City Council

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes City Council Stephen A. Renner, President Trenton I. Weaver, Vice President Karen J. Angelou Merisa K. Bowers Nancy R. McGregor Kaylee Padova Michael Schnetzer Jeremy A. VanMeter, Clerk of Council Monday, February 20, 2023 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, February 20, 2023, in Council Chambers. President of Council Stephen A. Renner called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Vice President of Council Trenton I. Weaver delivered an Invocation and led members in the Pledge of Allegiance. The agenda for this meeting was published on February 17, 2023. Present 7 - Karen J. Angelou, Merisa K. Bowers, Nancy R. McGregor, Kaylee Padova, Stephen A. Renner, Michael Schnetzer, and Trenton I. Weaver B. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA: C. HEARING OF VISITORS: 1. Swearing-in Ceremony for Director of Public Safety Mayor Jadwin noted that previous Director of Public Safety Keith Winn resigned from his position several months ago after he received a promotional opportunity with his employer. Because this is a part time position, he was working someplace else. After Winn’s departure, Jadwin said she decided to post the position online in the full spirit of accountability and transparency to the community. The City received about ten applications both from around Ohio and outside of Ohio. Jadwin formed an interview panel internally to conduct interviews. She is very pleased to announce that she has had made a hiring decision and an offer. Tonight, she is going to swear-in new Director of Public Safety Tim Becker. Becker has 34 years of law enforcement experience. He just retired from Columbus Police Department as a deputy chief. He holds a Master of Science in public safety, has held multiple roles and been part of law enforcement leadership programs throughout his career . Becker currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Starfish Assignment, having served that board as an executive vice president. This is the “Books and Badges” program. Our officers participate in their program very eagerly. Every year , they take books into the schools. Jadwin said the whole program is about community engagement and an opportunity to reach communities, especially people in the most need and connect them with police, create a bond, and an engagement with the community via that program. With Council’s indulgence, Jadwin administered the Oath of Office to Becker, with applause and congratulations from those in Chambers. City of Gahanna Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 Director Becker thanked Council. He said he is very excited to get to meet Council. Becker is a lifelong resident of Central Ohio. He went to Ohio State for undergrad, joined Columbus Police at 22-years-old and spent 34 years there, has 28 years of supervisory experience, with the last 12 being a deputy chief. He got to do a lot of great things there. Columbus is a very big organization, and a lot of people do not get the opportunity to move around and try different things. He got to do everything there is in leadership, including training, being over the diversity hiring initiatives , overseeing the background process, and active with community engagement as mentioned with Starfish. He noted the President of Starfish, Nicole Banks, was also in Chambers tonight. Director Becker stressed it was important for police to engage with the public. Often the police see the public on the worst day of their life. Generally, people do not call the police on their best day . They call the police on their worst day. So, it is good for the police and the community to interact when it is not the worst day. Becker said he is really excited about the wellness initiatives going on in Gahanna. From what he has heard, the Police Department is far ahead of most. Becker has had the opportunity to be involved in wellness for law enforcement officers for a long time, including some trips to Washington, D.C. to testify to committees about police wellness and the need for it . A happy and healthy workforce is a productive workforce. It is really important that officers get through their career enjoying themselves, do not experience burnout, learn how to manage all the trauma that they experience in their careers, and go on to have a happy retirement when they are done. He thanked Council for the opportunity. He is really excited about it and looks forward to meeting all of Council and learning more about each member . Mayor Jadwin said Becker is also being very modest. About two weeks ago, Becker received a Trailblazer Award from the organization Mothers Against Murdered Children founded by Malissa Thomas-St. Clair in recognition of his work with community engagement and for all of the efforts that he has demonstrated in his previous role. Jadwin shared St. Clair was excited to hear that Becker would be joining Chief Spence, whom she loves, and becoming a part of the team in Gahanna. 