President of Council Kathy McNear called Council to order on March 15, 2006, at 7:00 p.m.

The governmental body and those in attendance recited the pledge of allegiance. Mr. Knox gave the invocation.

Mr. Knox took roll call. Present were Council members Danbury, Galster, Pollitt, Squires, Vanover, Wilson and McNear.

The minutes of March 1, 2006 were approved with six affirmative votes. Mr. Galster abstained.

RESOLUTION R5-2006 “COMMENDING JANE MESSER FOR HER DEDICATION AND 26 YEARS OF SERVICE AS DIRECTOR OF NURSING IN THE SPRINGDALE HEALTH DEPARTMENT”

Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Wilson seconded.

Mrs. Mitrione stated Jane joined the Health Department in 1979. She has been a bright spot in the Health Department for many years. She has visited many of Springdale’s elderly and most vulnerable citizens in their homes. She has checked vital signs, administered medications, sorted medications, provided emotional support, assisted residents with personal care and actually had prescriptions filled for homebound residents. On her own time she has attended the funerals of many of her past patients. Jane developed the Springdale Health Improvement Program (SHIP) for employees. She also has played a very important role in coordinating the Children’s Health Fair which we co-sponsor with Sharonville Health and Recreation. She taught the bloodborne pathogens class to our EMS and seasonal lifeguards. Jane’s office is filled with handmade tokens of appreciation that she has received over the years from the residents. Thank you, Jane, on behalf of the City and me, for your twenty-six years of dedication and service.

Mr. Vanover said I had the pleasure of serving with Jane on the Board of Health, but the biggest pleasure is the feedback from the residents. Jane visits three of my neighbors. Mrs. Dissinger calls from time to time and can’t speak more highly about Jane. I enjoyed my time with you. Thank you.

Mr. Osborn said it has been an honor to work with you the last twenty-six years. I can attest that the job is stressful. You were our third health nurse in about five years. We were very happy that you found a home here. Everything in the resolution and said by Cammie is absolutely true. You’ve been a real valued member of our community. The service you have given our residents is unequaled. You will be taking a wealth of knowledge about our people in this City who have and do need help. You will take with you that caring attitude that makes you feel so comfortable to those folks you’ve had to approach to sometimes give them advice on wellness, help them with medication. It’s going to be very difficult to find someone who will be able to cover your same talents. As a co-worker I will miss you a great deal, especially when we have birthday singings or the annual Christmas party.

Ms. Pollitt said it’s been a pleasure serving with you on the Board of Health. I can only echo what the others have said. I know some of our home-bound residents really did look forward to your visits. You were a bright spot in their day.

Mr. Knox stated my aunt was enfeebled and living with us for a long time. She’s now passed away. When Jane came to our house it was one of the bright spots of her day. I not only heard nice things from my aunt, but also my wife who would like to be here this evening but was unable. Thank you for what you did for my Aunt Catherine and what you’ve done for the City.

Mayor Webster said we will miss you. As I said at the Board of Health, things have certainly changed in the last twenty-six years. I’m sure it’s not the same health department that you started with. I too received a visit from Nurse Jane in 1982 and it was a real pleasure to get a visit from someone like Jane when you are laid up. We have heard over the years how much our seniors look forward to that and what you bring to them, not just in the way of medical advice but as a friend and somebody to talk to. Because of Jane’s outstanding performance we listed that as one of the most important criteria on getting her replacement. We have someone selected for the job who is someone that Jane recommended.

Mr. Danbury said what stands out about you is that you are such a great people person. The few times I’ve had to ask you a question you always had the answer and you were always helpful. With our maturing community it has been great to have you around. Good luck on your retirement.

Mrs. McNear offered best wishes and best of luck.

Ms. Messer said I’m glad I came. Thank you all very much for your kind words. It’s really nice to hear especially in front of my daughter and two granddaughters. I’ve enjoyed my work here and I love the residents of Springdale. I will miss it but there comes a time and I guess the time is now. My replacement is coming from Hamilton County. I like her a lot and I think you will too. I think it will all work out.

Resolution R5-2006 passed with seven affirmative votes.

