WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2010

REGULAR MEETING

7:30 P.M.

1. ROLL CALL. Mrs. Hammond called the meeting to order at 7:43 P.M., with roll call as follows: Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Barletta, and Mr. Blair were present. No members were absent. Others present were Mayor O’Brien, Bill Vance, Lynda Yartin, Jeff Fix, Brian Sauer, Commander Steve Annetts, Ed Drobina, Chet Hopper, Greg Bachman, Becca Medinger, Alexa Liebert, and others.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF September 22, 2010, Regular Meeting. Mr. Blair moved to approve; Mr. Barletta seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Blair, Mr. Barletta, and Mrs. Hammond voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

3. COMMUNITY COMMENTS: There were no comments.

4. POLICE:

A. Chief’s Report. Commander Annetts stated Chief Taylor had submitted a written report and he would answer any questions anyone might have. Mr. Barletta stated Officer Simcox had attended his Homeowner’s Association Meeting and he did a very good job briefing on the types of crimes in the area.

(1) Review and discussion regarding draft fundraising at intersection policy. Mrs. Hammond stated in reviewing the draft ordinance she noted that it did limit the hours this activity could be done and she felt that was a very good idea. Mrs. Hammond stated the City has received a request from one organization to conduct a right-of-way solicitation on October 23rd, and they have provided alternate dates of October 30th, and November 6^th. Mayor O’Brien stated if this legislation were approved it would still require three readings at Council with a 30-day wait until it was effective, and Mrs. Hammond stated she did not see how that could possibly happen. Mr. Fix clarified that there was no restriction in the legislation about where the charity was from, such as Pickerington-based, Violet Township-based, or could someone from California come in and solicit funds? Mr. Blair stated he did not see anything in the legislation and he felt it should be Violet Township-based. Mr. Fix stated perhaps Fairfield County-based because the Charity Newsies from Lancaster does come here for this. He stated he felt the charity should be Fairfield County-based and be a 501(3)(C). Mrs. Hammond stated she agreed there should be some criteria. Mayor O’Brien clarified the legislation does not require the Police be consulted on what intersections should be approved, but leaves the determination to the City Manager. Mrs. Hammond stated she has concern about the S.R. 256/Refugee Road intersection as being a little to congested for people to be out there. Mayor O’Brien stated he felt some thought should be given to which intersections would be approved and which would not. Mr. Barletta stated the legislation does mandate the Police Chief be notified if there is a solicitation event going on. Mrs. Hammond clarified Commander Annetts felt the intersections of S.R. 256/S.R. 204, S.R. 256/Refugee Road, and S.R. 256/Diley Road should not be considered for this type of activity, and the smaller intersections where speed is 25 MPH would be more appropriate. Mr. Fix stated he did not feel specific intersections should be listed in the legislation because situations will change. Mrs. Hammond stated the draft legislation states the permit would only be issued for two intersections. Mr. Vance stated he felt Section 12 should also include language that the City Manager or the Manager’s designee should have the authority to revoke the permit at any time without going into any detail. He stated he thought it was both his and the Chief’s opinion that it was not safe to fundraise at any intersection. Mrs. Hammond stated she agreed the Manager should have the authority to revoke the permit at any time. Mrs. Hammond stated she would continue this on the agenda and requested a draft ordinance reflecting these changes be provided to the Committee for review.

(2) Review and request for motion to authorize the City Manager to submit applications for two 2010 Justice Assistance-Law Enforcement Grants. Mrs. Hammond clarified that the first grant would be to purchase dive equipment that would allow an officer to join the Fairfield County Dive Team. Commander Annetts stated we have an officer who is already trained and this would provide funds to purchase the necessary equipment. Mrs. Hammond stated the second grant application is for the purchase of a cruiser and is in the amount of approximately $30,000. Mr. Blair clarified these grants do not require matching funds from the City. Mr. Blair moved to approve and forward the appropriate legislation to Council; Mr. Barletta seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Barletta, Mrs. Hammond, and Mr. Blair voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

