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 21, 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 21, 2022, in Council Chambers. President of Council Stephen A. Renner called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Vice President of Council Merisa K. Bowers asked for a moment of silence to reflect on the victims and their families of the tragic violence at Club Q in Colorado Springs, and to also reflect on the heroism of Thomas James and Richard Fierro in stopping the shooter to prevent the loss of more life. She then led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda for this meeting was published on November 18, 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: 1. Proclamation Presentation by Mayor Jadwin 2022-0329 Mayoral Proclamations - Small Business Saturday 11.26.2022 Mayor Jadwin said that Thanksgiving is coming at the end of the week, as well as Black Friday and shop local, Small Business Saturday. She introduced two of Gahanna’s small business owners, Terri Birchler and Alex Unrue with Fable Collection and Holly Garrison from Stella and Grace. She said that Small Business Saturday is a day that was nationally created to recognize the small business community. Small businesses create two out of three jobs around the country. There are 32 million small businesses in the United States. In Gahanna, small businesses represent approximately 92 percent of City of Gahanna Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 our local economy. They are the backbone. They keep our economy vital and vibrant. Jadwin said these ladies have their own small business in Gahanna. Holly opened Stella and Grace boutique May of 2021. April of this past year, the Fable Collection opened. Jadwin noted that Kylie Miller from Be Social was supposed to be in attendance as well but was not able to attend due to illness. She said these three women collectively have truly created a fashion destination right in the Creekside district. About a year-and-a-half ago, Jadwin said they really did not have any place to shop for clothes outside of Marshalls. Now, the City has these cool unique boutiques that offer fun and trendy things. Jadwin said that she and Councilmember Padova were comparing the clothes that they both had from both locations. They really have made a difference in adding to the Creekside District. Jadwin said that for the men in the audience who might not be familiar, these businesses have taken it upon themselves as well to organize a Creekside Boutique Hop. There have been three that have each been extremely successful. They bring in outside vendors and it creates a traffic flow from Holly's place in Creekside over to Terri and Alex's place over to the corner of North Carpenter and North High. She said it creates a wonderful traffic flow. Jadwin said she wanted to take this opportunity to reinforce the fact that we need to support our small businesses and highlight these women for the work that they have done in investing in their businesses and investing in Gahanna. Jadwin presented the proclamations to Birchler, Unrue, and Garrison. With applause from the Chambers, Jadwin asked people to join her in shopping local on Saturday. D. PUBLIC HEARINGS: President Renner read the rules for the Public Hearing on finances. Pursuant to Council Rule 9.20.1, Finance Hearings being a special circumstance shall have the following rules: (A) Speakers shall have five minutes to speak on increases or additions to an item. (B) Speakers shall have five minutes to speak on reductions or removal of an item. (C) Speakers shall have three minutes to speak in general comments. Note, the minutes are combined total for all those who intend to speak. 1. FY 2023 Budget - Opportunity for Public Comment 2022-0311 2023 City of Gahanna Proposed Budget President Renner asked if the administration would like to add anything to the dialogue before opening the Public Hearing. Mayor Jadwin confirmed that the hearing was just to provide public comment, meaning there is no sworn testimony. Renner said that was correct. Jadwin said this is a standard process we have followed for several years. We always invite the public to come and comment on the budget and that is what we have tonight and then on December 5. President Renner opened the Public Hearing at 7:06 p.m. and closed the Public Hearing at 7:06 p.m., as there were no individuals desiring to speak. City of Gahanna Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 E. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. Minutes - To Approve: 2022-0306 Finance Minutes 10.24.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0321 CN Special Minutes 11.7.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0322 CN Minutes 11.7.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0323 Finance Minutes 11.7.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2022-0324 COTW Minutes 11.14.2022 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2. Resolutions for Adoption: RES-0033-2022 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING STATE CAPITAL FUNDING THROUGH OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOR RENOVATION OF THE PRICE ROAD HOUSE FOR RECREATION PROGRAMMING This Resolution was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. 