The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at Thomas Worthington High School. The following Council members were present: Mayor Eric A. MacGilvray, Nicholas Bartels, Scott K. Gordon, Janet Heidkamp, Leah M. Pyter, Emily Saving, and Dan E. Schlichting. Also present were Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer, L. Leah Reibel, Solicitor, and William P. Charles, Street Commissioner. Guest of Council was Steven Orenchuk. At 7:05 p.m., the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Minutes
The minutes of the Council meeting of February 22, 2022 were not read since each member had received a copy. Pyter moved and Saving seconded the motion that the minutes be approved as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Report of the Clerk-Treasurer
Bartels moved and Saving seconded the motion to approve the payment of bills and to accept the financial reports for February 2022 as submitted by the Clerk-Treasurer. The motion carried (6-0).
Report of the Mayor
- The Mayor noted that the street sign at High and Southington had been replaced. This sign was knocked down in an accident a few years ago.
- The Mayor stated that he had spoken with an attorney regarding the construction easement on the lot at the end of Olentangy. The attorney stated that the construction easement as described in the title is ambiguous and the best plan of action for the Village would be to negotiate a new easement with the property owners.
- The Mayor stated that there had been two situations related to flooding in the Village in the past weeks:
a. Worthington residents reported flooding on their property, which sits just past the end of Melbourne Place where the Riverlea water line ties into Worthington. They attribute the flooding to the change in grade resulting from the excavation and installation of the new water line. The Mayor met with several residents and a representative of the Worthington Services Department to discuss this issue. Worthington currently designates this strip of land as an unimproved right of way, and residents would like it to be designated as a path since people use it as a cut through between the two streets. If it is designated as a path, it will become the responsibility of Worthington to maintain.
Gordon questioned whether the designation of this land as a path could lead to it becoming a road in the future. The Mayor stated that the Village owns a small right of way at the end of the path, and could prevent this if desired. The Mayor stated that he would keep Council updated on future discussions around this issue.
b. The homeowner at 247 W Southington reported flooding in her yard and felt that it was due to the recent installation of a fence on the neighbors’ property. This resident contacted an attorney, who sent a letter to the Village. The Mayor and Planning Commissioner inspected the site and did not see any signs of a change in grade due to the fence. After some discussion, the Council agreed that the issue is between the two homeowners. The Solicitor will draft a response to the attorney to this effect.
- The Mayor stated that he had been contacted about holding the Village Easter Egg Hunt. The Village will hold this event Saturday, April 16 in the Circle Park.
- The Mayor asked Council members whether they would like to hold the April meeting in Circle Park. Council decided that they would decide on this about a week before the meeting.
Report of the Solicitor
- The Solicitor stated that she had researched whether the Village website could be considered a public location for posting of Village information, and that the Ohio Revised Code does not cover such virtual locations in this rule for municipalities. She will continue to research this issue.
- The Solicitor asked about flood prone areas, as the Village code contains special regulations on construction in such areas. The Street Commissioner stated that this typically is considered the 100-year flood plain, which is along the river and is well below the locations of the houses along the west side of Olentangy.
- The Solicitor stated that Worthington had drafted a deer management report for the area. She stated that she would distribute copies of this report to Council members.
Report of the Street Commissioner
- The Street Commissioner stated that the EPA stormwater report will be due on April 1 and that there will be some changes required for 2022. He and Steven Orenchuk will work on the completion of this document.
- Steven Orenchuk questioned the timing of the installation of the generator for the Lift Station. The results of the Small Government funding program will not be known until the end of the month and Council will discuss this timing after learning the results of the decision.
- The Mayor thanked William Charles for his many years of service to the Village at the end of his term as Street Commissioner. He has played a critical role in the maintenance and improvement of the Village through the years, most notably with the 2018-2019 Infrastructure Project which replaced the streets, curbs, and water lines and improved the storm sewer system throughout the Village.
Report of the Planning Commissioner
The Planning Commissioner was not in attendance. The Clerk-Treasurer reported that the Committee had met in March and approved the replacement of some stonework with siding at 5840 Westchester.
Comments from Residents on Agenda Items
There were no comments from residents on agenda items.
Old Business
- Committee on Infrastructure
- Schlichting, the Chair of the Committee, stated that the Village had received the final report on the southern border of the Village from the Surveyor. Using this information, Columbia Gas installed a gas line for the generator at the Lift Station, but part of the line lies outside of the Village right of way. The Village contacted Columbia about correcting this and are waiting to hear a response.
- Schlichting reported that the Village had been notified that they will receive the second $29k ARPA Covid payment soon. The Village is still waiting to hear the results of the request for ARPA funding assistance for infrastructure maintenance.
- Schlichting reported that he has the damaged kiosk that had been at Dover & Beverly in his possession. The legs will need to be replaced before it can be reinstalled.
- Web Manager
The Web Manager was not in attendance.
- Communications Committee
Gordon, the Chair of the Committee, reported that he had been working on the formatting for the Village directory and that he expected to have a printing estimate soon.
- Resolution 2022-02
Resolution 2022-02, A Resolution to Confirm the Appointment of Steven Orenchuk as Street Commissioner, for a term to begin on April 1, 2022 had its third reading. Gordon moved and Bartels seconded the motion to approve the resolution. The motion carried (6-0).
New Business
Expenses
Pyter moved and Bartels seconded the motion to authorize the following expenditures:
$ 220.00 – Gudenkauf Corp – Water & gas line locating
$ 3,014.17 – Pump Products – Lift Station pumps
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 18 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at Thomas Worthington High School.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Pyter moved and Saving seconded the motion to adjourn. The motion was approved unanimously (6-0). The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Joshua C. Mehling, Clerk-Treasurer
Eric A. MacGilvray, Mayor