5. DEPARTMENT REPORTS:

A. Parks and Recreation:

(1) Director’s Report. Ms Medinger stated she had provided a written report to the Committee and she would be happy to answer any questions. Mayor O’Brien clarified the availability of space for winter programs was very minimal. He stated he was concerned with that because we do a lot of in-kind contributions to the schools and we partner with them frequently, and it seems each year we get less and less space. Ms Medinger stated she had met with Mr. Utterbach last week and she had stressed our need to him and let him know that we do rely on the schools for our programs since we do not have a community center. Ms Medinger stated Mr. Utterbach had indicated they do not have additional space and they are trying to cut back on the evening and weekend hours that incur any additional fees such as having a janitor there to unlock and lock up, clean-up, etc. Ms Medinger stated it is not only the City they are cutting back on, but other group’s meetings, etc. Mr. Fix questioned if we offered to pay the schools for the extra custodial expenses they would have in keeping someone there after hours or in odd hours when they would not normally be there. Ms Medinger stated we will be doing that starting this year with our basketball and volleyball leagues, we will pay for one custodian for the amount of time that we are there. Mrs. Hammond clarified that cost would be $27.00 an hour. Mayor O’Brien stated he would like to find out what that person’s salary is and what scale we would be paying them on, if that is an overtime rate, special rate, etc. Mrs. Hammond stated the old Big Bear facility is empty and questioned if we would be able to use that space, and Mayor O’Brien stated that was his thought as well. Mayor O’Brien stated the question would be that anything we do would incur a cost and would the income from the recreation programs cover the expenditures. Mrs. Hammond further clarified that if we are not going to have the spaces we have in the past then we would have to cut back on our programs. Mr. Vance stated he and Mr. Drobina have a couple of ideas to pursue as well as looking into some opportunities to work with the Township as well.

(a) Review and discussion regarding disc golf course rental policy and rental form. Mrs. Hammond stated there is one tournament in place and she understood there have been indications other groups would like to do this in the future. Mrs. Hammond stated we primarily wanted to have a policy so they could sign up and get on the calendar, etc. Mr. Vance stated it was his opinion that this should be used for tournaments of regional significance of recognized disc golf associations and not for birthday parties, etc. Mr. Barletta stated he agreed with Mr. Vance that an event like a tournament would contribute to the public good in a very positive way for the City. Mayor O’Brien inquired if there was a difference between a tournament and a fundraiser; would it be an acceptable use to have someone rent the course to host a tournament as a fundraiser. Ms Medinger stated she thought that we were going to treat this on a case-by-case basis because if you have a neighborhood have a tournament, would you allow that or were we going to try and allow mainly professional-type tournaments. Mayor O’Brien inquired if the course would be closed to the public during the times it is rented and Ms Medinger stated that was a matter of discussion. Ms Medinger stated she thought that if we were to charge for the rental of the course, the group should have exclusive use of the course for that timeframe. She stated if we are not going to charge we could consider having it open to the public and the public playing through. Mr. Vance stated he understood the tournament on November 14^th was open to the public. Mrs. Hammond stated she assumed though that some tournaments are invitational and those might be different. Ms Medinger stated the draft policy the Committee had been provided was more to get a few ideas down and to start discussion on what we would like. Ms Medinger further stated she does have several recommendations based on if we were going to charge, would it be open to the public, etc. Ms Medinger stated she has looked at surrounding communities and what they do for tournaments. She stated Columbus has two courses and Lancaster has one and they do not rent their courses, they are always open to the public. Mrs. Hammond stated she did not know there was a necessity to charge a rental fee at this point, but we should have a means that would allow someone to reserve for a tournament it would be put on the calendar so people would know a tournament was scheduled. Ms Medinger stated for the November 14^th tournament, we did give him permission to use the course for the tournament, but we did not have a reservation or rental form at that time, so they had filled out the entire Community Event Packet. Mr. Fix clarified the course is used quite frequently by our residents. Mrs. Hammond stated she questioned the language in the rental policy that you could not have spectators because she thought there would be people who would want to watch the tournament. Ms Medinger stated once again this was a draft and there were several things she would like to change in the policy. Mrs. Hammond clarified the Committee did not feel that a fee should be charged for the rental of the course because our parks are public parks. Mr. Fix stated he did not see a problem with closing the park and charging a rental fee for a large tournament event. Mr. Barletta stated he did not want to be on the lead of the trend to charge for Frisbee golf courses. He stated we need to learn as we go and he liked the boiler plate guidelines in the form and after we have an event like this we would get feedback from the participants and the organizers and if there are any difficulties we can modify it as we go forward. Mr. Blair stated he agreed with Mr. Barletta that once we go through a tournament we will find out what we need to do and can make changes as necessary. Mrs. Hammond stated she would like to see the draft policy come back with the recommended changes of staff.

