City Council

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes City Council Stephen A. Renner, President Merisa K. Bowers, Vice President Karen J. Angelou Nancy R. McGregor Kaylee Padova Michael Schnetzer Trenton I. Weaver Jeremy A. VanMeter, Clerk of Council Monday, November 7, 2022 7:00 PM City Hall, Council Chambers A. CALL TO ORDER: Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, Roll Call Gahanna City Council met in Regular Session on Monday, November 7, 2022, in Council Chambers. Due to a late adjournment of the special meeting, the regular meeting was delayed. President of Council Stephen A. Renner called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. Vice President of Council Merisa K. Bowers delivered an Invocation and led members in the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda for this meeting was published on November 4, 2022. Present 7 - Nancy R. McGregor, Karen J. Angelou, Merisa K. Bowers, Trenton I. Weaver, Kaylee Padova, Michael Schnetzer, and Stephen A. Renner B. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. C. HEARING OF VISITORS: None. D. PRESENTATIONS: 1. CASTO on Revised Agreement for the Crescent (ORD-0062-2022) President Renner announced that Council had a presentation from CASTO and a revised agreement for the Crescent. Nate Strum, Director of Economic Development, introduced presenters for this item. Larry Canini of Canini & Associates and Brent Sobczak representing CASTO Communities were in attendance to talk through changes in the development agreement. Strum noted this agreement came forward about two weeks at Committee of the Whole. The Committee asked to bring the item back with revisions tied to the development, specifically around the payments, the SIB debt service payments proposed, and the developer incurred cost tied to the infrastructure. City of Gahanna Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 When the Crescent project was first presented, there was a discussion around about a $1.2 million debt service payment tied to the infrastructure. Strum added that this new proposal is of significant increase, with $4.4 million total debt service for the new road infrastructure tied to the project. Strum said he would let the development team walk through what necessitated the changes, as well as a summary of the changes in this new proposal. Strum noted there was a question previously by Mr. Schnetzer around the values and what happens if a certain office user or a different type of user does not come in. Strum said he thinks some of that has been addressed in the scale and nature of the reimbursement process, but CASTO can speak to those values. Mr. Canini said this had been reviewed on a couple of occasions and they understand there has been some questions and comments from Council. Their team reconvened over the last few weeks and have provided Council a new structure to offset what they initially had asked for based on their performance. Canini said there were obviously concerns about the commitments the developers would make, as well as commitments from users that the developers are currently working with. Mr. Sobczak said the majority of the redline changes relate to name changes in the “whereas” sections where it is going from Crescent to CASTO. The business term changes include the total cost of the public infrastructure going from $3.4 to $4.4 million. The reimbursement was $1.4 million, and now it is a proposed tiered structure. Within that, there are a couple layers. Sobczak explained that the previous option did not have a State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loan request. This has a $2 million SIB loan request. The reimbursement of over and above the SIB loan would be tied to income tax associated with the development. Anything less than $350,000, the reimbursement would be $400,000 over and above the SIB loan. Between $350,000 and $500,000, the reimbursement would be $1.4 million over the SIB loan, and anything in excess of $500,000 would be full reimbursement of the total cost. Sobczak thinks that addresses the concern if the proposed user does not come to this site. A full reimbursement request would be tied to that performance. The other big change from the previous versions is that the old version required the existing landowner to donate the parkland as a condition of the TIF. That donation should be occurring in the next week or two. Since it will have occurred by the time this is approved, that language has been removed from this version. Sobczak said that these would be the major changes associated with the old version compared to the proposed. Director Strum said he knew there were some questions brought up about the floodplain. He said he sent a note through Clerk VanMeter earlier today from the CASTO team and Burgess and Niple to address some of those concerns. There were also some questions around the generation of TIF and income tax that was included as part of an updated ROI that was also transmitted to Council as well. Strum said he is happy to review any of those. President Renner asked if there were any questions. City of Gahanna Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 Councilmember Schnetzer said he wanted to make sure everyone was looking at the right documents. He said with this being a regular meeting that there would be further discussion in the Committee of the Whole meeting next week and he wanted to confirm what Council was looking at to go back and do some homework. He said Council was provided a redline copy at the last Committee discussion. He believed they now had a revision of a revision. Regarding the terms that CASTO had just mentioned, was the document titled “Summary of Development Agreement ECON terms 11.2.22” the correct document? Strum said the version number three is the document in question for the redline as well as the clean copy. Sobczak said he forgot one other piece. He noted there was a concern that if the SIB loan was directly with the City and the project did not move forward, who would be responsible for the debt service? CASTO is proposing funding an interest reserve account held with the City at 1.25 times annual debt service to offset that. This is a revision to the last document Council saw. Schnetzer said he just wanted to make sure Council was looking at the appropriate document when CASTO referenced those newer details. E. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. Minutes - To Approve: 2022-0299 COTW Minutes 10.10.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0303 CN Special Minutes 10.17.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0304 CN Minutes 10.17.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0305 COTW Minutes 10.24.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2. Ordinances for Introduction, Waiver & Emergency Adoption: ORD-0064-2022 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORD-0054-2022 TO ESTABLISH AND APPROPRIATE FUNDS AS REQUIRED FOR GRANT AND LOAN AGREEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION AND LOAN AGREEMENT FOR SCIENCE ONE, LLC EXTENSION OF TECH CENTER DRIVE, WAIVING SECOND READING AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY The Ordinance was Introduced by President Renner, read by title, and Adopted City of Gahanna Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 as an Emergency with Waiver of Second Reading on the Consent Agenda. End of Consent Agenda A motion was made by Schnetzer, seconded by Bowers, to Pass the Consent Agenda. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- McGregor, Angelou, Bowers, Weaver, Padova, Schnetzer and Renner F. MOTIONS: MT-0018-2022 A MOTION TO APPOINT TRICIA SPRANKLE TO THE LOCAL BOARD OF TAX REVIEW SEAT 2 FOR THE UNEXPIRED TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2023 A motion was made by Bowers, seconded by Weaver, that the Motion be approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- McGregor, Angelou, Bowers, Weaver, Padova, Schnetzer and Renner G. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION / FIRST READING: ORD-0062-2022 AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A REVISED DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT RELATED TO THE PROJECT KNOWN AS THE CRESCENT AT CENTRAL PARK TO SUPPORT RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF THE PROJECT AND EXPANDED USES WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT SITE President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0065-2022 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS - Damage to City Property President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0066-2022 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS - Water Meter Fees President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0067-2022 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN STRUCTUREPOINT INC. FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RELATED TO THE WYNNE RIDGE COURT BRIDGE REPLACEMENT - PID 116417 President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. H. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS: 1. Clerk City of Gahanna Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 2022-0317 Ohio Division of Liquor Control Notice to Legislative Authority Permit NEW 9020389 - TRADITIONS AT GAHANNA DBA WALNUT TRACE Mr. VanMeter noted Council received the Ohio Division of Liquor Control notice for a new permit for Traditions at Gahanna doing business as Walnut Trace, 389 Olde Ridenour Road, Gahanna, Ohio. There were no objections from the Division of Police. Unless Council has any objections, VanMeter said we will note that we do not request a hearing on the matter. President Renner asked if there were any objections. There were none. 2. Council - None. I. REPRESENTATIVES: 1. Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) - Renner, Weaver President Renner said he did not have a report this evening. He said he would type up a report and send that out and then announce it at the next meeting. The next CIC meeting will be Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. in the Committee Room. 2. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) - Angelou, Weaver Councilmember Angelou said the next Commission meeting is this Wednesday. It would normally be on a Thursday; however, this Thursday there will be the Veterans Parade downtown. Councilmember Weaver said the Regional Policy Roundtable will be meeting on November 15, 2022. As part of the Roundtable, the public policy agenda working group met on November 4, 2022, and has finalized its proposal to the full Regional Policy Roundtable, which will take action to recommend the agenda to the Executive Committee for approval in December. Weaver stated that the agenda is focusing on regionalism, transportation, sustainability, data and digital infrastructure, as well as racial and social justice. 3. Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) - Padova Councilmember Padova said the Visit Gahanna just released a new Creekside District brochure that showcases the area as a destination for dining, shopping, outdoor recreation, and entertainment. It also highlights CORA. This is currently being distributed at local hotels to help bring guests to Creekside. It will be expanded further in the future. The fall and winter herbal cocktail trail passports were recently released. Each time a new passport is released, there are about 500 people who pick them up, and typically about 100 of those will complete and turn in their passports for a prize. More than half are actually from outside the Gahanna. Padova was a surprised to hear that such a large percent of those were from outside of City of Gahanna Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 Gahanna. The Creekside Pumpkin Crawl was very well attended. It was a big success. They had a balloon artist, face paintings, and other events with the pumpkins as well. The Holiday Lights Celebration and annual tree lighting is Sunday, November 20, 2022, from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. Visit Gahanna is seeking more volunteers to help with that. Visit Gahanna is also presenting the Santa Race on Saturday, December 3, 2022. Spots are limited. Volunteers are also needed for this event to help with registration, water stations, and refuel station. Padova said people can sign up for the Holiday Lights and the Santa Race by clicking the link on the Visit Gahanna website. The Ohio Herb Center is hosting in-person Santa visits this year on Saturday, December 10, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visits are free, but they will be accepting donations for GRIN. In an effort to keep everyone safe, you need to register on the Herb Center’s website to reserve a time as spots are limited. 