in place.”

OLD BUSINESS
Mayor Studebaker presented guidelines for charitable giving based on the information provided at the May 2015 regular Council meeting. The materials supplied at the May 2015 regular meeting were the guidelines and application developed and approved by the Grandview Heights City Council. Mayor Studebaker stated the similarities in the two guidelines and applications will assist entities making applications to both municipalities. Council discussed the recommended guidelines and asked for clarification of some of the eligibility requirements.
Ms. Siefkas commented that the application seems appropriate for the size of organizations applying and the amount of money available for gifting. She suggested the application specify the amount budgeted by the Village for each year to define the size of typical “gifts”. Ms. Siefkas also suggested that a list of gifts previously approved by Council would be helpful for applicants as well. Council asked the Fiscal Officer to include the annual budget for charitable gifts in the application.
Mr. Cincione moved approval of the guidelines and application for Contributions to Other Organizations with the changes recommended by Council. Ms. Siefkas seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Mayor Studebaker introduced the third reading of O-2460-15, An Ordinance authorizing the expenditure of funds; $ 5,000.00 to 2015 Grandview Heights High School Health & Wellness Project and declaring the expenditure to constitute a public purpose.
Mayor Studebaker introduced the third reading of O-2461-15, An Ordinance to amend Ordinance O-2441-14 (2015 APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE) to increase the appropriation to the General Fund (1000) to $1,579,176.
Mr. Cincione recommended discussion of and possible action on O-2460-15 and
O-2461-15 be postponed until a date certain – the August 17, 2015 regular Council meeting – to allow the group requesting support of the Grandview Heights High School Health & Wellness Project to make their request under the guidelines established by Council for Contributions to Other Organizations. Council concurred with Mr. Cincione’s recommendation.
Mayor Studebaker introduced the third reading of O-2462-15, An Ordinance adopting a budget for the year 2016 for the Village of Marble Cliff.
Mr. Cincione moved O-2462-15 be amended to reflect a property tax rate of .35 mils. Mr. Sterneker seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Sterneker moved the adoption of O-2462-15 as amended. Mr. Kukura seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS
Mayor Studebaker reported on the Chamber of Commerce DIGFest which was held on June 13, 2015.
Mr. Kukura and Mr. Cincione reported they would not be in attendance at the July Council meeting.
Council briefly discussed the WOSU production of “Columbus Neighborhoods – Tri-Village.” The mayor and Council agreed it was well done and did an excellent job of telling the story of the Tri-Village area.
Mr. Sterneker reported that he will not be running for re-election to Council. Mayor Studebaker and Council members expressed their gratitude for Mr. Sterneker’s service. Mayor Studebaker and Ms. Troiano confirmed they will both be running for re-election.

ADJOURN
Ms. Troiano moved the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Sterneker seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Mayor Studebaker adjourned the meeting at 8:25 PM.

Approved by: Submitted by:
Matthew P. Cincione Cynthia A. McKay
Council President Pro Tem Fiscal Officer