CITY HALL, 100 LOCKVILLE ROAD

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2006

7:30 P.M.

REGULAR MEETING AGENDA

1. ROLL CALL. Mr. Smith called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with Mr. Smith, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Sabatino present. No members were absent. Others present were: Judy Gilleland, Jeff Fix, Lynda Yartin, Chief Mike Taylor, Steve Carr, Ed Drobina, Paul Lane, Joe Henderson, John Edsall, Helen Mayle, Charlotte Akers, Leigh Trapp, Vincent Krivda, Deblin Jennings, Mike Kasson, and others.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF January 9, 2006, Regular Meeting. Mr. Sabatino moved to approve; Mr. Wisniewski seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sabatino, Mr. Wisniewski and Mr. Smith voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

3. DEPARTMENT REPORTS:

A. Parks and Recreation.

(1) Director’s Report. Mr. Carr stated he had provided a written report and he would be happy to answer any questions. He stated we have representatives from the Violet Festival and the Olde Pickerington Village Business Association to make brief presentations, and we also have Mr. John Edsall present to update the Committee on the Parks Master Plan.

a. Parks Master Plan. Mr. Carr stated Mr. Edsall would present an update to the Committee after the Violet Festival and Olde Downtown Pickerington Village Business Association presentations.

1. Joint Parks District – Update. No Report.

b. NatureWorks Grant Project. Mr. Carr stated he had submitted the grant application for the playground equipment at Victory Park last Wednesday. He stated further he has had a couple of meetings regarding the Disc Golf Course at Simsbury Park.

c. Sycamore Park Tennis Court Repair Project – Update. Mr. Carr stated this project will be put out for bid with the bid opening this month. He stated the work should occur in June, as the surface has to be applied when the average temperature is 75 degrees or more.

d. Violet Festival Board – Update. Ms Trapp stated a packet of information showing the history of the Violet Festival, past and present board members, a budget summary, as well as, a listing of sponsors had been provided to the Committee members. Ms Trapp stated the Violet Festival has been grateful for the support the City has provided the Festival and the monetary support given by the City has held steady. Ms Trapp stated last year was the first year they had the ability to approach the Township and ask for monetary support, which they did in a small step. She stated they intended to approach them again this year for an additional amount. Ms Trapp, Ms Akers, and Ms Mayle gave a brief presentation on the Violet Festival and stated they would answer any questions the Committee may have. Mr. Wisniewski stated it has been discussed about moving the Festival to Sycamore Park rather than Victory Park and Ms Mayle stated the only concern with that is that is the only place we have for fireworks. Mr. Smith stated City finances are not quite set for the year and he did not feel the Committee was prepared to give any financial commitment this evening. Ms Gilleland stated that is correct and within the next month the Finance Director will be putting in some measurable goals so we will know with regard to where we are with our finances and priorities. She stated we have a number of items that are not yet funded, including street paving and a police officer, and we are doing everything we can to bring the revenues in. She stated she understood they need to make decisions and need some answers, and the City is struggling with the same issues. Ms Gilleland stated as soon as we can get things pinned down, we will. Ms Trapp stated they did not anticipate a decision this evening; they just appreciated the opportunity to brief the Committee on the Festival.

e. Olde Pickerington Village Business Association (OPVBA) - Update. Ms Deblin Jennings provided the Committee with a packet of information on the OPVBA including their By-Laws, a list of members, and a tentative schedule of events for 2006. Ms Jennings stated the OPVBA does not try to showcase any specific business but tries to do the entire old downtown area as a whole. She stated in the past the City has funded them with $10,000 and with those funds they worked on 12 events throughout the year to promote the old village. She stated this year they are receiving $2,500 and with that small an amount they will have to work on canceling things. She stated as an example, the annual Cruisin’ in June, they work with the American Cancer Society and the funds all go to that organization. Ms Jennings stated tentatively right now they plan on canceling the Cruisin’ for the reason that they do not feel they can be successful putting it on as a charity event, because with a charity event they will be tying up to much of their money in that one event. Mr. Sabatino stated he understood the need for funding, he just didn’t know what the City could do to help them in the timeframe that they need. Mr. Sabatino stated he felt anything we could do to help them would be beneficial; he just didn’t know what that would be. Ms Gilleland stated she had met with Ms Jennings when we first initiated the cut on the budget and Ms Jennings is looking for some guidance from the City as to which activities we felt were important, and any kind of input we might have. Ms Jennings stated they have some major events they use the city’s funds on such as the Jazz & Rib Fest, the Pet Fest, the Cruisin’, and the Victorian Holiday, as well as, the monthly Shoppe Hops. Ms Gilleland stated she would like to point out that the City also provides, both for the downtown events and the Violet Festival, support in the form of City staff, police overtime, and park maintenance staff. Ms Jennings stated that was true and they really wanted to thank the City for all they have done. She stated they have in the past two years cut things down to the bare bones, and now with they are down to cutting events since they are going from $5,000 to $2,500.