4. School Board (SB) - Bowers Vice President Bowers said that on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, Superintendent Tracy Deagle is hosting Coffee with Superintendent at Panera Bread on Hamilton Road and Granville Street. The next regular board meeting will be November 17, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Those meetings are held in-person at Clark Hall or streamed on YouTube. J. OFFICIAL REPORTS: 1. Mayor Mayor Jadwin said last week the City issued $8.5 million of short-term capital facilities notes related to the 825 Tech Center Drive project. Proceeds from the sale of those notes will be used for the building purchase, which is expected to close next week. In the meantime, the next phase of the project is moving forward. The City has engaged Michael Schuster Associates to begin architectural and engineering work. That was the contract that Council approved just a few weeks ago. Jadwin said Mr. Schultz has already had preliminary meetings with them. The City will begin regular meetings with an internal team as well to outline what that process will look like. Jadwin added that the City is also in discussions on hiring a construction manager who would work in conjunction with the design team. RFQs were issued and responses were received. Those responses are now being evaluated and reviews will be scheduled within the next few weeks. The hope is to have somebody engaged and on board by the end of the year to begin working with the design team. Veterans Day is this Friday. City Hall will be closed in observance of the holiday. The Gahanna Veterans Memorial Committee will be hosting the annual Veterans Day ceremony at VFW Park on Johnstown Road, along with the brick dedication ceremony at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. She shared that the City celebrated two groundbreaking events. The first was at the Crescent at Central Park for the 45,000 plus square foot medical office building that will house five medical providers, including a primary care practice, vascular surgical center, cardiovascular practice, podiatry practice, and an ophthalmology practice. These will bring high quality medical services City of Gahanna Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 as well as jobs. A fourth building was approved by Planning Commission to go on Lot 1 directly across the street from Walnut Creek medical offices that will house Ohio Gastro. This will be consolidating two of their office buildings and expanding their services at that facility. That will bring four medical buildings coming to the Crescent since 2020. Also, on the same day that we held this groundbreaking, the high school celebrated their official groundbreaking ceremony. The kids were just as excited as the adults were. She said this was a wonderful event to attend. On Friday, November 18, 2022, the City of Gahanna, CIC, and Columbus Business First are partnering to hold a networking breakfast that will be held at The Peak at Edison. The event is free to attend but registration is required. There is a link to register in the City newsletter. It will also be posted online as well. Jadwin said the City applied for and received a grant from MORPC to assist with a sustainability plan. This partnered the City with a group of students at The Ohio State University. The City held a workshop with them where they presented their initial recommendations and findings to get input and feedback. Jadwin thanked Councilmember Angelou for being part of that. They were a very inspirational group of students who had a fantastic ideas. They have issued a survey. They are asking for the community’s help. Jadwin shared the City has posted that. It is also in the newsletter. It has been posted on the City’s social media page. Jadwin said they welcome the community to participate in that survey and provide the class some feedback, which they will then finalize their plan. Jadwin said they would schedule a workshop with Council. It does not necessarily need to be at a Council meeting, but just a workshop to share their findings in an informal setting. Jadwin said Parks & Recreation held its new version of the Great Gahanna Goblin Fest at Academy Park. This event started back in COVID. It was a drive-through event at Academy Park. This year it transitioned into an in-person walk around event. Jadwin thanked the many vendors and sponsors who participated in the event and to the children who were well attired that evening. Jadwin said the Parks & Recreation Department’s creativity is always amazing with what they are able to come up with to create a family-friendly and fun event. Over the last few weeks, Jadwin attended four Courts of Honor for Gahanna students who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, which is the highest honor that can be achieved in scouting, Only two percent of eligible scouts ever earn that rank. Of the four, three were young women in Gahanna, which was pretty impressive, but all four of the Eagle Scouts were very impressive with their dedication and commitment to projects that they completed. They were Mikayla Barbe-Cox, Anne Wilson, Ray Ryzenga, and Delaney Ray. Jadwin remarked that we are in good hands with tomorrow's youth and tomorrow's leaders. Gahanna Lincoln High School football team won again in the playoffs. She thanked the City of Whitehall and Whitehall Schools. They have opened their fields to Gahanna Lincoln High School to allow their games to be played on their field. The fan support has been great. The team will be playing this Friday against Pickerington Central. 