CITY OF ROCKY RIVER

NOVEMBER 7, 2005

The Committee-of-the-Whole was called to order by Mrs. Bobst, President of Council, at 8:00 p.m.

Council Members Present: Mr. Gollinger, Mr. Potterfield, Mr. Frost, Mr. Hurtuk,

Mrs. Bartolozzi, Mr. Hagan, Mrs. Bobst

Administration: Mayor Knoble, Mr. Linden, Mr. Koran

Law Director: Mr. Matty

Press: Mrs. McKenzie, Ms. Payne

The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Mrs. Bobst announced that the meeting was being recorded by a resident.

ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR'S REPORT:

In news from the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Koran reported that the third annual Business to Business Expo was held on October 13 and it was a huge success. Because of the large turnout, comments from exhibitors indicated that they had gained many new leads.

In residential development:

• •Astor Place is almost 100% complete, with the final two large units almost ready for occupancy. The project has been spectacularly successful, with an average price per unit of over $500,000.
  
  
• •Beachcliff Row, the Bob Kelly project, is well under way, with the first building almost complete and the street being installed. Curbs and storm sewers are in. Mr. Koran noted that the third floor balconies have a spectacular view. He is optimistic that the units will sell well.
  
  
• •Adrien Elliot has submitted plans for the American Legion site, and the review process will begin immediately. Mr. Koran reported that the design is similar to that shown over the last months, with 53 one-floor units in four stories and an underground garage. He pointed out that the approximate 2-acre property currently generates $1700 a year in property taxes. If approved and completed, the $30 million development will generate approximately $550,000 in property taxes.
• • Mr. Koran encouraged a visit to the new homes off East Asplin, which he said were stunning.
  
  
• •The River Oaks property has been cleared for the beginning of the Grandview project. At present, underground infrastructure, such as water and sewer lines are being installed. Weather permitting, he expects to see a foundation laid in about four weeks.
  
  
• •On Center Ridge Road, Hamlets East and West are going well. Construction of Hamlets East should begin soon.
  
  

In commercial development:

• •John Spielberger has purchased the property at 19041 Lake Road, across from the Westlake. He is one of the City's outstanding property owners, and Mr. Koran is confident that the property will be greatly improved.
  
  
• •Beachcliff Market Square is progressing well. The parking garage is nearing completion, and the steel is up for the first floor of the square. Tenants are beginning to submit plans so that occupancy permits will be granted. The issues regarding Parsons Court and the church have been resolved, so there is serious activity as the project is well under way.
  
  
• •In Center Ridge Road development, Mr. Koran has met with representatives of Lowe's which will be located in the Rocky River section of the redeveloped Westgate. Plans have been presented at meetings in the Building Department, and Mr. Koran expects the review process to begin in December.
  
  
• •Also on Center Ridge, Mr. Koran met with the owners of the Westwood Town Center. For the short term, there is the good news that the corner store, formerly Zany Brainy, will be occupied by four smaller tenants, including the very popular Cici's Pizza.
  
  
• •The Dollar Bank now at Westgate will move across Center Ridge to the north side of the street.
  
  
• •Mr. Koran has also met with representatives of Farmers' Markets. In their tour of Rocky River, they were interested in downtown Rocky River as a possible future site. Details will be discussed.
  
  

A public hearing was held this evening at 7:00 p.m. for public input on the Exterior Maintenance Program.

Mr. Koran also announced that the City will apply for a grant from NOACA's Transportation Enhancement Program. This application will be due in January. If granted, funds would provide the City with funds to hire consultants to study the Lake Road project, and to conduct traffic and pedestrian studies for the streetscaping project. A street lighting analysis could also be included.

The Parks and Recreation Commission will study the possibility of linking Elmwood Park with Bradstreet's Landing.

An article in The Wall Street Journal discussed real estate appreciation in bedroom communities, using a home on Aberdeen as an example. Mr. Koran mentioned that Rocky River is in the top ten communities for new home starts in Cuyahoga County. The average price of these new residences is $390,225.

Discussion: Mrs. Bobst asked about Ordinance 148-05, the application for continuation of the Exterior Maintenance Program.

Mr. Koran noted that the public hearing for the ordinance had been held this evening at 7:00 p.m. The first application was made two years ago, requesting $75,000, but it was approved at $20,000, which allowed improvements to four homes. This year the application will be for $25,000 and it is hoped that the program can serve five households. There are income requirements, e.g. a family of four can have an income of no more than $48,150 to be eligible. It is typically used for seniors who have violations and are financially unable to repair their homes. The Building Department works with the Senior Center to identify those in need, and construction is overseen by Mr. Nugent of the Building Department.

SBC Easement Request: This topic was moved up from Miscellaneous Business because guests were present to discuss the issue.