3. Ordinances for Second Reading & Adoption: ORD-0065-2022 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS - Damage to City Property This Ordinance was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. ORD-0066-2022 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS - Water Meter Fees This Ordinance was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. ORD-0067-2022 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN STRUCTUREPOINT INC. FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RELATED TO THE WYNNE RIDGE City of Gahanna Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 COURT BRIDGE REPLACEMENT - PID 116417 This Ordinance was Adopted on the Consent Agenda. End of Consent Agenda A motion was made by Schnetzer, seconded by Angelou, to Pass the Consent Agenda. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- McGregor, Angelou, Bowers, Weaver, Padova, Schnetzer and Renner F. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION / FIRST READING: ORD-0068-2022 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING GAHANNA CODIFIED ORDINANCE SECTION 133.099 FOR MUNICIPAL MAYOR'S COURT SPECIAL PROJECTS FUND President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0069-2022 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING GAHANNA CODIFIED ORDINANCES TITLE THREE PUBLIC UTILITIES - CHAPTER 921 SANITARY SEWER CONNECTIONS AND RENTAL RATES AND CHAPTER 929 WATER CONNECTIONS AND RATES - AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0070-2022 AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING, APPROVING, AND RATIFYING THE SUBMITTED RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA TAX INCENTIVE REVIEW COUNCIL FOR TAX YEAR 2021 President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0071-2022 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE DISSOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY URBAN REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION President Renner Introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. G. ORDINANCES FOR SECOND READING / ADOPTION: A motion was made by Bowers, seconded by Schnetzer, that ORD-0062-2022 be amended to replace the EXHIBIT A proposal under first reading with the revised "CP Crescent Development Agreement 11.17.2022" as the final terms of the agreement. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- McGregor, Angelou, Bowers, Weaver, Padova, Schnetzer and Renner 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 City of Gahanna Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 SUPPORT RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF THE PROJECT AND EXPANDED USES WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT SITE Councilmember Schnetzer expressed his thanks to everyone that worked through the many revisions to this item, especially to the Economic Development Department headed up by Director Nathan Strum. When this ask first came before Council, there was a request for an uncapped reimbursement. Also, with the end-user envisioned for this project (that was primarily driving the favorable return on investment calculations), there was limited commitment. Schnetzer explained that through those revisions, we have limited the reimbursement. And through an iterative process whereby the City receives a certain sum of financial resources in return for reimbursement, Schnetzer thinks they have settled on an agreement that means that whatever the end user is, ultimately there will be a very positive return on investment. He reiterated his thanks to Council colleagues for working through this. Schnetzer thinks they have a much better agreement today than when Council started this many weeks ago. Vice President Bowers echoed Schnetzer. She extended her gratitude to Schnetzer for rolling up his sleeves and getting into the numbers on this. Bowers said she thinks that through his work with the Economic Development Department, the applicants, and Mr. Underhill, we do have a better product here in front of us than what we started with. Bowers also thanked CASTO for being part of Council’s commitment to making sure that we are delivering affordable housing. Bowers said there has not been a day that goes by that she does not hear or read an article or both about the need and the crunch and the pressure for additional housing, particularly additional affordable housing in the region. Bowers said we all know that the Intel project is not going to give us the relief in housing costs that maybe we would have started to see had the Intel project not come to our area. This does continue to increase the pressure. That said, Bowers is grateful to see the inclusion of the rent limits for 20 percent of the units. Bowers expressed her reluctance and gratitude to making sure that anytime we are abating or creating tax incentives for residential projects that we are looking at how we are serving the community in doing so. A motion was made by Bowers, seconded by Weaver, that the Ordinance be Adopted as Amended. