Committee of the Whole

City of Groveport 655 Blacklick St. Groveport, OH 43125 614.830.2052 www.groveport.org . Meeting Minutes Monday, April 19, 2021 5:30 PM Council Chambers Committee of the Whole Mayor Lance Westcamp Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett & Chad Grashel Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 I. Call to Order by Committee Vice Chair Hutson at 5:30 p.m. Staff Present: BJ King - Administrator, Kevin Shannon - Law Director, Jason Carr - Director of Finance, Jeff Green - Development Director, Ralph Portier - Chief of Police, Public Service Director - Brian Strayer , Stephen Moore - Chief Building Official, Tom Walker - Director of Golf, Kyle Lund - Recreation Center Director, Patty Storts - Community Affairs Director, Tom Byrne - Director of Parks & Facilities Management, Steve Farst - City Engineer, Bob Dowler - Director of Transportation, Sue Wadley - Personnel Director, Ruthanne Sargus Ross - Clerk of Council Guests Present: The Guest Book is on file with the Clerk of Council. II. Moment of Silence Committee Vice Chair Hutson asked everyone to join her in a moment of silence. III. Pledge of Allegiance Chief Portier led the Pledge of Allegiance. IV. Roll Call Council Member Hilbert participated in the meeting via Zoom. Present: 6 - Cleary,Dildine,Grashel,Hilbert,Hutson, and Lockett V. Approval of Minutes - March 15, 2021 The March 15, 2021 Committee of the Whole Minutes stand approved as submitted. #92-2021 COTW Minutes 3.15.2021 Attachments: COTW Minutes 3.15.2021.pdf VI. Business of Guests a. Robert Henry Robert Henry, 119 College Street, expressed his concerns about excessive noise. He asked if Groveport had a noise curfew after certain City of Groveport Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 hours of the night. Law Director Shannon advised that Groveport does not have a noise statute, what the City does have is a disorderly conduct criminal statute which pertains to individuals who make unreasonable noise at unreasonable time of night. If police respond to a call and determine that the noise is unduly loud, officers can warn the party or use their discretion to issue a citation for a minor misdemeanor offense if the party does not cease with the loud noise. Another issue Mr. Henry raised was parking on Groves Road west of College Street. There is a no parking sign on his side of Groves Road but the sign doesn’t stop the residents in the apartments from parking there blocking the road and making ruts in his yard. Administrator King will follow up with Mr. Henry on the parking matter. b. Madison Township Fire Chief Robinson Madison Township Fire Chief Robinson pointed out that the run stats for the month of March are up 200 calls higher compared to this time last year. He attributes some of that to the department being somewhat slower due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Statistics indicate the fire department has picked back up, and then some, since last year. He participated in a meeting about community events in Groveport, so hopefully, as things start to open back up, the fire department can participate. It is a very big goal of the organization to be a part of the community as much as it can be by participating in events. The department is back to doing blood pressure checks and has signed up for a prevention booth for the Third Thursday events. Chief Robinson extended a thank you to Police Chief Ralph Portier for everything he has done for this community and his service as fire EMS and mainly police for over 50 years. Ralph Portier is a true legacy and someone to look up to. Congratulations, he will be missed. #108-2021 MTFD Monthly Report Attachments: MTFD Monthly Report.pdf VII. New Business None. VIII. Unfinished Business None. IX. Ordinances and Resolutions City of Groveport Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 A. 3rd Readings None B. 2nd Readings Ord. 2021-015 AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING CREDIT/DEBIT CARD CONVENIENCE FEES FOR PAYMENTS RECEIVED BY THE GROVEPORT MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE Sponsors: Lockett Administrator BJ King commented that this Ordinance had its first reading at the April 12th City Council meeting. The Ordinance reflects a 4.5% rate for credit card transaction fees. Over the last week, kudos to Jason Carr and Tom Walker for their work on this matter. They went to the current processing vendor who had set that 4.5% rate and asked if it was the best rate the City could get. Then, they went to the point of sales system used at the golf course to see what other processing platforms would be compatible with the system. One of the two or three provided is the same processing platform the City uses for its utilities billing system. This brings the rate down to an amount Mr. King will request Council to consider amending at the next regular City Council meeting. Requesting the Ordinance be amended to state “in an amount not to exceed 3%”. The 3% is consistent with the