2. Members of the Public Jonathan Heberline of 392 Gary Lee Drive, Gahanna, OH spoke on parking on Jahn Drive and Gary Lee Drive. Mr. Heberline said he has been a resident of Gahanna for roughly six years. It has been a great six years. He loves the neighborhood, how close he is to the high school, enjoys the football game traffic, and seeing kids go to school. This makes him feel at home here. It is a quiet street that he lives on and its connectivity to the overall city. However, Heberline noted Council was aware that there have been some issues regarding the parking on Gary Lee and Jahn. He was asked to speak tonight and share his story. Ever since the parking ban was lifted, the neighborhood became a parking lot pretty much overnight. Understandably, a lot of people in high school want to park and that has resulted in trash, noise, and clogged streets. It is interesting to Heberline that we went from some parking, to all parking , and then immediately no parking. He said it seems like we are not really sure what is going on. He was not warned about the change and never heard it was coming. He thought maybe that is his fault. He does not always read the meeting notes and does not always know what is going on in this building, but he never knew about any of this until it was happening. No parking right now means that during his daughter’s eighth birthday party, he had to shuttle elderly family members 1/4 of a mile away from where he lives. This involved taking two cars, going in and parking off Douglas Drive, City of Gahanna Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 unloading a car into his car, including elderly people and his mother in a wheelchair, driving back, and unloading. He said this was kind of embarrassing when having his daughter's birthday party. That scenario has happened twice now for gatherings. Previously, he could use Jahn. Now, he needs to shuttle guests. If he has more than three or four cars in his single lane driveway, he needs have to shuttle, or do what his wife calls “the car dance,” which is unloading two or three cars and then moving one car in and strategically figuring out who has to leave and when so that no one is in anyone’s way. It seems to Heberline that the parking situation came to be an “all or nothing.” He said this mentality has punished the residents. He is here to ask what is happening and just share his story. Heberline concluded that when you take something that was not a big deal and then change things, it then becomes a big deal. For him, the solution simple is to just restrict hours so that there is not overcrowding during the day. There could be “No Parking 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM” on weekdays. This seems pretty reasonable to Heberline. That allows overflow for events at the high school and allows residents to be able to park . He thanked Council for the time to speak. Alveda Bates of 100 Jahn Drive, Gahanna, OH spoke on parking in her neighborhood. Ms. Bates said she was here to support the 12 residents who now have no parking and are in the same situation as [Mr. Heberline]. For Bates, she has been there for 40 years. She had never seen a safety issue with the fire department. In 2020, the Fire Department emergency squad was there for her when she had a mild stroke. Bates said she has been a supporter of Council. She loves her city, but this is untenable. The Mayor and Bates just spoke prior to the meeting. Bates said the Mayor has agreed to speak and talk about this with other neighbors. Bates said she has invited other people to come in and tell their stories. However, she has really tried to mentor people in her neighborhood. This includes the young people who do not know how [Council] works. She stressed that Council is really here to help residents, to teach, and here because people elected Council to serve. Bates said that now she is seeing the peace and love that she has known go away. People in her neighborhood deserve better. Bates deserves better. She said she does not deserve to get up tomorrow morning and go out and stand in front of her house and ask the students to please not park there because she is having her trees trimmed. She has to grab other neighbors’ big garbage cans to sit on the street in case she is not up in time to ask that the parked cars be moved. Bates said she has a rectangular yard, but it is the wide and covers the length of maybe six cars parking in front of her house. She asked those on the dais to raise their hand if they had ever driven down Jahn Drive for anytime from 7:00 to 10:00 o'clock on school days. What do you see? She said we did not solve a lot. She thinks the mess on the corner might have been solved. What is worse, though, Bates previously came to Council because one of her neighbors had been threatened with assault. Two dogs have been run over with one killed. They just wanted the sign to be changed back to bring us the peace in the neighborhood without the parking of students. They still have students. Bates said she also has people who are not living in Gahanna sending her messages online about the ranting parents. They cannot park on school property . They are parking on Jahn. Bates asked what happens if she is assaulted . Bates said the parents and the kids are not respectful. Bates hopes that with the Mayor and new Director of Public Safety that this can be resolved. She hoped Council will do the job that she knows they have done for the last 60 years . She has been present and worked hard for this community. Bates thanked Council for the time to speak . D. CONSENT AGENDA: City of Gahanna Page 3 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 1. Minutes - To Approve: 2023-0033 CN Minutes 2.6.2023 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2023-0034 CN Special Minutes 2.13.2023 The minutes were approved on the Consent Agenda. 2. Motions: MT-0004-2023 A MOTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS & RECREATION TO BID CONTRACT FOR RENOVATION OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 94 PRICE ROAD FOR A RECREATION PROGRAM CENTER The Motion was approved on the Consent Agenda. MT-0005-2023 A MOTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING TO BID CONTRACT FOR PUBLIC DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE VICINITY OF 493 AND 519 EAST JOHNSTOWN ROAD The Motion was approved on the Consent Agenda. MT-0006-2023 A MOTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING TO BID CONTRACT FOR THE CLAYCRAFT ROAD WATERLINE REPLACEMENT The Motion was approved on the Consent Agenda. 3. Resolutions: RES-0005-2023 A RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE 150 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY AND OPENING OF THE NEW GAHANNA BRANCH BUILDING ON MARCH 4, 2023 The Resolution was adopted on the Consent Agenda. RES-0006-2023 A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY OF GAHANNA TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT ASSISTANCE FROM THE CLEAN OHIO CONSERVATION PROGRAM FUND ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE OHIO PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSION The Resolution was adopted on the Consent Agenda. 4. Ordinances for Second Reading: City of Gahanna Page 4 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 ORD-0004-2023 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND GAHANNA CODE CHAPTER 157 RECORDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGARDING MEMBERSHIP OF THE RECORDS COMMISSION The Ordinance was adopted on the Consent Agenda. ORD-0005-2023 AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE GAHANNA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION (CIC) FOR A TERM BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2022, AND ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2024, TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY FOR THE CITY The Ordinance was adopted on the Consent Agenda. ORD-0006-2023 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENT WITH THE FRANKLIN COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOR USE OF CITY PROPERTY AS POLLING LOCATIONS FOR THE YEAR 2023 The 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- Angelou, Bowers, McGregor, Padova, Renner, Schnetzer and Weaver E. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION / FIRST READING: ORD-0008-2023 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS - General Fund Wages and Professional Services President Renner introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. ORD-0012-2023 AN ORDINANCE TO ACCEPT WARRANTY DEEDS AND DEEDS OF EASEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CITY OF COLUMBUS ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE HAMILTON ROAD PHASE A PROJECT President Renner introduced the Ordinance and read it by title. F. ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION, WAIVER & EMERGENCY ADOPTION: ORD-0009-2023 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ELFORD, INC. FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK SERVICES RELATED TO THE RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF 825 TECH CENTER DRIVE, WAIVING SECOND READING, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY City of Gahanna Page 5 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 Councilmember Bowers thanked Mr. Schultz, Senior Director of Operational Services, for the presentation at Committee of the Whole last week. This is an important step forward. She added there were some concerns about the use of waiver and emergency on this item, but she understands the importance of continuing to move forward in a timely manner. Bowers reiterated the ongoing desire to ensure that the City tries to avoid waiver and emergency as much as possible. A motion was made by Angelou, seconded by McGregor, that the Ordinance be Introduced, Second Reading Waived, and Adopted as an Emergency. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Angelou, Bowers, McGregor, Padova, Renner, Schnetzer and Weaver ORD-0010-2023 AN ORDINANCE TO ACCEPT DEEDS OF EASEMENT OF 0.850 +/- ACRES AND 1.000 +/- ACRES FOR DRAINAGE PURPOSES FOR PROPERTIES ALONG EAST JOHNSTOWN ROAD, WAIVING SECOND READING, AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY A motion was made by Schnetzer, seconded by Bowers, that the Ordinance be Introduced, Second Reading Waived, and Adopted as an Emergency. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Angelou, Bowers, McGregor, Padova, Renner, Schnetzer and Weaver G. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS: 1. Clerk None. 2. Council Councilmember Bowers asked President Renner if he would like to use this time on the agenda to address the issue brought forward by visitors tonight to allow for greater discussion rather than during Council Comment . President Renner responded the Mayor might want to speak to this, as he knows the schools and Mayor are working together on some type of fix for a future point. He asked the Mayor if that was correct. Mayor Jadwin offered a couple of points in regard to the comments that were just offered by the two residents during Hearing of Visitors. Jadwin thanked Mr. Heberline and Ms. Bates for coming this evening. Jadwin said Ms. Bates, who had just spoken with her, had exchanged an e-mail probably a week-and-a-half ago, in which point she had offered to have the Police Department and herself meet with the residents along Jahn Drive and Gary Lee to talk about the signs. There are certain signs that have to be in place because of public safety issues, line of sight, turning radius, and those types of things. As trucks get bigger and people start utilizing the streets in a different capacity, those situations need to be protected to make sure that public safety and transit through those areas are safe for everyone. That being said, Jadwin shared that they continue to monitor that area. Chief Spence and Mayor Jadwin had spoken and agreed that perhaps the best way would be for them to meet with the residents, walk through, listen to their concerns, look at the signs that they know have to stay where they are, but then also explore other options. Jadwin said they are always open to reevaluating what that looks like. She said they will get that meeting scheduled and will follow up with Ms . Bates and ask her to coordinate that meeting with the residents so that conversation can occur. In the meantime, Jadwin shared the administration is having ongoing dialogue with City of Gahanna Page 6 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 the schools. She was not sure if Ms. Bowers would be reporting on the recent quarterly meeting with the school during her comments. Jadwin continues to have dialogue with Dr. Deagle, superintendent, around what the school's plans are for helping to alleviate some of the congestion that they have and how we might possibly help to connect them with other opportunities in the community with vacant spaces . The City wants to try to be a good partner with the schools as they work through the construction challenges that they are facing and try to minimize impact on the community. Renner knows that this came up before, but was it that we do not have currently in our code the classification for limited hours for parking for street parking? Chief Spence said we have the ability to limit parking by days and hours. Some of those signs are in existence. Chief thinks what some of the calls have been for have been for permit style parking, which is not in our Code. This is the issuance of permits. Renner confirmed that we do have the ability to regulate this. What would it take [to remedy]? Is that a code change for that specific site or is that an action that is taken by the Police Department? Chief responded that, generally speaking, for signage requirements in restricting parking there is an assessment done of that roadway. Then, there is a signage order that goes to the Director of Public Safety for signature. It is usually followed with whatever that evidence exists, such as photographs of the area. It really depends. In this particular case, going back to what Chief said in front of Council back in December, this set of roadways is unlike any place else in Gahanna. There are several very tight curves. There are curves and intersections that are at opposing angles. There are the provisions of Section 351 , which are the parking restrictions in terms of number of feet from a driveway, number of feet from a fire hydrant, and number of feet from a crosswalk. There are several very tight crosswalks within those sections of roadway. Also, for this case we have imagery going back to 2018 prior to the roadway and the sidewalk improvements. Many of those signs returned to where they were in their original location, give or take a few feet. There was some underground utility work. When it comes to placing of signage, we also have to check with the Public Service Department. There is an evaluation of public utilities to determine what is underneath the ground when those signs are placed. Chief said whenever these restrictions are placed , there is somebody that is not happy. There is an element of dissatisfaction depending on which side one is on. He said the City had a similar issue on Fleetrun. We made some changes there to facilitate a better turning radius on that roadway. One side of the street was happy. The other side of the street was not happy. When those changes were made, it became the opposite. Chief said they were looking at the angles, the turning radius, the position of the fire hydrants , and all the restrictions that are in Code. Prior to those signs going back in, he noted there were serious problems with being able to travel just one vehicle at a time. Chief thinks that the “ask” or what has been desired in the past is for permit-style parking. That does not exist in code. Renner thanked Chief for the information. He added that it was not long ago in his section of town that Mistletoe did not have any kind of limits and then all of a sudden, the City did set the limit for one side because of emergency use. He remembered it was a situation where one side was very unhappy. Renner knows that there are many other neighborhoods across our town that are older neighborhoods, and we have roads with increased traffic and demands. Now this has been compounded with the school situation and parking and has moved things forward a little bit in time. Spence added that from an environmental standpoint, in terms of that neighborhood, it is unlike many in Gahanna. As Mr. Heberline indicated, there are single car garages. There are narrow driveways. There are odd angles that interplay with curvature of the roadway and the approach to those intersections is very tight. Also, there were several non-conforming signs in the neighborhood. Prior to the construction around 2019, there were a lot of non-conforming signs and others that the City could not determine placement. Some of this involved going back out to that area and trying place signs in accordance with Code and the many provisions related to parking restrictions. Renner thanked the Chief again summarizing the public processes. He City of Gahanna Page 7 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 also thanked the Mayor as she goes out and talks with people in the area. Council will be very interested in this. Mayor Jadwin said she would provide an update as to how that goes. H. REPRESENTATIVES: 1. Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) - Renner, Weaver President Renner noted the CIC will have a meeting tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. in the Committee Room. 2. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) - Angelou, Weaver Councilmember Angelou reported that Marion County was accepted as a member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, which takes the membership to 81 or 82. When Angelou first joined, it was around 35 members. MORPC also adopted a resolution on objectives and performance measures to be included in the 2024 to 2050 Columbus area Metropolitan Transportation Plan. There was information about the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) Conference held in January . MORPC welcomes Todd Bradley, PhD, as the Regional Investment Officer. He is a former professor at Indiana University Kokomo and most recently served as policy director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance. In his new role at MORPC, Bradley is responsible for seeking and attracting federal and state investment opportunities back to Central Ohio. These critical funds will help advance regional infrastructure goals, plan for growth, and cultivate job creating projects for communities. With the release of MORPC's latest population forecast, Central Ohio will continue to grow, from around 2.43 million people living in the 15-county area currently to 3 .14 million people by 2050. The diversity, equity, and inclusion update included workshop opportunities for leadership, workplace diversity, and procurement. In the member services report for the Board, attendance awards for last year included both Mayor Jadwin and Angelou. Data Day will be on March 1, 2023. Angelou said all of Council is invited and encouraged to attend. Angelou noted that Mayor Jadwin is the Vice Chair of the Sustainability Committee. She invited Jadwin to tell Council a little bit about the Central Ohio Air Quality report. Jadwin said Brandi Whetstone, sustainability director at MORPC, had actually reached out to her because MORPC does air quality studies. They asked if Gahanna had in the past recognized Air Quality Awareness Week. Jadwin shared that she has issued a proclamation in each of the last three years on this. Jadwin provided Whetstone with the proclamation. She believes they are going to be distributing it to all of the MORPC members with a request to issue something similar this year, given the continued studies that they are doing and their efforts as we work towards sustainable measures within the Central Ohio region. Jadwin noted this has certainly become an important topic given the East Palestine [train derailment] situation and what is happening there. Angelou added that there are also many wellness parts components to air quality. Lastly, Angelou reviewed the recently adopted MORPC Public Policy Agenda, discussing the goals on regionalism, transportation, sustainability, data and digital infrastructure, and racial and social justice. She asked if Councilmember Weaver had anything to add. Weaver responded he was glad to have been able to participate in the Policy Roundtable to help craft the agenda. Angelou said she is very thankful to have been part of MORPC for the past 12 years. Vice President Weaver spoke on the MORPC Regional Policy Roundtable update. First, he reminded everyone that the MORPC State of the Region is March 31. City of Gahanna Page 8 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 Second, the Policy Roundtable met on February 14. They received an update from Jason Warner with the Greater Ohio Policy Center. Their focus this year with the new General Assembly is on public transportation and enhancing opportunities for multimodal transportation. They are optimistic that the recent bipartisan infrastructure law will provide some much-needed investment to boost these efforts, also focusing on reducing barriers to development and home ownership. There was concern expressed with the governor’s signature on HB45, which implements some serious barriers to affordable housing. The group is working to push for grants from a pilot program through the state that will assist communities in the redevelopment of their zoning codes for local communities. Weaver knows that something Gahanna is also actively working on. Next, the Roundtable received an update from Joe Garrity, Director of Legislative Affairs for MORPC. There were 11 community projects in the region that were funded as part of the federal omnibus package. MORPC does see opportunities to work with the new speaker, Speaker