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- McGregor, Angelou, Bowers, Weaver, Padova, Schnetzer and Renner H. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS: 1. Clerk 2022-0325 Planning Commission Recommendation for Rezoning +/- 0.299 acres of 3.4 acre site located at 348 Granville St from Suburban Office (SO) to Community Commercial (CC) Mr. VanMeter read a recommendation from the Planning Commission. At their regular meeting held November 16, 2022, there was a motion to approve City of Gahanna Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 recommendation to Council a zoning application for plus or minus .299 acres of a 3.4-acre site located at 348 Granville St. The current zoning is Suburban Office. Proposed zoning is Community Commercial for Project Kassel 348 Granville LLC, Matt Von Bargen, applicant. VanMeter noted that Council Office posted notice for the Public Hearing as required by Charter. That public hearing is scheduled for December 19, 2022, along with the second reading and vote on that item. President Renner thanked VanMeter and the administration for working together so quickly to get that notice out to keep on the timeline and keeping development moving. 2. Council 2022-0328 Letter of Congratulations to GLHS Football Team from City Council 11.21.2022 Councilmember Weaver thanked colleagues for joining him in signing a letter in wishing the GLHS football team well as they are state bound for the first time in 40 years. Weaver said Council wished them all the best and success against St. Edward. Renner thanked Weaver for preparing the letter. He added that his son who is in the band let him know that the band is going and is also very excited about that. Angelou asked where they would play. Renner said it is in Mansfield. I. REPRESENTATIVES: 1. Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) - Renner, Weaver President Renner said that for anyone who had not attended Friday’s Columbus Business First breakfast the CIC, it was announced the CIC entered into a real estate purchase agreement with MJM Investments, Homestead Development, and Schneider Properties for various sites of real estate along Mill Street and North High Street in old Gahanna’s Creekside area. Including other properties previously purchased by the CIC on Mill Street and North High Street, the CIC now has control over four acres of land in the area, which includes the former Shampooch, 120 North High Street, and the Kumon Building at North High Street. The CIC's goal is to enter into the letter of intent with a local developer and have a master developer agreement in place as soon as possible. Renner said that from there, he is confident that the CIC will be back in front of Council for review of initial plans for the area and the possible next steps towards comprehensive development. The next CIC meeting will be a joint meeting with Council. It is on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. tentatively to be held at the Golf Course. 2. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) - Angelou, Weaver Councilmember Angelou said that tomorrow she will be going to the Benefits and Compensation Committee at 3:30 p.m. There is also a reception of Worthington City Manager Matt Greeson planned. He is leaving as of January 1, 2023, after 15 years with Worthington to go to Kettering, Ohio, a larger City of Gahanna Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 municipality than Worthington. Angelou reflected time she worked with him when he was chair of MORPC and she secretary. She noted that MORPC has a new director of data analytics and strategics, David Dixon. Data Day will be March 1, 2023. Angelou added that Honda’s growth and investment in the region has been amazing. They are going to have a $700 million investment to expand their production at their current facilities, which would be adding 327 new jobs. Honda is also making substantial investment in Fayette County. They have $3.5 billion slated for plant for electric vehicle batteries. Honda has been here for 45 years. Angelou discussed the Strategic Framework, highlighting the “build value for members,” which involved intergovernmental support agreement. This is something that comes from San Antonio region but has everything to do with Central Ohio Defense Group and Association of Defense Communities. She explained that Gahanna is one of those communities because there is a defense center right on the other side of the airport. This is a way bring in alignment with the state and JobsOhio. Another “build value for our members” was a universal general contractor application. The anticipated launch is January or February 2023. She said this is a very interesting one, as it is very hard to find contractors, especially for small things that have to be done. A lot of times they are not paid for like two or three months after they have given their things. With this issue in mind, MORPC is attempting to have a contractor invoice payment proposal. MORPC works with people that need weatherization or in need major work on their properties, but they do not have the monies to do that. This contractor initiative will be for anybody that wants to be part of