2. City Attorney - None. K. COUNCIL COMMENT: Councilmember Angelou applauded the football players at Lincoln High City of Gahanna Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 School for doing amazing things because they only got to play two games on the home field. Their success has been great for our community. She reminded people that tomorrow is Election Day. She hoped everything goes smoothly. She is sure there will be changes. Angelou added that she was with the Mayor on Saturday afternoon with Girl Scouts talking about voting. This was a wonderful opportunity and Angelou came home feeling so good about how these girls are doing things perfectly. Councilmember McGregor noted that Friday is Veterans Day, and the brick laying ceremony would include bricks from both her husband’s side of the family and her own. She noted a brick for James Martin McGregor would be placed. He was a Civil War soldier. They found this out on a trip to Gettysburg. They contacted the National Archives to ask for family member pension records, which gives more information than just a military record. Through this, they found out that James Martin McGregor at age 93 asked for his pension to be adjusted. It was granted because he could no longer do a day’s work and was deaf. The pension was adjusted from $6 to $8 per month. This brick is believed to be the oldest veteran brick in the cemetery. She hoped everyone could make it to the veterans’ celebration. Councilmember Weaver said he also attended the groundbreaking for the new high school. It is very exciting for the new students. As an alum, Weaver looks forward to the next chapter for the school. He added that he participated in an Ohio Municipal League training on October 27, 2022, which focused on public-private partnership structures that are available to municipalities. He said he learned a lot and thinks the information was helpful as the City continues to look at proposed development agreements and incentives. Weaver thanked the Parks & Recreation staff. He had the pleasure of joining the campfire at Bryn Mawr Park with s’mores. He was told that it was the most popular of the park visits and was happy to be among the community there. He will be hosting constituent hours in the front conference room at City Hall on Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. He remarked that he was proud to support the Gahanna Lions football team. Weaver also urged people to get out and vote. Councilmember Padova thanked the Parks & Recreation Department for the Great Goblin Trail. She had no idea what to expect as she had not been to that before. It was amazing. She was glad to see that and everybody that she talked to there was having a great time. Padova also attended Ray Ryzenga’s Court of Honor with the Mayor. She had never been to one of these before. Padova said it was cool to see everything that Ryzenga had done throughout his life to make it to that point. She congratulated Ryzenga. She also urged people to get out and vote tomorrow. Councilmember Schnetzer echoed a lot of the sentiments that were previously stated. Schnetzer noted that with Veterans Day on Friday, his grandfather is a proud Navy man. He is living independently and is approaching triple digits fast. A couple months ago, Schnetzer had a conversation with his grandfather about his military service. He told Schnetzer City of Gahanna Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 a story about and uncle who served on the USS Franklin, which was the most heavily damaged US aircraft carrier to survive World War II. It was hit by a handful of kamikazes and limped its way back to the state of Washington after the Battle of Okinawa. Schnetzer said he tried to imagine being 18 or 20 years old on one of these ships and seeing an airplane fly into the ship and how harrowing that really must have been. He said that when we reflect on that, we do live in the greatest country in the history of the world. We have a lot of brave soldiers to really thank for that. Vice President Bowers reminded everyone to make sure to get out and vote tomorrow all the way down the ballot, especially paying attention to judicial candidates. She noted that oftentimes people forget to vote in these races or forget to look up information about judicial candidates. These are local elected offices that make a huge impact on our community. Bowers also wanted to thank Gahanna Division of Police and Mifflin Township Fire for being out in the community on Trick-or-Treat last Monday. Her family got photographs with a police cruiser and one of the officers that was out and about. Her son was very excited to see the tiller truck up at the top of the hill at Adamson and Skinner in Rathburn Woods. She again thanked the first responders for their work. The next morning, she said there were a number of squads in her cul-de-sac. They appreciate the professionalism and work first responders do every day responding to emergencies in our community. Bowers noted sending out her constituent reports for August and September and asked for those to be included in the minutes. President Renner said on October 20, 2022, he was invited by Royal Manor staff to present and talk to third graders about citizenship and our responsibility to be citizens as an American. This is one of his most favorite subjects he likes to talk about. The United States Constitution and the Preamble to the Constitution defines for all of us what our values and virtues are as Americans. Renner said it is fun to project this on a screen and to showcase the words in capital letters. These include the phrases “We The People, More Perfect Union, Domestic Tranquility, Common Defense, and Promote the General Welfare.” Some of the merits of these could be debated, but these are the virtues of being an American. He emphasized to the students the “three V’s,” voice, volunteer, and vote. He also urged people to go vote. Lastly, he urged people to go look at the lunar eclipse. The sky is supposed to be clear. It is called the “blood moon” and is supposed to be spectacular. 2022-0318 Bowers' Constituent Reports for August and September 2022 L. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business before the Council, President Renner adjourned the meeting at 7:52 p.m. City of Gahanna Page 9 City Council Meeting Minutes November 7, 2022 Jeremy A. VanMeter Clerk of Council APPROVED by the City Council, this day of 2022. Stephen A. Renner City of Gahanna Page 10