Mayor Knoble briefly reviewed background information: last summer engineers hired by SBC came to Council to discuss expansion of the system with equipment installation on City-owned property. This prompted questions and concerns about the intent of SBC, and questions of protection of cable television fees received by the City from Cox.

Representing SBC was Richard J. Quist, general attorney and assistant general counsel. Mr. Quist spoke briefly about Project Lightspeed which will extend the fiber system, upgrade it, replace copper wires, placing terminals closer to the user. The benefits of the system to residents will be an immediate improvement in speed, quality and reliability over existing systems.

To do this will require the placement of boxes on City property and Mr. Quist indicated that the company will seek to enhance services with City cooperation as required by law.

He noted that upon reaching agreement, six to eight months later, customers could receive integrated voice, text and video offerings.

In return for City cooperation, SBC has offered to pay a fee up to 3% on video services, will provide reasonable access to noncommercial programming made available by the City in a compatible format, and transmit emergency alerts on its video systems for public safety emergencies.

• •Mayor Knoble indicated that there are now two issues before the City: the easements relative to City-owned property and building permits which would not necessarily come before Council.
  
  
• •Mrs. Bobst asked if the 3% would be passed on to residents and whether 3% has been paid to other communities. Mr. Quist responded affirmatively to the first question and said that the plan of SBC is to bring Project Lightspeed to 13 states, but that Rocky River is one of the first in the midwest. He indicated that under federal law, as a two-way service, this would not be currently under the definition of cable services.
  
  
• •Mrs. Bobst indicated that the matter will be assigned to the Contracts Committee.
  
  
  
  

MAYOR'S REPORT:

The Mayor opened his report by clarifying a story aired on Channel 19 last week in which Mrs. Elizabeth Skryzmoski of Riverdale Drive alleged that she has been harassed by City officials who want her to sell her property. She had been issued a ticket for parking between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Also appearing with her was Mrs. Pam Ghaster. The Mayor asserted that the City does not harass its residents; facts were not a part of this story. Far from wishing to buy the Skryzmoski property, if the proposed plan for the Yacht Club basin can be accomplished, her property will gain several feet.

The skateboard park is unofficially open. Located behind the high school at the site of the former tennis courts, the park got off to a successful start last Saturday. The Mayor seeks resident input on the topic.

This Friday, in observance of Veterans' Day, City Hall will be closed. Rubbish will be collected on that day, however.

Leaf pickup has become more intense because of the rain Sunday which blew so many leaves from the trees at once. The Mayor once more cautioned residents about raking leaves into the streets. Doing so will create a safety hazard for children who play in the leaves, plug storm sewers, and create a fire hazard if a car parks on dry leaves. Leaves will not harm the tree lawns.

With Mr. Koran, the Mayor has met with the Shred-It representatives to discuss the possibility of hosting a program twice a year, probably in January and July.

A very successful Senior Center Craft, Antique and Quilt Show was held last weekend. The Mayor thanked the many volunteers and staff of the Senior Center who did such a great job.

A bulletin has been received from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health relative to influenza planning. In discussing preparations, it has been determined that the high school will be the point of dispensing (POD) for Rocky River because it has multiple rooms. The Mayor pledged that the City will work with the County on this issue.

CEI is making capital improvements so that residents will experience fewer outages. Because of frequent outages last summer, the Mayor has had two meetings with the president of CEI to discuss what can be done to improve the infrastructure, and this latest communication outlines significant improvements which will be made by the company over the next five years. He said that he was pleased that CEI has responded to resident complaints.

The walkway at Tri-City Park that was approved by Council last week has been installed and the Mayor felt that it turned out very well. He thanked Mr. Potterfield for his assistance in the planning. Mr. Potterfield, too, has seen the walkway and was very satisfied that it is a nice addition to the area.

Mayor Knoble has held a number of meetings with Mr. Linden and Mr. Winterich about snow removal. The equipment is ready to go. This year there are nearly 300 residents (70+ or disabled) who have signed up for the free apron-clearing service offered by the City, up from 40 last year. In response to this, the City kept a smaller truck which would normally have been sold, and also bought a Jeep 4-wheel drive vehicle which will be outfitted with a plow. These smaller vehicles will be maneuverable.

The Mayor emphasized, however, that aprons will not be cleared immediately after the street. No aprons will be cleared until all the streets have been plowed. There could be 12 hours between street plowing and apron-clearing.

The October financial report has been received, and the Mayor noted that it looks very good.