it. It facilitates an expedited payment of invoices. MORPC would work with banks to identify loan options through proposed reserve fund. They would administer the reserve fund and coordinate assistance and support to contractors. The MORPC staff would love to be able to come out and help with some of the properties in the community that need this kind of work to be done and also talk with any contractors that would be interested in becoming part of initiative. Angelou noted the idea of shared planners. The City of Gahanna, Whitehall or New Albany might need to be doing planning that they cannot do by themselves, and MORPC’s shared planner would come in and help. She said there is also a new MORPC member community, the City of Heath, Ohio, becoming number 81. Angelou has signed up for the Central Ohio Water and Wastewater Planning Workshop. Councilmember Weaver said the MORPC Regional Policy Roundtable had its final meeting of the year on November 15. As part of the meeting, Weaver said they received an update from Kevin Hoggatt, who is the state government affairs director for Intel. Hoggatt emphasized to the group that as construction begins, Intel is focusing on sustainability. They provided an interesting statistic that for every Intel job, there will be 13 jobs created in the surrounding communities to support it. Weaver said this is impacting surrounding communities. Hoggatt also credited the bipartisan Chips Act signed into law by President Biden for making the project possible. Lastly, the Regional Policy Roundtable unanimously approved the public policy agenda. The agenda will now go to the Executive Committee for full approval. City of Gahanna Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 3. Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) - Padova Councilmember Padova noted that the Santa Race is December 3 at 8:00 a.m. People can register at VisitGahanna.com. Volunteers are still needed for the race. Holiday Lights Celebration was yesterday. The cold did not stop anybody from coming out. It was very well attended and looked like everyone was enjoying it even in the freezing cold temperatures. 4. School Board (SB) - Bowers Vice President Bowers received notice that the school is engaging in Operation Paper Clip. This school will be using a tiny object, an ordinary metal paper clip, to help visualize and remember the Holocaust in which over 6 million Jewish people and others were killed. They will be raising money in order to enclose paper clips in a display so that future generations of Gahanna students can view and reflect upon issues of intolerance and injustice. They are seeking to raise $15,000 to build a memorial for this goal. If you would like to support Operation Paper Clip with donations of paper clips or cash donations, you can send a check to GJ PS at Gahanna Lincoln High School, 140 S Hamilton Road. Bowers noted to just write “Operation Paper Clip” in the memo of the check. The Gahanna Golden Lions have advanced to the Division I State Semifinals in a historic season. The Gahanna football team will play Lakewood’s St. Edward this Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Mansfield Arlin Stadium. The winner of this game advances to the State Championship where they will face Cincinnati Moeller or Springfield on December 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. J. OFFICIAL REPORTS: 1. Mayor Mayor Jadwin thanked Renner for referencing the breakfast that was held on Friday at The Peak. That was an event held in conjunction with the administration and the Gahanna CIC through a partnership with Columbus Business First. It was a great opportunity to be able to highlight The peak at Edison, one of Central Ohio's most unique venues with the most beautiful view you will ever find in Central Ohio. It was also an exciting opportunity to announce the CIC's purchase of property within the Creekside District in front of more than 200 businesses, organizations, and stakeholders, not only from Gahanna but through all over Central Ohio. She expressed her thanks to the many councilmembers who were there. It was wonderful to see Council’s support for that. She also acknowledged several of City staff members were there as well. The Creekside District is the heart of Gahanna’s downtown. This purchase that CIC is making, and this endeavor, is an opportunity to add to the wonderful businesses that are already there and transform the Creekside District into what it was always intended to be, the vibrant, vital heartbeat of our community, one that adds to the quality of life for our residents and adds to the economic vitality of the small businesses that are City of Gahanna Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 already located there. As CIC continues its work on this project, the City will be posting updates on the website, as well as on social media pages. Jadwin invites the public to follow those pages for updates as we go along. She looks forward to more public engagement opportunities with the CIC and the City in 2023. At the breakfast, Jadwin noted that she also shared progress that we have made on the Crescent at Central Park, such as the addition of four new medical office buildings that have appeared there or at least are underway there in the last three years. She thanked Council for approving the latest development agreement this evening. With that, the residential component will be added. This is crucial to be able to support the workforce for that medical campus that continues to evolve in that area. She also thanked Mr. Canini, Mr. Underhill, and CASTO for their work in assembling an impactful project for Gahanna. Jadwin thanked Director Strum and City Attorney Mularski. They put in many hours and a great deal of stress, especially these past two weeks, into bringing that project and that agreement with all of its various revisions. She thanked Council for following along with those revisions to bring that project to fruition. This is a tremendous step forward for the City. Jadwin expressed her thanks to Lori Kappes and her team at Visit Gahanna. It was a wonderful event last night with the Holiday Lights Celebration. The fireworks were spectacular. It was freezing, but it was wonderful to see the community come together despite the cold weather. She invited residents to view the more than 300,000 lights down at the Creekside Park that the Parks & Rec team put up over the last several weeks. With the Thanksgiving holiday being this week, City Hall will be closed on Thursday and Friday. The City will resume normal office hours on Monday. Jadwin joined the chorus in congratulating the Gahanna Lions for their regional championship on Friday, the first in 40 years. She added her thanks to Mayor Spalding of New Albany, who was a very good sport in taking her up on a challenge as a friendly side wager. Within minutes after the game was over, Facebook was buzzing with people wondering what kind of pizza Jadwin was going to get from Mayor Spalding. She noted he will deliver that next week. She will make sure we get a good photo of him in the blue and gold of Gahanna. Jadwin said Chief is going to be part of a little send off to the team when they head up to Mansfield on Friday afternoon. She welcomed all that are out and about on Friday to come with a great show of support for the team’s send off. Finally, Jadwin shared on a more somber note, they City had a tragic accident late Saturday evening involving one of our Gahanna officers. The inclement weather on Saturday night caught many people off guard. Gahanna Division of Police, as well as divisions all over Central Ohio, were receiving many calls of disabled motorists. Officer Matt Eader, who recently graduated from the academy back in July of this year, was assisting a disabled motorist along I-270. He was in the grassy median. Another car lost control under the icy conditions and went into the median and struck him. Over the last 48 hours, during Jadwin’s interactions with officers at the hospital and in conversations, she was able to get a picture of what that situation looked like for Officer Eader, for the officer who was with him when it happened, and for those who have been assisting him. Jadwin expressed sincere appreciation to the first responders from Mifflin Township, the fire and EMS crew who showed up at the scene. They were doing their job, but when it is one of your own and you see them in that condition, they were tremendous support, and we were very grateful for the support that they gave City of Gahanna Page 9 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 to our officer. By Saturday morning, Chief Spence had received dozens of messages from fire chiefs and police chiefs all over central Ohio offering their prayers and well wishes and support for not only our Division but certainly Officer Eader. One of the officers Jadwin spoke with said he had been with the Division for 15 years, and this was the worst thing that he had ever seen. Jadwin emphasized that everyone is very grateful that Officer Eader is on the road to recovery. She hoped he would be able to be discharged from the hospital by the end of the week, where he will be able to recover from there and hopefully see him back soon. At this time of year, when we reflect on things that are most important and express our gratitude, Jadwin said she is grateful that Eader will be able to recover. She is grateful for the members of our Gahanna Division of Police who go to work every day and risk their lives to keep us safe. It is an incident like this that truly puts that into perspective and reminds us just the jeopardy that they are in each and every day. Jadwin added that she is grateful for the staff at City Hall. They go to work each and every day for the people of Gahanna and work many, many long hours. People do not see that a lot of times. Staff is dedicated to serving our community and to ensuring that the residents and our businesses enjoy a high quality of life. Jadwin said she is grateful for the past year for the collaboration that the administration has had with Council. We have been able to achieve many projects and that is because of the work done together. She looks forward to continuing that, not only through from now until the rest of the year but also into 2023. Jadwin is grateful for our residents and our businesses, for being a community that helps one another and cares about one another. GRIN had their Thanksgiving dinner giveaway. The cars were lined up through the parking lot. This organization never has a problem meeting the need in the community because the community always steps up. Even with the incident that we had Saturday with Officer Eader, the community was there offering their support. Gahanna is a really special place. Jadwin wished everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. 