The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date via Zoom teleconference software. The meeting had been postponed from March 16 due to restrictions on the size of gatherings in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Marc J. Benevento, Scott K. Gordon, Kathy E. McClintock, Ted C. Miller, Leah M. Pyter, and Dan Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, Bryce Jacob, Planning Commissioner, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, William P. Charles, Street Commissioner, and Gregory Bonk, Web Manager. At 7:01 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.

Minutes

The minutes of the regular Council meeting of February 18, 2020 were not read since each member had received a copy. Miller moved and McClintock seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).

Report of the Clerk-Treasurer

McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for February 2020 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).

Report of the Mayor

  1. The Mayor had several updates related to COVID:
    1. The Mayor stated that MORPC and the Franklin County Health Department were holding weekly phone calls to update area leaders about COVID and the area’s response. The Mayor stated that he had taken part in several of these calls.
    1. The Mayor stated that due to health concerns, Worthington Police are attempting to take care of responses by phone when possible and that emergency dispatchers will be asking additional screening questions to gauge the threat of contagion when taking calls.
    1. The Mayor reminded Council that there is COVID and public health related information on the Village website from several organizations to keep residents updated.
    1. The Mayor notified the committee chairs that during the period of restrictions on gatherings, they may hold their meetings via teleconference, as long as public notice is given.
    1. The Mayor stated that the Easter egg hunt scheduled for April 11 in the Circle Park was cancelled. In lieu of this, Social Committee organizers will distribute eggs to any resident who requests for hunts in their own yards and will be organizing a scavenger hunt throughout the Village for the older kids.
  1. The Mayor noted that the city of Worthington had selected Mark Zambito as its new Fire Chief. He will attend a council meeting to introduce himself when circumstances permit.

 

  1. The Mayor noted that he will be in touch with Burgess & Niple about respraying lawn seed in those areas where it did not take in the fall.
  2. The Mayor mentioned that there had been a sanitary sewer main backup on March 19 due to a blockage in the main and heavy rains. This backup caused a large degree of damage to the basement of a house on Riverglen. The residents of this house asked the Village about covering the $1,000 insurance deductible due to the fact that the blockage was in the sewer main. Benevento asked if the Village would be asking the residents to sign a document limiting further liability and the Solicitor affirmed that this would be the case. Schlichting asked if this would set a binding precedent for actions in the future and the Solicitor stated that would not do so. Gordon moved that the Village approve $1,000 in reimbursement to the homeowners for this damage and McClintock seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0).
  3. The Mayor updated Council as to a reported electrified fence on a property on Olentangy. An officer from the Worthington Police Department visited the home and the owner reported that the fence was not activated. The Planning Commissioner reported that he had sent a letter reminding the homeowners of the Village’s ordinance against electric fences and had not received a response.

The Solicitor stated that she had spoken with the Columbus Prosecutor’s office about this issue and they do not have an ordinance against electric fences.

The Planning Commissioner will draft a second letter asking the homeowners to deactivate the fence and the Solicitor will review it before it is issued. The Solicitor will also review the criminal code for any potential violations.

Report of the Solicitor

The Solicitor stated that she had received some proposed revisions to the solar panel ordinance from Benevento in advance of the planned 3rd reading. The revisions would remove language that allows ground mounted solar panels.

Schlichting stated that he had concerns with the ordinance in that he did not want to limit the ability of Village residents to gain the most utility from any installed panels. The Planning Commissioner replied that he did not feel that the language restricted the ability of residents to maximize the efficiency of these panels, and that the intent of the ordinance is to maintain the aesthetic character of the Village.

Report of the Street Commissioner

  1. The Street Commissioner reported on the sanitary sewer main blockage mentioned in the Mayor’s report. A key cause of this blockage was a tree root that had infiltrated the line. This was removed during the work to clear the line.
  2. The Street Commissioner reported that he had discussed maintenance on the sanitary sewer line with Jim Dippel of Burgess & Niple. The line was installed in 2012 and is due for 10 year maintenance in 2022. The Street Commissioner asked Burgess & Niple for a proposal to run cameras through the sewer system.
  3. The Street Commissioner reported that there had been an overflow at the lift station on March 20 due to the heavy rains in the area.

Report of the Planning Commissioner

  1. The Planning Commissioner reported that he had spoken with a contractor doing interior work at 5690 Olentangy. As part of this work, the contractor had placed a large dumpster on the lawn. Due to concerns about potential damage to the curb as part of the removal of this bin, he asked the contractor to pay a street bond to the Village and the contractor complied.
  2. The Mayor asked the Planning Commissioner about reported parking on the walkway approved at a residence on Olentangy. The Planning Commissioner replied that he had received pictures of cars on this, but that he had not personally seen this. He asked anyone who noticed cars on this walkway to report it to him and document it with pictures if possible.

Comments from Residents on Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on agenda items.

Old Business

  1. Committee on Infrastructure

Benevento, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the March meeting had been postponed and that the Committee would meet via teleconference in April. Among items to be discussed are the asset management plan and follow-up issues from the infrastructure project, such as curbs, drainage, driveways, and grass seeding.

  1. Committee on Communications

Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, asked the Solicitor if it would be possible for the Village to hold large meetings such as town halls via teleconference in the future, given the ease and growing acceptance of the format. The Solicitor stated that this would likely be an option for these type of meetings, especially as there may be more legislation widening the acceptance of this format following the COVID situation.

  1. Web Manager

The Web Manager reported that he had performed some patches on the website and that there would be some renewals coming up for the site in June.

  1. Ordinance 01-2020

Per the discussion regarding the Solar Panel Ordinance detailed in the Solicitor’s report, Gordon moved to table the third reading of this ordinance in order to make the requested changes and Schlichting seconded the motion. The motion was approved (6-0). The Solicitor will make these changes and distribute a revised copy of the ordinance to the Councilmembers in advance of the April regular meeting.

  1. Resolution 2020-02

Resolution 2020-02, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of William Charles as Street Commissioner had its third reading. Schlichting moved to accept this resolution and Benevento seconded the motion. The resolution passed (6-0).

Expenses

McClintock moved and Miller seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:

– $2,956.00 – Ohio Municipal Joint Self-Insurance Pool – 2020 Liability Insurance

– $   220.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating

– $   200.00 – CompManagement – 2020 Fee

– $   375.00 – RACO – 2020 Lift Station monitoring

The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).

Comments from Residents on Non-Agenda Items

There were no comments from residents on non-agenda items.

Next Meeting Announcement

The next regular meeting will be Monday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom teleconference.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Miller moved and McClintock seconded the motion to adjourn.  The motion was approved unanimously (6-0).  The meeting was adjourned at 8:11 p.m.

 

Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer

Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor