CITY OF PICKERINGTON

SERVICE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL

CITY HALL, 100 LOCKVILLE ROAD

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2003

REGULAR MEETING

7:30 P.M.

1. ROLL CALL. Mr. Parker called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M., with Mr. Maxey, Mr. Parker, and Mr. Shaver present. No members were absent. Others present were Mayor Postage, Councilman Bill Wright, Joyce Bushman, Frank Wiseman, Lynda Yartin, Lance Schultz, Jerry Dailey, Jennifer Wray, Mike Maurer, Kathy Lucas, Theron Milliser, Shannon Barnett, Kevin Giffey, Tyler Baird, Dustin Lutz, Andrea Patete, Tina Irish, Michael Jamie, Erica Ogoe, Amanda Way, Becca Kovar, Derrick Johnson, Carmen Brown, Matt Farrell, Laurie Czaple, Heather Edmunds, Yeshul Aponte, Adam Flugge, Michael Mahon, Frank Davis, Ken Kerns, Darius Young, Heather Johnson, Laura Carter, Jeremy Carter, Andrew Bates, John Barr, Ben Hargrove, Bob Harding, Jeff Krauss, Pat Shaver, and others.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF January 16, 2003, Regular Meeting. Mr. Maxey moved to approve; Mr. Shaver seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Parker, Mr. Shaver, and Mr. Maxey voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

Mr. Parker stated due to the number of individuals present this evening to address Item 7.A., “Review and discussion regarding draft ordinance to enact a moratorium on the issuing of housing permits for single family residential units for a period of one year,” if the other committee members do not object he would move that item to the beginning of the agenda. All committee members concurred.

Mr. Parker stated he would like to comment that there is no doubt that the schools are the biggest asset in this community. He stated this evening we would discuss a plan for the growth of our community, and our Mayor has been working on a Community Authority, which is quite an under taking as you must have 1,000 contiguous acres to do that. Mr. Parker stated this evening they would be looking at an immediate plan, and we also have the need for an extended plan. He stated we must look at it logically and we need the help of the other entities that affect our school district. Mr. Parker stated further for this committee to recommend legislation he felt it must be unanimous as it is important to have a unified consensus among not only council, but the Township and the school board. Mr. Parker stated he felt they must look to the future, learn from the past, and work together to help fulfill the school district’s, the city’s, and the township’s needs, so they can ultimately serve the residents with the best they have to offer.

Mr. Maxey stated he has read the draft ordinance that was provided to the Committee and there are several things in this draft that he likes. He stated he agreed with the statement in Section 4 that the ordinance would not apply to construction of residential units not located within a subdivision. Mr. Maxey stated that had been discussed in this Committee in the past as there are some residents that own lots not in a subdivision and he did not want to see them penalized. Mr. Maxey stated further the ordinance also refers to the City and Township participating in Growth Summit meetings and the first of that type meeting is scheduled for this coming Saturday. Mr. Maxey stated there appears to be an air of cooperation between the City of Pickerington, Violet Township, etc., and under Mayor Postage’s leadership you can sense a change. Mr. Maxey stated he looked for good things from that meeting on Saturday. Mr. Maxey continued the ordinance also speaks to the City of Pickerington developing a joint agreement with Violet Township for the management of growth within a reasonable amount of time, and he hoped some sort of task force came out of this coming meeting to work on some type of agreement. Mr. Maxey stated if the City of Pickerington does some type of moratorium he personally felt it must be tied to the Township doing some type of moratorium as well. He stated if the City does impose a moratorium and the Township does not, it would not provide the end result the community was asking for. Mr. Maxey further stated if the City and the Township cannot get together on some sort of controlled growth plan, he would be in favor of the City moving forward in some fashion.