Stephens. Lastly, the governor introduced his state budget bill. It did not include across the board tax cuts. The Roundtable was honored to be joined by Representative Jeff Lare, who currently serves as the Vice Chair of the House Finance Committee. He was the main driver of the recent distracted driving legislation. Lare is also looking at incentives for affordable housing to attract a workforce. As all of these development projects are moving forward, we need workers and a place for folks to live. Infrastructure is a major focus for Speaker Stephens. There was an ask that the representative work with the governor on some low-income housing tax credits . Councilmember Angelou also noted progress being made with Amtrak. There is a push to try to get a line established to service Cleveland , Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton. 3. Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) - Padova Councilmember Padova reported that the Arts Council partnered and successfully hosted the Creekside Charity Chocolate Walk on February 12. They were able to raise $2,000 for Give to Gahanna. Nine different Creekside businesses participated in that chocolate walk. Tickets are now available on VisitGahanna.com for the annual meeting taking place on Thursday, March 16 at the Gahanna Sanctuary. Visit Gahanna and Gahanna's Marriott properties have created a package called the Herb Capital Experience that will be promoted to potential visitors, including things that you can only do here in Gahanna. This package should be available later this month and will help promote tourism and Gahanna. Last week, the CVB board members met with some of the members of the Parks & Recreation team to discuss the strategic plan that the CVB has been working on over the last few months. Padova shared they have just finished up that. They had a good conversation with some of the members from Parks & Recreation on ways we can help each other moving forward. More of the strategic plan will be discussed at the annual meeting on March 16 . 4. School Board (SB) - Bowers Councilmember Bowers said School Resource Officer Appreciation Day was held this past week on February 15. She thanked officers Hoffman, Corbin , and Lawrence for their involvement and investment in our schools. They have a uniquely positive relationship with students, and we are grateful for that in our community. Superintendent Deagle and Chief Spence put out a firearm safety update in the last couple days. This has been increasingly important to raise awareness about firearm safety in the community and do everything that we possibly can to make sure that if a City of Gahanna Page 9 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 firearm is found by a student, other students know how to respond to it. She thanked Chief for putting that out and for his continued investment in school safety and crisis management in partnership with the school district. Bowers welcomed Director Becker. She also looks forward to Becker’s involvement on those aspects as well. This weekend is the Gahanna Gala to support the Gahanna Jefferson Education Foundation. The silent auction is open, and registration is free. If you would like to participate in the silent auction, it does benefit the foundation. Tickets are sold out for the gala. The annual financial report of the Gahanna Jefferson Public Schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, has been completed and is available for public inspection at the Office of the Chief Financial Officer located in the administrative building at 160 S Hamilton Road. The Gahanna Jefferson Public Schools will have a board workshop on March 2 at 6:30 p.m. They will meet in person at Clark Hall, and the public can also attend or view the livestream. The school board has a new online presence for their agendas and streaming, which seems to work pretty well. There is a job fair for support staff coming up on Thursday, March 12. There will be on-site interviews and opportunities for on-the-spot hiring. They have a morning block from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and an afternoon block from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Clark Hall. No appointment is necessary. There is immediate need for support staff in our district. The Gahanna Jefferson National Honor Society is hosting a mental health awareness information night to help families understand how mental health effects students and families. That will be on March 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the high school auditorium. Finally, State of the Schools will be April 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the high school. More information will be forthcoming. Regarding the parking situation, Bowers said she thinks the administration is much more engaged on this than Council. However, at the last quarterly meeting between the city and school, they discussed the parking issue in two components, 1) ensuring that the students have safe and adequate parking and 2) ensuring that our neighborhood streets are safe and accessible as well. The district is actively working on a plan for additional parking through construction and after construction. Bowers believed the district intends to announce parking updates at the end of this semester at the close of the school year. They are looking at all kinds of options to help address the problem there. I. OFFICIAL REPORTS: 