Recreation Center and Town Hall rates. Vice Chair Hutson read by title Ordinance No. 2021-015. A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Lockett, to recommend approval to the City Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Cleary,Dildine,Grashel,Hilbert,Hutson, and Lockett Ord. 2021-017 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATOR TO ENTER INTO AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT AND COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA TAX INCENTIVE AGREEMENT WITH CA VENTURES RELATED TO THE PROPOSED ANNEXATION AND FUTURE REZONING AND DEVELOPMENT OF PARCEL NUMBERS 180-005225 AND 180-000279 Sponsors: Dildine Jim McGill, Executive Vice President & Market Officer CA Industrial, which is part of CA-Ventures, introduced himself and his team Ed Pitula and Adam Niemeyer also present at tonight’s meeting. CA City of Groveport Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 Ventures is a fully integrated real estate company which does student housing, senior living, and multi-family. Now CA Ventures added the industrial group. Mr. McGill went through the presentation highlighting the site plans and the proposed 640,000 square foot distribution building. They are currently in the annexation process getting a new deed recorded and a new parcel ID. They hope to move through the annexation process fairly quickly and start the rezoning application with Groveport’s Planning & Zoning Commission in early June. He went over some of the expected revenue this development could bring Groveport and the local school district. CA Ventures will make improvements to Hayes Road in front of the property in question. It was suggested that improvements to the Pontius Road and Rohr Road intersection may be needed if trucks are routed north on Pontius Road to that intersection opposed to east on Hayes Road over the narrow bridge. Vice Chair Hutson read by title Ordinance No. 2021-017. A motion was made by Council Member Dildine, seconded by Council Member Lockett, to recommend approval to the City Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Cleary,Dildine,Grashel,Hilbert,Hutson, and Lockett #107-2021 CA Ventures - Groveport Council Presentation Attachments: CA Ventures - Groveport Council Presentation - 4.19.21.pdf Ord. 2021-018 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE GROVEPORT COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT CORPORATION (HEREINAFTER "GROVEPORT CIC") TO SELL THE PROPERTY, LOCATED AT 384 WESTPORT DRIVE IN THE CITY OF GROVEPORT, OHIO PURSUANT TO OHIO REVISED CODE SECTION 1724.10(B) Sponsors: Hilbert Law Director Kevin Shannon advised the City will have the property appraised which will streamline the process so the City can sell the property in a quicker and more efficient manner. Vice Chair Hutson read by title Ordinance No. 2021-018. A motion was made by Council Member Hilbert, seconded by Council Member Lockett, to recommend approval to the City Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Cleary,Dildine,Grashel,Hilbert,Hutson, and Lockett X. Financial Report Finance Director Jason Carr highlighted that the City’s General Fund, or main operating fund, was approximately $864,000 lower when City of Groveport Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 compared to last year. This was primarily attributed to a slight decrease in income taxes but also because the City had incentive payments made to the GAP that was not included in 2020 financials. Also, the school sharing payment was not made until June of 2020. All contributed to the City’s General Fund cash balance being lower on March 31, 2021 when compared to 2020. Those two expenses themselves were $1.7 million. #93-2021 Financial Report - March 31, 2021 Attachments: Financial Report.pdf XI. Other Business None. XII. Reports A. Mayor - Lance Westcamp Mayor Lance Westcamp was sad to report that Bill Stoots, former Trees & Decorations Committee member and husband of former Councilwoman Jan Stoots, passed away on April 15th. Mayor Westcamp personally and publicly thanked Bob Dowler, Kyle Lund and Lisa Zurbriggen for the outstanding memorial program for Deb Scholl-Saulnier last Friday. It couldn’t have worked out better. B. Administrator - BJ King Administrator BJ King thanked the gentlemen from CA Ventures for making a trip to Groveport to introduce themselves to Council. He thanked Tom Walker and Jason Carr for their work on the golf course fees. Kyle Lund will report on the opening of the outdoor pool. Mr. King agreed with the Mayor on Friday’s event. The City will be doing an abbreviated version of its Arbor Day Ceremony on April 30th at 11 a.m. similar to the 2020 event.This year the tree will be planted right inside of the entrance to the cemetery. #94-2021 Admin report to Council April 19 2021 Attachments: Admin report to Council April 19 2021 Committee.pdf C. Director of Law - Kevin Shannon Law Director Kevin Shannon advised that the City received notice from City of Groveport Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 