Mr. Shaver stated he ran for council on the primary issue of limiting growth. He stated he had been convinced over time that rapid growth was a certain killer for a community. Mr. Shaver stated when he was first elected to Council he had disseminated information from various areas indicating that residential growth would ultimately become a disastrous tax burden to an area’s schools, and that appeared to be coming true. Mr. Shaver continued during last year we pushed growth beyond the limit of endurance. He stated in the 1990s the City of Pickerington averaged less than 90 houses per year, and last year we added 422 residential units. He stated if these figures are right, and each residential unit yields about 1.5 students, then we just added an elementary school last year. He stated if we keep up at this rate, we will add more and more students. Mr. Shaver stated further he was dismayed last year to see city council facilitate nine to ten plats being approved during the fall, adding approximately 4,000 houses on line to be built. Mr. Shaver stated that is not slowing growth. Mr. Shaver stated he concurred with Mr. Postage that we should have impact fees, and he felt the impact fees should be very high. He stated however, impact fees alone would not solve our problems as they cannot be used for operating expenses and they will be coming in over a period of time. He stated although he applauded Mr. Postage’s efforts to create a Community Authority, he did not feel we could say that would be our answer. Mr. Shaver stated he has had this ordinance at this Committee since November and it has been revised a few times. Mr. Shaver stated we would never have a perfect ordinance, there would always be someone who disagreed with it, but we need to move forward. Mr. Shaver stated it will soon be the spring building season, and we have hired more building inspectors than we had last year. Mr. Shaver stated he had put together what he felt was a very balanced ordinance, and perhaps moratorium is the wrong word to use in the ordinance. He stated the ordinance as it stands now is purely for the purpose of slowing growth until we have time to develop long range plans. Mr. Shaver stated if you were already under contract to have a house built, this ordinance would not affect you, and it would still allow permits to be issued on plats that have received final approval, with one provision. He stated that provision would be that such permits would be limited to 100 permits during the period of the moratorium. He stated that meant for the next year we would only allow 100 houses to be built. He stated he reached the number of 100 as a compromise and that should certainly be enough for the builders for a one year period. Mr. Shaver stated further he agreed with Mr. Maxey that there was no intent to restrict a person who owned a single lot from building on that lot as long as it wasn’t in a subdivision. Mr. Shaver stated he felt this was a very reasoned and very well thought out ordinance. Mr. Shaver stated he felt the time for working on this ordinance was over, and if this ordinance comes out of Committee tonight and goes to Council, there would still be at least six more weeks for discussion and amendments to it before it is passed.

Mr. Maxey stated he felt Mr. Shaver made a lot of good points, however, he felt if we passed something without tying it to the Township, then they would have less reason to look at a moratorium similar to this for the unincorporated township. Mr. Shaver stated we could add language that if the Township hasn’t acted in six months our ordinance could be rescinded. Mr. Maxey stated that had been his original suggestion, to add language giving a specific time the township should have something in effect or ours would be rescinded, but he felt the optimum situation would be the City and Township acting together.

Mr. Brian Wisniewski, 659 Theron Drive. Mr. Wisniewski stated if the city does something now and puts something in place, he felt that would put pressure on the Township to act because they would then be the growth in the school district.

Stephanie Brobst, 7020 Blacklick Eastern Road. Ms. Brobst stated she would like to add that everyone who lives in the City of Pickerington is also a resident of Violet Township. She stated the pressure put on City Council can also be put on the Township Trustees. And she would expect the city residents to do that. She stated she has been watch dogging what the township does for about four years, and she would welcome everyone to attend the Trustees’ meetings. Ms. Brobst stated she felt with the eyes of the community on both political bodies, this can happen, and it can happen soon, and we cannot afford to wait.