COMMITTEE AND OFFICIAL REPORTS

Civil Service Commission - Mr. Strange reported we had 300+ applicants for the firefighter position and nearly three hundred sat for the test. An applicant addressed the commission about the way we process and the way we test. We heard him and processed his request. We continue to work on our Civil Service rules. Mr. Parham informed the Commission that the applicants for the positions of Adult Senior Programmer, Assistant Recreation Director and Director of Nursing are currently under background investigations. We posted the position of Assistant Public Works Superintendent and we are posting internally for a Parks and Recreation position.

Rules and Laws - no report

Public Relations - no report

Public Health, Safety & Welfare - no report

Public Works - no change

Public Utilities - no report

Capital Improvements – Mr. Danbury said the grade separation is still on hold. ODOT has requested a progress status from the contractor. The current completion date is September 1, 2006. ODOT has notified the contractor on the Streetscape Phase II project that they have not property addressed pedestrian access to the sidewalks during construction as well as not providing proper construction methods to sufficiently maintain the street lighting within a construction area.

Mr. Danbury continued the SR 4/Crescentville Road construction is on schedule. The SR 747 pavement replacement project will be bid in June and should be completed in November. Ordinance 19-2006 is the Peach Street storm sewer replacement to provide an adequate size storm sewer to take off the storm water from the proposed Town Center development.

Mr. Squires asked why the CSX grade separation project is on hold.

Mr. Shvegzda replied the contractor is bankrupt. They are working with a bonding company to take over the project.

Finance Committee - no report

Planning Commission – Mr. Galster said David Okum was nominated again to the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission. The Heritage Hill Elementary preliminary plan was approved. There are some outstanding issues such as landscaping and fencing.

Mr. Galster said there was a PUD amendment request to put a Garden Ridge store at 11925 Commons Drive. There are concerns about traffic and the number of parking spaces. This request was approved with conditions. There was concept discussion about an independent housing development and one office building. The proposal had fifty-seven town homes grouped in three or four unit clusters, plus there were four or five ten-unit buildings for assistant living and one unit that housed about thirty units in various sizes. There was also one office building.

Crossings at the Park asked for a 3’ x 30’ banner for 182 days and that was approved. The last item was approval of a development plan for 84 Lumber. They want to build a showroom in the entryway and would have offices and storage also.

There was discussion about the proposed independent housing project, particularly relating to traffic. Mr. Galster said the plan is very preliminary and no direction was given by the board.

Mayor Webster said property my wife and I own next to CVS is part of this development plan. Had I known this discussion was going to drag on i would have excused myself so I decline to answer any questions.

Board of zoning appeals - no report

Board of Health – Ms. Pollitt said I was out of town at the time of the meeting but the speakers’ series has been set for this year. The March 30 topic will be Arthritis 101. The June 22 speaker will talk about nutrition.

Mayor Webster said those will be detailed in the Springdale newsletter coming out in a few weeks. The Children’s Health Fair had been hosted by Sharonville every year at the convention center. This year it is going to be here at the Community Center. It’s a great educational tool for the students.

Veteran’s Memorial Committee – Mayor Webster said we have contacted Cinergy and are trying to get a grant from their community affairs grant program. I think a number of you have been interviewed by a representative of Cinergy and I think they will announce whether we’ve been granted any kind of award at the March 30^th luncheon. We are hoping it will be a multi-year proposition. I talked with a representative from the Nazarene Church this evening and they are trying to put together another veterans program. If they do the proceeds will once again go to the veterans.

O-k-I - Mr. Knox said if you remember, last month the proposal for Western Row was returned to the ICC (Intermodal Coordinating Committee). They modified it but were non-specific as to where the road would go and where it would go across the river. It got to the budget committee just before last week’s meeting and the committee unanimously rejected the $56 million that had been recommended for that. Mr. Young, OKI representative for Warren County, stated that both the township boards and Warren County Commissioners unanimously opposed it, and there were quite a few residents there again. Mr. Brayshaw, the Hamilton county engineer, pointed out that this is the third road in Warren County to be turned down, mostly because of opposition from the residents. He pointed out that ten to twenty years from now, all the roads in that area, plus all the parallel roads are going to be gridlocked. There will be funds for a one and a half inch overlay of I-275 from Winton road to just east of SR 42. That will be done at the same time as the widening of the road. They are going to construct a bikeway in Cincinnati from Congress and Kellogg to Dumont Carnell. Miss Diane Martin, ODOT, briefed OKI on the through-the-valley portion of I-75. They ran all sorts of studies between four lanes versus five lanes and finally concluded that four lanes was the best way to go about it. Ramp metering is being considered, also special use lanes. They also said they have several approaches under review as to how to handle the Galbraith road exit. One is to leave it with no exit up to and through including direct connections going west on Galbraith. When the Brent Spence bridge is finally completed, it will have seven lanes. The OKI annual luncheon will be held may 12 and the guest speaker is Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.