the Ohio Division of Liquor Control regarding the renewal of the liquor license for the Birch Tavern. The Police Department performed its background review and found no issues. Unless Mr. Shannon hears otherwise, Groveport will not request a hearing as to the advisability of the issuance of this permit. D. Director of Finance - Jason Carr Finance Director Jason Carr reported that the City is set to close on the debt to be issued for the City’s buildings on April 30, 2021. The City’s municipal advisor issued solicitations to 32 banks of which the City received three complete responses. The City is looking at favorable interest rates on its tax exempt and taxable bonds. Final maturity date is December 1, 2038. Based on the principle amount of $7,573,000 the City will pay approximately $2 million in interest costs. The Finance Department has applied Codified Ordinance Section 939.21 Delinquent Charges and assessed delinquent stormwater accounts for collection in 2021. The amount assessed comprised 218 accounts for a total of $37,808.62. The City received the first half net settlement payment in March 2021 of $19,351.05 associated with this assessment. #95-2021 FIN Council Report Attachments: FIN Council Report.pdf E. Chief of Police - Ralph Portier Chief of Police Ralph Portier commented the twelve years went by quick. Next week Chief Portier and Sergeant Casey Adams will be present for the April 26th City Council meeting. The department is looking for a smooth transition. Mrs. Hutson thanked Ralph Portier for his service. Mrs. Hilbert also thanked Chief Portier. He has been great and has done a lot for this City. #96-2021 PD Council Report Attachments: PD Council Report.pdf F. Development Director - Jeff Green Development Director Jeff Green reported the good news that the City received letters of intent from all three tenants for the new buildings and leases will be signed soon. The bad news reported was that the construction start date had been pushed back a little because of the City of Groveport Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 availability of materials. The Rarey’s Port building is scheduled to start the last week of July, with the Wert’s Grove building following to break ground the first week of August. There will be one formal groundbreaking ceremony tentatively scheduled right before they break ground for the Rarey’s Port building. #97-2021 ED Council Report Attachments: ED Council Report.pdf G. Public Service Director - Brian Strayer Public Service Director Brian Strayer reported the department is working with the Davey Resource Group on a tree inventory and an assessment of the City’s street trees. Staff is working with them to prioritize which trees need to be addressed first for removal, hazard pruning and some training for younger trees. Staff inspected all the street lights in the community for hazards. In the past there have been some light bulbs come down, possibly from heavy winds. The Department staff worked with South Central Power to replace leased street lights along Port Road and Spiegel Drive due to severe rust on the poles. The new poles will be made of aluminum and the light fixtures will be LED. This work will begin this summer with completion by end of the year. Public Works had budgeted for street sign replacements; regulatory signs, speed limit signs, warning signs, street name signs, etc. Crews have started at the east end of the City working westward. Fire hydrants are being repainted and fitted with the Storz adapters. The Storz adapter permits firefighters to connect a fire hose to hydrants in seconds. The department is painting the street lights, traffic signals and the pedestrian bridge leading into Groveport Park. #98-2021 PW Council Report Attachments: PW Council Report.pdf H. Chief Building Official - Stephen Moore Chief Building Official Stephen Moore reported that with the warmer weather comes homeowner projects. The Department is already seeing pools, decks, fences and the like coming in for permits. Property Maintenance Inspector Courtney Shisler has already been out checking for high grass and other property maintenance issues that come with spring. The Forward Air redevelopment project is underway starting with tearing down two thirds of the existing warehouse and rebuilding the remainder City of Groveport Page 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 to turn into office space. The Birch Tavern’s patio is underway with the plans showing some cast-iron fencing, planter boxes and a trellis. Wendy’s obtained a permit to update the building with some remodeling inside, changing the signage and updating the outside look. Someone has purchased the three small lots behind Wendy’s with plans to combine the lots to build a small 100,000 square foot warehouse to house about four tenant spaces. The Redwood project on Hendron Road is moving forward since Planning & Zoning approved its landscaping plan and the zoning. The phase approval for the building has