2. City Attorney Attorney Mularski noted the City closed last Tuesday on the new City Hall. He expressed his thanks to Kevin Schultz, who spearheaded this project from the beginning and through to the very end. Schultz got all the documents together. He made sure all the inspections were taken care of. There was a list of over a dozen contractors who we could take with us or leave off, and Schultz made those determinations. He got Mularski all the documents he needed to see in a timely fashion, including the assignments and the contracts. Mularski said that as a result, we got everything done. He noted a paperwork printing issue at closing of which Schultz helped solve and save the closing. Mularski reiterated that Schultz did a great job. Second, Mularski thanked Sarah Pollyea. She is a Gahanna resident and a member of our Property Appeals Board. She is also an attorney who specializes in real estate closings. The Mayor reached out to her when Mularski was on vacation because the attorney on the other side had a significant misunderstanding of how Ohio real estate taxes work. When Mularski got back, he talked with Pollyea, and she ended up jumping in with both feet. She is extremely knowledgeable and helped him so much. He said he could not have done it City of Gahanna Page 10 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 without her assistance. She took over all the title work. She made sure everything was done on that end so he could deal with this attorney. The attorney was trying to say the City should pay almost $320,000 in real estate taxes, but he was wrong. Mularski said he knew the attorney was wrong, but when the attorney on the other side starts acting so positive, he started thinking if he was missing something. When Pollyea came in, they went over all the documents. She said, no, the City is right and the other side’s attorney is wrong. This was very important because that was the last piece of the puzzle we insisted on before we were able to close on the purchase. Finally, Mularski said he would like to give congratulations to the Mayor and her administrative team. The administrative team brought this all together. He said six months ago, he could not have imagined that we were going to close on a 100,000 square foot building that is going to house City Hall, the Police Department, and the Senior Center all before the Thanksgiving. He said that it happened. He said Director Strum found this building, brought it to the Mayor's attention. She realized what a great deal it was for the City. Mularski said the Mayor “took the bull by the horns” and made it happen. We did everything we needed to do, and she delivered to this city what had been talked about for over 15 years. He said we have finally solved our facilities problem. He especially wanted to thank the Mayor because there did come a point when he had to draw a line in the sand, which included saying we were not going to close. Mularski said when you decide something like that, you really want to make sure that you are confident in your decision making. He spoke with the Mayor about it. She said she agreed. She said she trusted Mularski and had his back. Mularski said to know that, when walking in there and saying, “Nope. We are not closing unless you do it our way,” made it so much easier. Mularski said he would also like to congratulate the Gahanna Lions football team for making it to the state finals. They have had a wonderful year, especially since they have been road warriors for almost the entire year. We are glad to see the success they are having. Mularski said [the team] is going to find out that the sport builds character and fosters relationships that is going to last their entire lives. He wished them well and noted the only other time Gahanna made it to the state semifinals, the team also defeated Lakewood St. Edward. One of the starting guards on that team was Marty White. White was an employee of Gahanna for almost 20 years. Mularski said we lost White a couple of months ago. He was a fine person. He exemplified the character that you build through team sports. He was loved in high school. He was loved by everyone he worked with. Mularski said he knew this because he went to high school with White. Mularski was the left cornerback on that team. He said he remembered the game fondly because even though it started off with fumbling the opening kickoff, and then getting the ball on our 30-yard line, three plays later, including a sack by the left cornerback, they forced a punt and beat them 28 to nothing. Mularski joked that, no, they did not have leather helmets back then. K. COUNCIL COMMENT: Councilmember Angelou said the Lincoln Lions are going to do great. She City of Gahanna Page 11 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 asked if everyone could just pray that they come back with a score of 28 to nothing. Angelou added that the tree lighting last night was wonderful, thanks to the band, the orchestra, Santa, the singers, and the fireworks. It was a job well done. Angelou wished everybody a wonderful Thanksgiving. She said the Police Department was in her prayers. She hoped for a speedy recovery and healing for the injured officer. Councilmember McGregor said she was glad Officer Eader will be on the road to recovery and will take as much time as he needs to work back to full duty. McGregor said that on Saturday some people in her small group from church delivered food to a complex over in Whitehall from the Center of Hope. She said these people get food on a monthly basis, and this was their food for the month, but McGregor had delivered to four different homes. They were all single people and all very lonely. They were so thankful just to talk for a little bit. McGregor said we need to remember that not everybody has a family and if you know somebody that is going to be alone and can invite them to Thanksgiving, it will mean so much to them to come. She added that even reaching out with a phone call would mean a lot at this time of the year. McGregor also added her well wishes to the Gahanna Lions. Councilmember Weaver echoed what colleagues have said. He thanked Councilmember McGregor for that important reminder and that our community is stronger when we reach out to our friends and neighbors. He said he also enjoyed the Holiday Lights this weekend. He thanked Visit Gahanna and all the volunteers in the City, the Parks Department and police officers. Weaver extended his best wishes for healing for Officer Eader and sends him and his family all the love and support. He thanked the Gahanna Division of Police, as Councilmember Angelou said. Weaver said there was exciting news out of the CIC announced at the breakfast this past Friday. He said it has been a privilege to serve on the CIC board this past year. He thanked President Renner for the appointment at the beginning of the year. Renner also serves on that board with Weaver. The CIC board has a lot of community members who have a lot of knowledge that Weaver said he came to rely very heavily upon during board meetings. He said to see this start to come to life, much like 825 Tech Center Drive, it seemed to start as maybe a pipe dream but is now coming to fruition over the course of the year. This has been very exciting. Weaver expressed his thanks to Director Strum for all of his efforts in guiding the project. Lastly, Weaver wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels. Councilmember Padova echoed the well wishes to the Police Department and expressed her hope for a full recovery for Officer Eader. She thanked Chief Spence for everything that he and his Department does every day. She also thanked the Mayor for her proclamations tonight. Ohio has a unique Small Business Saturday in that every year it competes with the “Big Game” here with Ohio and Michigan. It is a lot harder to promote Small Business Saturday when you live in Ohio. She is sure that the guests in Chambers this evening can agree with that. Nevertheless, Padova encouraged everyone to still try their hardest either before the game or after the game, to do some City of Gahanna Page 12 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 local shopping. She said both the Fable Collection and Stella & Grace offer online shopping. Small businesses in Gahanna do so much for the community, and it is very nice to support them. Councilmember Schnetzer said his prayers go out to Officer Eader and his family and the entire Gahanna Division of Police. Schnetzer said he can only imagine how crystallizing that event was and really putting things into perspective, knowing with the day-to-day trenches of life, and getting stuck in our routines and then being faced with something that is tragic like that. Schnetzer said he would be praying for a full recovery. Schnetzer asked Attorney Mularski if he recalled the opponent the last time Gahanna was in the state championship. Mularski said, “sort of” with laughter from Chambers. Mularski said he got a concussion that game, so he did not remember the final score. Schnetzer said his neighbor a couple houses down is coach Phil Koppel. Mularski said Koppel was his defensive backs coach then. Schnetzer said Koppel reminded him the opponent was Cincinnati Moeller, and there is a 50/50 shot that when the Lions beat this Lakewood St. Edward, they could potentially face a rematch now 40 years in the making. Schnetzer said we will be looking forward to getting some revenge. Schnetzer wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoys time with friends and loved ones. He said it is one of his favorite holidays, uniquely American, and centered on food of course. Vice President Bowers sent her sincere wishes for a complete recovery to Officer Eader. She reminded all to slow down and change lanes away from stopped