Mayor’s Report – Mayor Webster stated I presented proclamations to a couple of young men here in Springdale for becoming eagle scouts. Troop 164 has had three eagle scouts this year. They are Justin Robinson, Matthew Jackson and Andrew Gorman.

Ms. Pollitt said my son is an eagle scout from Troop 164. I’m not sure if the same leaders are there are not but they should certainly be recognized. I’d like to see Mr. Joe Scott recognized in some manner. Mr. Rudy goes back a long way also.

Mayor Webster said Mr. Scott is retiring at the end of this year. It would be interesting to see how many eagle scouts he has ushered through the ranks over the years. Maybe we can have a proclamation honoring Mr. Scott for his years of service and also recognize these young men.

Clerk of Council/Finance Director – Mr. Knox reported there will be a special election raised by petition on the local option on Sunday sale of liquors in precinct E in Springdale.

Mr. Vanover asked who petitioned for the election?

Mayor Webster replied it would be the businesses in Princeton Plaza.

Administrator’s report – Mr. Osborn asked for legislation at the next meeting. We had applied for some community development block grant funding for improvements to the community center to help accommodate the growth in senior programming. The city applied for $150,000. We received $100,000. We budgeted $160,000. Our best estimate at this time is $150,000. We are including an alternate 1 for installing cabinets, counters, sinks in club rooms A and C to be equivalent to what we have in room B. The cost for that addition would be $15,000. We will only address that option if it falls within our budget. Secondly, the design fee for this work is $30,000. CDS provided us with the proposal and I would recommend that we adopt an ordinance at the next meeting authorizing an agreement with CDS for this work. I talked to Mr. Dan Domas, Director of the Hamilton County Development Office today and he assured me that our project will be funded. It was previously approved by the County Commissioners, went on to HUD and we should see the money some time this spring.

Mr. Osborn continued I have a plethora of bulletins from the Hamilton County EMA, all of them concerning severe weather warnings. The first is a reminder that the sirens will sound for five minutes in a steady tone when either a tornado warning or severe storm warning during a tornado watch is announced by the National Weather Service. Outdoor warning sirens are not used to give an “all clear.” This information is given over the TV and radio. Repeated soundings of the sirens indicate that additional warnings are being issued. Hamilton County has joined the State of Ohio in declaring March 26 through April 1 as Severe Weather Safety Awareness Week. The county is deviating from the rest of the state, however, in that it is not testing its sirens on March 29. They will only be testing once a month on the first Wednesday of the month. Finally, in a press release announcing the information about going to once a month testing, they’ve also included some recommendations that everyone should consider, such as having tone alerted radios in your homes, listen to the radio, have an emergency plan and each home should establish emergency supplies. We will be putting this information in our newsletter and it’s on our website.

Mrs. McNear asked, I wonder if we could put a sticker in our next newsletter. I can never remember if it’s a tornado watch, tornado warning, etc.

Mr. Osborn responded if the siren goes off, you should go to the basement.

Mayor Webster stated we won’t have another newsletter go out until July or August.

Mr. Vanover said every home should have a hard wired phone with a cord that goes into a jack. If the power goes out, the cordless phone won’t work.

Law Director’s Report - No Report

Engineer’s Report - No Report

COMMUNICATIONS - none

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE none

ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS

Public Hearing

ORDINANCE NO. 17-2006 “AMENDING ZONING CODE SECTIONS 153.052, 153.067, 153.082, 153.097, 153. 112, 153.127, 153.142, 153.072, 153.269, 153.492, 153.502, 153.504, 153.608, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF SPRINGDALE AFFECTING VARIOUS TEXT, INCLUDING ACCESSORY STRUCTURES AND USES, AND PARKING”

Mr. Vanover made a motion to read by title only. Mr. Danbury seconded. The motion passed with seven affirmative votes.