also been approved. The project should start in the next month or so. #99-2021 B&Z Council Report Attachments: B&Z Council Report.pdf I. Director of Golf - Tom Walker Director of Golf Tom Walker reported that all the golf leagues should be started by next week. #100-2021 GOLF Council Report Attachments: GOLF Council Report.pdf J. Recreation Director - Kyle Lund Recreation Director Kyle Lund started off saying that he didn’t have anything to do with the planning of the event for Deb Scholl-Saulnier, it was all Bob and Lisa. He was just an active participant. Mr. Lund and Seth Bower have been working on the operations plan for the City’s outdoor pool. They hope to meet with Franklin County this week. The City of Groveport proposes to have two time blocks. 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (1st Session) 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Closed for additional disinfecting & employee break) 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM (2nd Session) Maximum number of patrons is 160 for each session. Patrons will be permitted to purchase (1) time block pass per day. A person may register for a pass 48-hours before the date of entry. Registration will be available online and in- person at the Groveport Recreation Center. In the event that not all of the time blocks for a particular session fill, persons may purchase a block of time in a zone at the front desk. Formula: 18,086 of water sq. feet I (6 x 6 x 3.14) = 160 patrons City of Groveport Page 8 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 Formula did not include square feet of Lazy River. Lazy River to remain closed. Patrons will be asked to socially distance both in and out of the water. City staff will install visual cues on the pool deck to provide 6 feet social distance simulations. Patrons will be directed to socially distance. In an effort to keep groups socially distanced, no more than 1 group may occupy an area under a giant shade umbrella (first come - first served). Staff plans to talk to the County to get their input regarding the in-water playground which may be too difficult to control social distancing on the three deck levels. They will look for guidance on the lockers, showers and drinking fountains being opened to the patrons as well. The City of Groveport will not be providing any lounge/deck chairs. Patrons may bring their own personal chair. Large group outings (more than 10 people) will not be permitted. Staff will remove half of its picnic tables, leaving a total of (8) to be used by the general public. Staff will sanitize each picnic table after use. The public will have full access to two 1-meter diving boards, the two water slides and staff is planning to open the sprayground. Mr. Lund named other points of the operations plan that he noted in his submitted report. Council wants Mr. Lund and Administration to keep a close look on the application of this operations plan. If something needs to be changed as the season progresses, staff will need to act accordingly. Mr. Lund will keep Council updated on the information exchanged with the Franklin County Board of Health. #105-2021 REC Council Report Attachments: REC Council Report.pdf K. Community Affairs Director - Patty Storts Community Affairs Director Patty Storts reported that Town Hall has been receiving applications from vendors to participate in this year’s Farmers Market. She hopes to have as many, if not more, vendors than last year. Over a year ago, Town Hall was contacted by a young gentlemen from Boy Scout Troop 622 who was working on his Eagle Badge. His project pertains to drop-off boxes for worn and torn United States flags. His project was put on hold because of COVID-19. Now he is in the process of finishing up the Drop-off Box to be set in front of Town Hall. #101-2021 CA Council Report City of Groveport Page 9 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 Attachments: CA Council Report.pdf L. Director of Parks & Facilities Management - Tom Byrne Director of Parks & Facilities Management Tom Byrne wished Chief Portier and his wife Peggy all the best on his retirement. It was great getting to know the Chief early on building a new police station and Chief Portier has always been top-notch with Mr. Byrne and Mr. Byrne really appreciated that very much. #102-2021 P&FM Council Report Attachments: P&FM Council Report.pdf M. City Engineer - Steve Farst City Engineer Steve Farst stated that it was going to be a very busy construction season along the Groveport Road corridor. There are few projects going on not with just Groveport but with other agencies as well. The Engineering Department is now soliciting bids for the West Bixby Phase II improvement that will require closing the road for a couple of months. The detour will route traffic down to Groveport Road to SR 317. Also, Franklin County Engineer is about to receive bids for the reconstruction of Saltzgaber Road, adding turn lanes on Groveport Road at Saltzgaber Road, and redoing parts of Toy Road and