1. Mayor Mayor Jadwin noted that she would be returning to delivering written Mayor’s reports. She had intended to have it fixed to this agenda but was running into some computer issues. She will forward that to the Clerk tomorrow to distribute to Council. In that report, she shared there will be a list of new hires and some transition that the City has had as well. Council will be able to catch up on what is happening with regard to the administrative team. The City continues to grow. Jadwin again welcomed Director Becker to the team and thanked him for joining Council this evening. The Department of Parks & Recreation is also hiring. If anyone knows teenagers or adults who are interested in seasonal employment to help run the City’s pools or camps, please share that those positions are available and up and running on the website. Also, the Department of Public Safety is currently accepting applications for police officers and communications technicians. There are a host of other positions available as well in finance and IT. Those are all posted on www.gahanna.gov. One can apply online. Last week, our Community Liaison Officer Kelie Moffitt led the distribution of more than 500 books to students at various Gahanna schools. Of those 500 plus books was the 25,000th book in the history of the Starfish Program, which is quite an achievement for that organization. Jadwin knows that Director Becker, as a member of that board, is also very proud of that as well. Jadwin was thrilled that Gahanna City of Gahanna Page 10 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 police officers were able to distribute that milestone book. On March 4 , the grand opening ribbon cutting, and dedication of the new Gahanna Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library will kick off at 9:00 a.m. That event is open to the public. The library also will be celebrating its 150th birthday and will host many activities for families scheduled throughout that day. This includes everybody from stilt walkers to entertainment and musical activities. The new Gahanna Branch represents a significant economic investment for the City. Jadwin knows that our entire Community, including all in Council Chambers tonight, are excited to see those doors open and for that building to be filled with people. On Wednesday, February 22, AEP crews will be replacing some poles on Granville Street near the library. Westbound curb lanes will be periodically closed between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Jadwin added that work will continue as well from 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday night until 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning. At that time, they are going to be transferring lines and doing it at that time in an effort to reduce disruptions to operating businesses. Also, traffic will be at a minimal time, so minimal disruptions to commuters and vehicles traveling through that intersection. As Council is aware, the City has been working on updating the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan over the last eight to nine months. The plan will guide decision making on policy, operations, maintenance , and capital improvements for the Department of Parks & Recreation for the next decade. Public input was sought for that plan for about a three-month period in 2022. On Tuesday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m., there will be a town hall meeting in Council Chambers where the administration will walk through what is a Parks Comprehensive Master Plan and talk about how the public input that was gathered during that process is informing and guiding what the future policy and decision making will be with for the Department of Parks & Recreation. Jadwin invited the public and Council to attend this town hall. It will be an opportunity for the public not only to learn more about what the plan is, what it contains, and ask questions about it, but that will be another opportunity before the administration presents a final draft to Council for discussion and hopefully adoption later in March. Jadwin noted that earlier she had mentioned during Councilmember Angelou's MORPC report the events in East Palestine. With those events, the City has received several questions over the past week from residents asking about water quality. There was a post on the City’s social media about assuring our residents, as well as Council, there is no impact to water quality in the City of Gahanna as a result of that event. Jadwin said the City of Gahanna receives its water from the City of Columbus. They get their water from the Scioto River Watershed. The East Palestine incident is 180 miles to the east. It is in a different watershed. There is no impact to us. The City of Columbus has assured that they continue to do testing both on raw and finished water. If people have questions about water quality, they should contact the Columbus Water Quality Assurance Laboratory, at 614-645-7691. This will also be posted on the City’s social media pages and website. Finally, Jadwin shared she had the pleasure of attending a dinner theater presentation over the weekend by the Gahanna Community Chorus at Mifflin Presbyterian Church. It was a fantastic evening. She commended director Kate Cremean, the members of the chorus, their board of directors, and recognized Sue Horn, who catered the dinner theater portion. Jadwin stated that the level of talent that we have in Gahanna, from our students who participate in musical programs to the adults who sang that evening, is really exceptional. The Community Chorus will be hosting a free concert on Sunday, March 5 at the High School auditorium. Jadwin also encourages folks to attend that. It is wonderful to see what the people of our community can do when they come together. 