vehicles and emergency vehicles in the shoulders and medians. Bowers also commented briefly on the violence that took place at Club Q over the weekend and the heightened climate of violence across the country. She said NPR reported this afternoon that DHS and law enforcement across the country are monitoring threats of violence against synagogues and GLBTQ centers. The recent trending of conspiracy theories and use of dehumanizing language to refer to any person both contribute to an attitude that a person is less than human and makes violence against that person easier as they become expendable. She stressed that how we talk about people who are different than us matters a whole lot. Bowers noted she had distributed her October Constituent Report to colleagues and asked that it be incorporated into her remarks. Last Wednesday, Bowers attended the Columbus Metropolitan Club forum featuring the Columbus Dispatch’s new Executive Editor Edwina Blackwell Clark and Opinion and Community Engagement Editor Amelia Robinson. They discussed the role of the Dispatch in the community, the future and present challenges, and opportunities in journalism. Bowers took the opportunity to emphasize to Executive Editor the progress in Gahanna and encouraged everyone to write a letter to the editor about the importance of covering news happening across Central Ohio. Bowers wished everyone Happy Thanksgiving and thanked all first responders working over the holidays. She offered that she had not found a station or firehouse yet that refuses a plate of cookies on a holiday. President Renner expressed his well wishes, prayers, and thoughts to Officer City of Gahanna Page 13 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 Eader. He said when the Mayor reported to Council about the accident, the first thing he thought of is the family. It makes you reflect on what the officers actually do for everyone. It is not just an eight to five; it is 24/7 the service that they give to us, and a lot of times the service that they give to us is in the dark hours of night and early morning. Renner expressed his thanks and gratitude to Chief and the Department. Renner thought the overall theme of the night is community. The Holiday Lights Celebration yesterday was fantastic. He said probably in 10 years of being on Council and a few more years than that than being active, this was probably one of the best events that we have had. It was small enough that it was home and felt homey and it was big enough in the sense that it was a great celebration. Renner said that with the people, the crowd, you could feel the sense of joy. He joined colleagues in rooting for the Gahanna Lions and congratulating them on the phenomenal season that they have been having. He reminded that the team did not have a stadium. They have not had a stadium nearly all season. Renner thought Attorney Mularski made a very good point about team sports. Their success shows that. It exemplifies the work of coming together and having to travel and deal with something different. This is also representative of the trials of life and responding to the hindrances that we have. Renner said that with this being the season of gratitude and reflection, he loved hearing everybody express their thanks. Renner is very grateful and very happy to live in such a beautiful town on the east side of Franklin County. For the community, the work that the City has been doing, Renner said he is excited and ecstatic just with the Creekside project. This is phenomenal work. Renner noted he was there long, long ago at the first public meeting. He said he thought the Mayor was there, too. They were talking as a group, what was it that we wanted to actually do there? Renner said he still had the notes, the graph, the pictures and the cartoons from everything that they talked about. This led to a second public charette style of meeting. To finally hear this many years later that we are almost a stone’s throw away from it is just really exciting. He added that then to have a solution for part of our facilities issue, for City Hall, the Parks Department, and most notably our Police Department, that was really the number one goal when we started looking at facilities and we started having the discussions. Top at the list was how to help our Police Department. Through some really good discussions and some creative solutions, we found something that can take several items off of our list. This is a very grand thing. Renner said he cannot wait until we have the ribbon cutting event. Renner thanked Councilmember Padova and Mayor Jadwin for highlighting the Small Business Saturday. This is a very good thing, as our small business community is so impactful. Renner wished everyone Happy Thanksgiving. 2022-0327 October Bowers Constituent Report 112122 L. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business before the Council, President Renner adjourned the meeting at 8:01 p.m. City of Gahanna Page 14 City Council Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022 Jeremy A. VanMeter Clerk of Council APPROVED by the City Council, this day of 2022. Stephen A. Renner City of Gahanna Page 15