B. Building Regulations Department:

(1) Building Department/Chief Building Official’s Report. Mr. Hopper stated he had provided a written report and he would answer any questions.

(2) Code Enforcement Officer’s Report. Mr. Hopper stated he had provided a written report and he would be happy to answer any questions.

(a) Update on feral cat issue. Mr. Hopper stated he has met with two different contractors that are capable of taking on this challenge and we are looking at a cost of approximately $100 per cat and a set up fee of approximately $100 for the company to set and check the traps and there is an intake fee of $30 per cat at the animal shelter. Mr. Barletta clarified the homeowner has not responded to any correspondence, has not signed for the certified mail, and does not answer the door when someone goes out there. Mr. Hopper stated the Franklin County Board of Health inspector has made several attempts to talk with her, our Code Enforcement Officer has made some attempts, and he, himself, has made a couple attempts to speak with her but she does not answer the door. Mr. Vance stated in order to cite her we would have to go through the legal process and we would have to prove our case and at this point in time no-one has actually witnessed her feeding the cats. Mr. Vance stated this is not an easy situation to deal with and in this case we are trying to make a positive difference and go from there. Mrs. Hammond stated she agreed we should do something, but it did not seem like something we could do forever.

(3) Review and discussion regarding abandoned real and personal property regulations. Mr. Hopper stated he had provided a draft to amend our Code and deals with the vacant or abandoned homes we currently see and our attempt to maintain these properties. Mr. Blair questioned how a home would be removed from this list once it was put on it and Mr. Hopper stated he was not sure. Mr. Vance stated this was the City’s attempt to stay ahead of the curve and to allow for a proactive relationship with banks, etc. He stated this is usually beneficial because the bank then has a vested interest in the property since they are looking to sell the property at some point and the City’s interest is to maintain the value of the property so it does not negatively impact the property values in the neighborhood. Mr. Blair stated he has been working on something in the City of Columbus with this. He stated he does not like the idea of keeping a vacant property list because once it becomes a list it is obviously a public record and people will know when a property is vacant and it is then a target for vandalism. Mr. Blair stated he would provide a copy of the legislation from Columbus because he thought it gave them a little more authority in pursuing the property owners without creating a list and creating a registration fee, etc. Mr. Hopper stated he had forwarded this draft to the Law Director for review as well. Mr. Blair stated he understood the intent, but he felt it included a lot more than neglected properties and that is what concerned him. Mrs. Hammond stated this is obviously a work in progress and requested Mr. Hopper continue to work with the Law Director to make amendments to this. Mrs. Hammond stated she would like to continue this on the agenda.