Lisa Reade, 10416 Wright Road. Ms. Reade stated she felt what happens in the school district is very important to everyone in both the incorporated and unincorporated township. She stated she agreed with Mr. Maxey that we cannot wait six months to do something and she felt this growth plan, moratorium, or whatever it is called, should go to council now. Ms. Reade stated she felt there was support for this legislation and there would still be time to discuss amendments or whatever is necessary. She further stated council did not have to hold hands with the township to move forward. She stated her comment to the Township Trustees would be to “step up,” that the city has been pushed to do something and she expected the trustees to do the same thing. She stated her challenge to Council and the Trustees would be to get a growth plan done in one year. Ms. Reade stated she would like to know how many building permits have been issued during January and February of this year. Mr. Shaver stated his concern was also that one year is a short period of time, however, in case law one year moratoriums have generally been upheld for the purposes of slowing growth and developing plans.

Dennis Boruszewski, 542 Warwick Lane. Mr. Boruszewski stated this was council’s opportunity to set an example for the Township Trustees and he urged them to go forward and set the stage. He stated if council went forward he was certain the trustees would as well.

Mr. Michael Mahon, 1229 Hill Road. Mr. Mahon stated he was representing a contingent of the real estate brokers offices in the Pickerington area. Mr. Mahon stated they have issued a letter of concern on this moratorium which he provided to the press and is Attachment 1 to these minutes. He stated it was a gamble to get the Township to follow the City’s suit, and it all comes down to the fact that if you do not have the support of the Township the development will occur around the City and you would be right back where you started. Mr. Mahon stated there is also the concern of the depreciation of property values with the enactment of a moratorium. Mr. Mahon stated he they were asking for structured, controlled growth, not to create a knee-jerk reaction by passing legislation to Council from this meeting tonight. He stated he would like to see council work with the Township to create one working resolution that is the answer for the school district. Mr. Shaver stated for the past several years the city has consistently made decisions that have, in his opinion, hurt the property values in this community. He further stated that if our school system goes down, there is no one in this community that will be able to sell their home for anywhere near the value of what it is now. He stated all this legislation said was that for a one year period 100 houses could be built. He stated that would not shut down houses, would not shut down growth, it said 100 houses for a period of one year so we can figure out how we want to structure all this. Mr. Mahon stated he would respond that the residents have shared an appreciation range because of the popularity of this community, because of the cohesiveness of the school district and the working relationship between the school district, the City, and the Township. Mr. Mahon stated without that cooperation, who is to say that the City would maintain that popularity in the future if the moratorium is continued further. He stated it is the public at large that controls supply and demand, not a government entity. Mr. Mahon stated the real estate brokers’ fear was the word moratorium more than anything else, as that created a negative image. Mr. Shaver stated he could solve that problem by taking the word moratorium out and calling it a growth plan.

Carolyn Safranek, 559 Cherry Hill Drive. Ms. Safranek stated she moved here for the school system more than anything and there was a nice small town feel. She stated growth was steady for several years and then this past year 400 homes were added. Ms. Safranek stated she felt 100 homes for a year would not do anything other than let the schools get back in shape and keep their great reputation. Ms. Safranek stated there is nowhere in the City of Pickerington where people at certain levels can even move up to the next level of housing because there are so many of the smaller homes on small lots.

Mr. Ken Kern, 78 W. Columbus Street. Mr. Kern stated he has lived in Pickerington since 1994 and he has witnessed both slow and rapid growth. Mr. Kern stated he felt the problem in recent years was the flood of starter homes. He stated he did not feel a moratorium was needed so much as something to control the appearance of homes as more expensive homes would not flood the school district.

Mr. Frank Davis, 8851 Ravine Avenue. Mr. Davis stated he has been a resident of Pickerington his entire life. He stated he is involved with the Pickerington Youth Athletic Association and today they have more kids playing in the PYAA programs than were in grades 1 through 12 when he graduated from Pickerington High School in 1972. Mr. Davis stated he has been in business in Pickerington for 22 years and he would like to see the community stay strong.