Swisher Road. Obetz will be doing work on Bixby Road at the Groveport Road intersection. Most of this work will be southwest of Groveport Road. Mr. Farst identified some of the 2021 Street Maintenance Program projects. A lot of the paving this year will focus on alleys. · Paving will take place on the length of Cooper Alley, Hickory Alley to Cooper Alley, and Buckeye Alley from Front Street going east to Cooper Alley. · Resurfacing Church Street from Hickory Alley north to Grove Street. · Paving work on Bay Grove Court in the Grove Pointe subdivision. · Rebuilding curb ramps at Main Street at Lesleh Avenue. · Crack sealing at various locations. · Rebuilding the curb line on the south side of Blacklick Street from Private Alley east to in front of the Municipal Building and correcting some of the deformities seen in the brick sidewalk. As to the Redwood Apartments project on Hendron Road mentioned by Stephen Moore, the Engineering plans for utility improvements have been approved. Mr. Farst is waiting for a construction schedule and City of Groveport Page 10 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 there will be a pre-construction meeting. The site plan has a few corrections needed before it is approved. #106-2021 ENG Council Report Attachments: ENG Council Report.pdf N. Director of Transportation - Bob Dowler Director of Transportation Bob Dowler thanked Mayor Westcamp and Administrator King for the kind words about the memorial held for Deb Scholl-Saulnier. He thanked the Council Members and staff who were able to attend. He thanked Community Affairs and Recreation Center staff for all their assistance in putting the event together. He pointed out the huge effort of Tom Byrne and his staff for all their work with staging, seating and electricity that made the FM transmission of the program a success. Mr. Dowler thanked all the Transportation and Senior Center staff on doing the fantastic job getting it all together. #103-2021 DOT Council Report Attachments: DOT Council Report.pdf O. Personnel Director - Sue Wadley Personnel Director Sue Wadley reported that Human Resources is doing a lot of recruiting from a seasonal standpoint helping Seth Bower to make sure the outdoor pool is fully staffed when it opens for the season. Seth Bower is doing a great job recruiting applicants and putting them through the certification program. Seasonal workers for the golf course and the Parks Department are also being recruited. Development Director Jeff Green interjected that he got word that the Groveport Presbyterian Church will be closing. Not before the last Sunday in June but it will close before the last Sunday in August 2021. The church has been around since 1853 and will be a great loss to this community. The Groveport Presbyterian Church offered a safety town program, spaghetti dinners and much more to this community. #104-2021 HR Council Report Attachments: HR Council Report.pdf P. Clerk of Council - Ruthanne Sargus Ross City of Groveport Page 11 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes April 19, 2021 Clerk of Council Ruthanne Sargus Ross reported that she is working to get all the kinks out of the livestreaming. She thanked everyone for their patience, especially those trying to view the live meetings. She is learning a lot more IT than she ever planned to in her career but she is starting to understand what happens to settings during a power outage. Mrs. Ross put links on the City’s website for the public to easily access the livestreaming. Q. Council Members - Jean Ann Hilbert, Ed Dildine, Shawn Cleary, Becky Hutson, Scott Lockett and Chad Grashel Council Member Dildine thanked everyone for all the information provided tonight. A lot of work is going in to kick the summer off, in the right way he hopes. With everything the City is trying to accomplish these days, it just goes to show that through the leadership and the staff that Groveport has why so much gets accomplished. He didn't now what to expect with last Friday's drive in memorial event but it showed all the thought, creativity and work that went into bringing people together and still keep them apart from each other. Mr. Dildine will say his goodbyes to Chief Portier next week. He thinks the transition will be a challenge for everyone but he thinks it will work out for the best for the City of Groveport. Council Member Hutson thanked everyone for the well-attended memorial for Deb. It is nice to see that the City is moving forward which is wonderful and getting creative. XIII. Adjournment Council Member Dildine made a motion, seconded by Council Member Lockett, to adjourn at 6:55 p.m. All in favor stated AYE, None Opposed. Motion passed. __________________________________________ Jean Ann Hilbert, President Pro Tem __________________________________________ Ruthanne Sargus Ross, CMC Clerk of Council PLEASE NOTE: THESE MINUTES ARE NOT VERBATIM. A RECORDING OF THE MEETING IS AVAILABLE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS. City of Groveport Page 12