2. City Attorney City of Gahanna Page 11 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 Attorney Mularski said he signed up the City for the third national opioid settlement. The first two were against the pharmaceutical companies. This one is the pharmacies themselves, such as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. Mularski expects it will probably be several years down the road before it reaches fruition. J. COUNCIL COMMENT: Councilmember Angelou welcomed Director of Public Safety Tim Becker. Councilmember McGregor welcomed Director Becker and looks forward to getting to know him. She also welcomed Colton Chrysler to Council Chambers. Colton’s mother is Jennifer Chrysler. Former Mayor Jim McGregor hired Chrysler first as an intern with the Development Department. She is now Director of Development in New Albany. Councilmember Bowers reminded Council of its membership with the Columbus Metropolitan Club (CMC). There are some upcoming events that she thinks are particularly of interest, including February 22 discussion on Intel and Licking County development. With Gahanna being in close proximity to this project, Bowers thinks it is important for Council to stay abreast of what is happening and progressing a few miles northeast of Gahanna. This event starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Grange Audubon Center. Additionally, on March 15, the CMC features MORPC’s William Murdock on Amtrak expansion and on March 29 there will be a discussion on the half million Latino population in Central Ohio, featuring Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla and Roland Medrano, who is the chief executive officer of La Mega Media. Bowers encouraged others to check out the CMC events. She said these are always really dynamic discussions and gets a lot out of them. Councilmember Padova congratulated Director Becker and is happy to have him aboard. She looks forward to meeting Becker and getting to know him a little bit better. Last week, Padova was able to go to the US Global Leadership Coalition that featured U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty. Representative Beatty focused on the importance of diplomacy, democracy, and diversity. It was a great event. Padova was joined by the Mayor and was pleasantly surprised to sit next to Gahanna resident Mr. Goldsmith, also in Chambers this evening. Padova thanked Mr. Heberline and Ms. Bates for coming tonight. She recognizes that the parking situation in their neighborhood has been a difficult situation with trying to please everybody, both the students and residents. She hoped that talks with Chief Spence will help relieve some of the tension over there and hoped that once the administration has the dates to meet with residents figured out that she will also be included in that . She reiterated her thanks to Heberline and Bates for keeping Council up to date on what is going on in their neighborhood. Councilmember Schnetzer welcomed Director of Public Safety Becker to the City of Gahanna. Schnetzer is looking forward to meeting Becker. Vice President Weaver welcomed Director Becker. Weaver is honored to have Becker here and looks forward to working with him. Weaver also thanked everyone for joining Council this evening. Speaking to Mr. Heberline and Ms. Bates, Weaver said he can definitely sense the frustration and is hopeful that the conversations with the administration will be helpful. President Renner thanked Director Becker for sitting through the meeting. It was very much appreciated. Renner joins the chorus in wanting to sit down and get to know City of Gahanna Page 12 City Council Meeting Minutes February 20, 2023 Becker. He also thanked the speakers tonight. It is always good to hear from residents directly about issues. Renner understands it could be a little bit intimidating to come and talk about these things, but it is deeply valued. On this particular issue, he hoped there is a rectification or some meetings of the minds to help with the issues in Mr. Heberline and Ms. Bates’ neighborhood. Renner noted that in his day job, he is director for water and sewer for Franklin County’s unincorporated areas and is also getting questions about many other things that the United States EPA is already starting to take a survey of for water. There is a lot more to come on all that. Lastly, Renner said he knows everybody up on the dais shares the passion of meeting with constituents and making sure to keep in touch with them. On the west side in Ward 1, Renner said everybody knows how to get ahold of him. He shared that recently his family has rescued a hamster from a constituent. He noted that sometimes as leaders this is part of the duty for serving and sometimes you have to go to that length. K. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business before the Council, President Renner adjourned the meeting at 8:11 p.m. Jeremy A. VanMeter Clerk of Council APPROVED by the City Council, this day of 2023. Stephen A. Renner City of Gahanna Page 13