Mr. Osborn said there was a memo from Bill McErlane in your packets when we first brought this in outlining the changes. In 153.02 to 153.142, it rewords the text about accessory structures and uses in residential districts such that they only apply to residential uses. Another is to allow Planning Commission to issue a conditional use permit for not only parking areas on residential properties but also on access drives. 153.504 clarifies parking requirements for public and surface areas at restaurants. Section 163.608 replaces incorrect zoning district letter designations. It’s really a housekeeping exercise.

Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Galster seconded.

Ordinance 17-2006 passed with seven affirmative votes.

ORDINANCE NO. 18-2006 “GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO POLICE SUPERVISORS AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY”

Ms. Pollitt made a motion to adopt and Mr. Vanover seconded.

Mr. Parham said during the last bargaining session with the patrol officers, these two items, field training officer pay and on-call for detectives, were something we bargained. When we bring on new officers, a lot of times they have not had experience as patrol officers. When they complete their certification, they are assigned to a field training officer. The patrol officers felt this is a very key part of the organization and they were hoping to receive some additional compensation during that time. If there is a call, they are responsible to answer that call, and then we have a fresh rookie with them and they have to keep an eye on that individual as well. As to the detectives, we require that one detective remain on call for approximately one week. They are limited in activities that they engage in because they may get that call if an issue arises. Just as we have patrol officers carrying out those duties, we have supervisors who serve as field training officers as well as the detectives who are on call from time to time so we try to keep them consistent with the benefits we provide for the patrol officers.

Ordinance 18-2006 passed with seven affirmative votes.

ORDINANCE NO. 19-2006 “ACCEPTING A BID AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CLERK OF COUNCIL/FINANCE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH FOLZENLOGEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE PEACH STREET STORM SEWER AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY”

Mr. Vanover made a motion to adopt and Mr. Danbury seconded.

Ms. Pollitt said I appreciate the letter with references attached. We have not done work with them before and it makes me feel more comfortable to see the references.

Mr. Osborn said this bid also included an alternate item that we are choosing not to be part of the contract. We believe that the cost of the project is exceeding our budgeted number already. We budgeted $52,000 for this project. The other work we believe can be done by our personnel over time. This work is necessary to support the additional drainage from current development on Springfield Pike as well as future development. The project should happen very quickly.

Ordinance 19-2006 passed with seven affirmative votes.

OLD BUSINESS

Mr. Danbury said I’d like to remind people if they harbor pit bulls we have an ordinance against it. I was notified today that some people have stated they have three of them. You can’t have three dogs. I contacted the City and we are going to try to take care of it. Don’t feel afraid to turn in your neighbor. These are dangerous animals. You can have them under certain stipulations. They have to be muzzled, be on full restraint, and if held outside, have to be in cages where they can’t dig out. You also have to have a $150,000 bond per animal.

Mr. Danbury continued I had a request for the residents of Springdale to go into the old elementary school before it is torn down. I’m going to contact the Board of Education and school and see if we can have a walk-through.

Mr. Galster said just an additional comment on the concept plan that is before Planning Commission. They did mention that if they moved forward, there would be a meeting with the residents in the area to get their input before they even came back before Planning Commission again.

Mr. Knox stated no dogs are allowed in City parks in Springdale.

NEW BUSINESS

Mr. Vanover said we have a liquor license transfer from Karlo’s to Pappas Restaurant. There were no objections.

Ms. Pollitt said the “Senior Scoop” is an excellent publication. The people at the Community Center have done an excellent job.

Mayor Webster said Jackie and Sharon put that together and I think they have done a marvelous job, not only with that, but in organizing all the senior activities. We get nothing but compliments on the way that was handled. We have selected the third assistant recreation director. That is Matt Beaty who has been our fitness center manager.

MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Opening Day - April 29

COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE - none

UPDATE ON LEGISLATION STILL IN DEVELOPMENT

Funding for Community Center work - April 5

RECAP OF LEGISLATIVE ITEMS REQUESTED

CDS agreement - April 5

Resolutions for 3 Eagle Scouts - April 5

Resolution for Joe Scott - April 5

Council adjourned at 8:31 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Edward F. Knox

Clerk of Council/Finance Director

Minutes Approved:

Kathy McNear, President of Council

__________________________, 2006