C. Service Department:

(1) Service Manager’s Report. Mr. Drobina stated he and Mr. Bachman had met and determined locations for the speed limit signs in the Windmiller Ponds subdivisions and the signs had been installed today. Mr. Drobina stated he and Ms Medinger had met with Mr. Jay yesterday and they walked the disc golf course and there are some areas they will try to clean up a little before the tournament. Mr. Drobina further stated he has had some calls regarding putting signs in the arboretum about keeping your dogs on a leash and he has ordered signs for that and he will also install some of those signs at the disc golf course. He continued he has ordered some “No Skateboarding” signs that will be installed in Sycamore Park. Mrs. Hammond stated at a recent meeting Mr. Hackworth had brought up some issues at the arboretum such as signs identifying the trees being vandalized, and perhaps we could look into doing something that would help prevent the vandalism of these signs. Mr. Drobina stated he would look into this and see if he can get some quotes for different signs.

D. Engineering Department.

(1) City Engineer’s Report. Mr. Bachman stated he had provided a written report and he would be happy to answer any questions. Mr. Bachman stated he has received comments back from various bicycle advocates and groups and he hoped to have those in the Committee packets for next month.

(a) Review and discussion regarding Sidewalk Replacement Policy. Mr. Bachman stated he planned to have a report ready to distribute in Committee packets for next month.

(b) Review and request for motion to authorize the City Manager to submit application for the Safe Routes to School Grant. Mr. Bachman stated the Safe Routes to School Committee met and decided to submit an application for Pickerington Elementary and he had provided a map showing the sidewalks, complete street of Long Road, and he also envisioned putting in flashing lights for school times on both Long Road and Diley Road. Mr. Bachman stated if we do not get the OPWC grant for Long Road we would still do the sidewalks and multi-use paths that are shown in red, and the school flashers. Mrs. Hammond moved to approve the draft ordinance and forward to Council; Mr. Barletta seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Barletta, and Mr. Blair voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

6. CHAIRMAN:

A. Cross Jurisdiction Noise Ordinance Enforcement – Update. Mrs. Hammond stated the Committee had received a memorandum from the Law Director on this issue and it basically stated we cannot do this with the Township as the Township does not have the authority to enter into this type of agreement. She stated it appears that we have worked out these issues and we have not had any problems so far this year. Mr. Barletta stated Mr. Sauer had inquired that since the Township is a Home Rule Township, would Title 5 governing townships also applied to Home Rule Townships. Mayor O’Brien inquired if the Township used any of their Home Rule authority powers and Mr. Barletta stated he did not believe they did, but he knew they were put in place by a vote of the people. Mayor O’Brien stated that was correct, but he understood the Board decided not to exercise any of the powers they were entrusted with.

7. OTHER BUSINESS:

A. Review and discussion regarding the expansion of powers for the Nuisance Abatement Board. Mrs. Hammond stated the law director had provided a summary of the Nuisance Abatement Board powers and the question was if Council wanted to give the Board more authority. Mayor O’Brien stated currently the Board can only deal with structures, but for something like the feral cat issue, the Board did not have the authority to deal with that. Mrs. Hammond stated she felt if we were going to have a Nuisance Abatement Board, they should have the authority to do something. Mr. Barletta stated he agreed with Mrs. Hammond. Mr. Blair stated he agreed as well. Mr. Vance stated he felt it made sense to have a Board that would help us be more efficient in our Code Enforcement efforts and be able to support those efforts in a more proactive way. Mr. Vance stated he would also recommend some funds be budgeted to give this Board the ability to move forward with any of these issues. Mrs. Hammond stated she felt that would be appropriate. Mrs. Hammond stated she would like to have the Law Director provide a draft ordinance for the Safety Committee to review that would allow the expansion of the Boards powers.

B. Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance amending section 416.06, 852.03, and 853.06, and adding a new Section 852.01 of the Pickerington Codified Ordinances relating to solicitors within the City. Mrs. Hammond stated this had been dealt with earlier in the meeting.

8. ADJOURNMENT. There being nothing further, Mr. Blair moved to adjourn; Mr. Barletta seconded the motion. Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Blair, and Mr. Barletta voted "Aye." Motion carried, 3-0. The Safety Committee adjourned at 9:08 P.M., October 20, 2010.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

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Lynda D. Yartin, Municipal Clerk