Discussion: Mr. Gollinger asked if there will be a priority system for those who need their aprons cleared as soon as possible for doctors' appointments, etc. The Mayor said that those with special needs must call the Safety-Service Director's office during regular business hours to be placed on a priority list.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Ordinance No. 136-05: Mr. Hagan explained that this ordinance was discussed at the meeting of October 24 when Mayor Knoble and Mr. Linden advised Council of the necessary work done on the Spencer Creek culvert. This is the bill for those services. (Consent Agenda)

MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS:

Both topics, SBC Easement Request and Illuminating Company Improvement Initiatives, were discussed earlier in the meeting.

Mrs. Bobst asked if CEI is committed to the timeline discussed in its communication.

• •Mayor Knoble said that, barring catastrophe, the company will carry through the plan.
  
  

Mr. Gollinger complimented Mr. Hrdy. Because Mr. Gollinger has heard from so many residents, he is pleased to have a formalized plan. He thanked the Mayor and Safety-Service Director for their follow-through.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Environmental Committee: Mr. Gollinger recalled the dialogue in past meetings of the Committee-of-the-Whole associated with the railroad Quiet Zones. Traffic counts have now been completed at all crossings, and the information gathered can be forwarded to the engineer so that he can work on revisions of information now on record with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Mr. Gollinger has also received input from residents and they are overwhelmingly (72%) in favor of a full Quiet Zone. He noted that resident input is still being sought.

He wished to move that the Law Director, together with the engineer, be requested to review the actual counts and remedies, returning to Council with that information, as well as costs to implement protection. Then input can be gathered from the Safety Committee and from the Police Chief so as not to infringe on safety concerns. In this way Council can determine whether or not to direct the Administration to move forward.

Discussion: Mrs. Bobst asked the Mayor when the traffic counts will be sent to Mr. Mackay. The Mayor said that it would be done tomorrow, and that Mr. Mackay will feed the figures into the calculator on the FRA website and can then look at Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM). Mrs. Bobst indicated that since it was agreed at the last discussion of the topic to proceed in this manner, the motion was not necessary. Mr. Gollinger withdrew the motion.

NEW BUSINESS:

Ordinances No. 137-05 through 143-05: Mr. Gollinger noted that all of these ordinances are concerned with activities at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. These are annual contracts and every one has been placed for bids. The results have been reviewed, and where multiple bids were received, the lowest was selected. Increases were modest, and attributable to increases in petroleum prices, either through their use in manufacturing products or transportation costs. (Consent Agenda)

Ordinance No. 144-05: This ordinance authorizes lab analysis of WWTP samples. It, too, is an annual ordinance and will keep the plant in compliance with EPA regulations. (Consent Agenda)

Ordinance No. 145-05: Mr. Gollinger explained that this ordinance approves an agreement for inspection services necessary for the replacement of a screw pump which was approved last October. The firm to be used is the one which did the engineering to review installation of the screw pump. The City's consulting engineer, Mr. Mackay, has said that this would be the logical firm to do the work. The cost will be 2% of the bid, which Mr. Gollinger said was not unreasonable.

Ordinance No. 146-05: This ordinance accepts a standard easement for the installation and maintenance of a water main so that water can be supplied to Hamlets East, a new cluster home development. This is a standard easement, and there is no reason to delay approval. (Consent Agenda)

Ordinance No. 147-05: This correction to the Code occurs because of many recommendations for changes. In reviewing Ordinances 94-05 and 111-05, both were amendments to the same Code section and resulted in both being labeled section (h). This will make the second change section (i) . Mr. Matty further explained that there is no change in substance made by this ordinance, only a rearrangement of section numbers. (Consent Agenda)

Ordinance No. 148-05: This ordinance authorizes the application for a grant to continue the Exterior Maintenance Program. Mr. Hurtuk indicated that Mr. Koran had explained this ordinance thoroughly earlier in the meeting. Mrs. Bobst added that the application is due by November 18, so passage next week will help meet that deadline. (Consent Agenda)

Ordinance No. 149-05: This ordinance, authorizing the daily purchase of food for prisoners was added to the agenda this evening. Mr. Hagan noted that it was well-explained in a memo from Mr. Linden, and that the cost increased only by $0.25 per meal from last year. (Consent Agenda)

COMMUNICATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mr. Hagan noted that this past Saturday a first Little West Shore Conference football tournament was held in Fairview Park on new turf. The program was extremely successful this year with 79 or 80 youngsters in 5^th and 6^th grades participating. The score was extremely close, but the Rocky River team fell just a little short in the 15-14 game. Mr. Hagan complimented the Recreation Department which administered the league.

Council persons and other members of the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) have received notice that the annual meetings will be held on the third Monday in January each year. If the day falls on a holiday, the meeting will be on the first day following; in this case, January 17.

Mrs. Bobst again announced that City Hall will be closed this Friday in observance of Veterans' Day, but that rubbish will be collected as usual.

As there was no further business by members of Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

_____________________________ _____________________________

Pamela E. Bobst Misao Kurokawa

President of Council Clerk of Council