Mr. John Edsall of Edsall and Associates gave a brief presentation on the status of the Parks Master Plan. Mr. Edsall stated the Committee had received the citizen survey results and he understood they needed some time to look through this report. Mr. Edsall stated he had distributed a packet showing all of the City’s park sites with aerial photos of each one. He stated they would be holding a public meeting here at City Hall on Saturday, February 11, 2006, and he would have illustrations up so everyone can look at them and provide input on what they would like to happen at each of the parks. Mr. Edsall stated the sessions Saturday would go from 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. and the second is scheduled for 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M., and he would welcome any of the Committee’s input.

B. Building Operations: Ms Gilleland stated we are continuing with the remodeling and the project is moving along.

C. Service Department:

(1) Traffic Engineer

a. Review of recommended speed limit on Hill Road South. Ms Gilleland stated this issue has been sent to ODOT and we look for a favorable response in the near future.

D. Code Enforcement: Ms Gilleland stated there was no report this evening.

E. Building Regulations Department – Update. Mr. Lane stated his report had been provided to the Committee and he would answer any questions. He stated during the timeframe of January 1 to February 6, 2005, four commercial permits were issued, and during that same timeframe in 2006, three have been issued. He further stated for residential single-family homes during that same timeframe in 2005, 11 permits were issued, and in 2006, the total is 16. Mr. Lane further stated since December 1^st, when we began, we have collected $64,622 in impact fees. Mr. Smith stated based on the discussions we had last fall, it seems we are running ahead of what we thought. Mr. Lane stated the State of Ohio, for the first time, will have a uniform State Residential Code and it will be effective May 27, 2006. He stated at the Safety meeting last month we discussed initiating some new inspections, new fees, and the need for a Residential Board of Appeals. Mr. Lane continued that right now we want to hold off on these issues and see what the new Residential Code will require, as we may not have a choice on some of these items. Mr. Lane stated with the new Code, the plans themselves will be much more thorough along the lines of a commercial set of plans than what is typically used in the industry now.

(1) Presentation by BIA regarding Maintenance Bonds. Ms Gilleland stated she would like to have this continued on the agenda for next month. She stated the BIA will be present at the next meeting to talk about their concerns on this issue.

4. POLICE:

A. Chief’s Report. Chief Taylor stated his report had been distributed and he would answer any questions. Chief Taylor stated as he had indicated in his report, as a result of participating in the “Click It Or Ticket” program, the Department has been awarded a new speed measuring device. He stated this equipment is state-of-the-art and we will be one of the first agencies to use this piece of equipment.

5. CHAIRMAN.

A. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance amending Section 1276.17 of the Pickerington Codified Ordinances relating to home occupations. Mr. Smith stated this was discussed in the work session earlier this evening. Mr. Wisniewski moved to approve the draft ordinance with subparagraphs (c), (d), and (e) dealing with the Certificate of Zoning Compliance being removed; Mr. Sabatino seconded the motion. Mr. Wisniewski stated this would remove the need for home offices or home businesses to receive a Certificate of Zoning Compliance since we have not really done it to date and this will establish more clearly what is allowed and we can enforce it as necessary. Roll call was taken with Mr. Sabatino, Mr. Wisniewski, and Mr. Smith voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

6. OTHER BUSINESS.

Mr. Smith stated we had a request from a citizen that we consider community gardens and he would like to invite that individual to the next meeting so they can explain what they have in mind to the entire committee. He stated this may dovetail with the Parks Master Plan as well. Ms Gilleland stated she would invite the resident to the meeting and it would be on the next agenda.

8. ADJOURNMENT. There being nothing further, Mr. Smith moved to adjourn; Mr. Sabatino seconded the motion. Mr. Wisniewski, Mr. Sabatino, and Mr. Smith voted “Aye.” Motion carried, 3-0. The Safety Committee meeting adjourned at 9:10 P.M., February 6, 2006.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

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Lynda D. Yartin, Municipal Clerk