Dan Milhauser, 13490 Pickerington Road. Mr. Milhauser ascertained this ordinance dealt with single-family homes only and not condominiums. Mr. Parker stated that condominiums do not traditionally bring a number of children into the school system. He stated as an example, out of the Town Square condominiums there is one school aged child from the 72 units. Mr. Parker further stated the last multi-family built inside the City of Pickerington until recently was the Residence at Turnberry. Mr. Maxey also stated that currently the City of Pickerington is under a restriction of two residential units per acre and that eliminates the possibility of multi-family. Mr. Milhauser questioned if the Council was aware of the decisions made by the school board about multiple cuts being made and the effects that will have on students in the school district. Mr. Parker stated Council is aware of the cuts the school board has recommended.

Ms. Reade stated she would like to clarify that several multi-family units are being built around the police station and questioned what the capacity of current multi-family units being built but not yet occupied in the City of Pickerington was, because units are available and she did not want people to think they do not exist. Mr. Parker concurred and stated that is why he had stated the Residence at Turnberry was the last one built until recently.

Mr. Brian Wisniewski stated this has been in Committee for several months so he did not feel it was a knee jerk reaction.

John Dolske, 1108 Streamside, Violet Township. Mr. Dolske stated he has lived in the Pickerington community for about 25 years, and there seems to be a lot of concern by some committee members in regard to the Township. Mr. Dolske stated in many years of working with the Township Trustees as a member of a civic association he has never had a problem in dealing with them on housing residential construction issues. He stated when he has gone to them they have always been more than responsive. Mr. Dolske stated he felt this was sort of a red herring because those kinds of issues in regard to the Township have never surfaced before, and the Township did not create 4,000 plus houses, they have not gone on an annexation binge, and that seems to be the problem. Mr. Dolske stated the problem is actions that have taken place within the City of Pickerington, and it did not pop up over night. He stated when the Township put their foot down on the density and type of construction issues on the Melrose subdivision, the developer annexed into Pickerington so they could get the higher density housing, and that was back in the early 80s. He stated nothing has changed, and the ordinance Mr. Shaver is proposing is to stop what is happening in the City because it has not happened yet in the Township. Mr. Dolske continued if there is a fear there will be a building binge in the Township, it hasn’t happened in 25 years, but it has happened in the City.

Mr. Maxey stated he did not feel Ms. Reade’s question has been answered fully and asked her to restate it. Ms. Reade stated she felt we were quick to say we cannot build anymore apartments, but there are a lot of newly built apartments not yet occupied available in the City of Pickerington, which means we can bring in more people stacked up on each other. She stated she just wondered how many apartments were available. Mr. Maxey stated he did not mean to mislead anyone in that regard, and Mr. Parker stated he concurred with Mr. Maxey and he did not know the exact number of units going in there. Mr. Parker stated the area around the police station is zoned for both apartments and condominiums, and the ones by the old driving range are condominiums. Ms. Reade stated she did not feel a moratorium would stop building completely, there will be plenty of housing available at all levels.

Mayor Postage stated he was present this evening because he wanted to hear all the comments from the people. He stated he would like to clarify for Mr. Dolske that Melrose subdivision came into the City already zoned by the Township. Mayor Postage stated further most of the property brought into the City had already been zoned in the Township. Mayor Postage stated he has lived in the City for 28 years, and if we want to have something to control growth we all have to work together to do it. He stated he will do whatever has to be done, and when he talks to the Trustees he will let them know we have to work together. Mayor Postage stated he has advocated the annexations because if the building is going to be there, and the traffic will be coming through our area, then he wants the income tax from that development so we can use it for good things. Mayor Postage stated if the City had not had the foresight to widen S.R. 256, where would we be today? He stated further the City is now using foresight to put Courtright Road through to Milnor Road, and there are a lot of things that have been thought out for the future. Mayor Postage stated if we can all work together we will create something pretty good in Pickerington. Mayor Postage stated if we can get this Community Authority completed it will generate between $35 to $45 million that can be used for schools. He stated it is a beginning and it is not something that will be delayed, it will happen.

Mr. Maxey stated he did not feel he could vote for this tonight even though he does feel we need a moratorium or restriction of some sort, but he felt very strongly it must be tied to the Township doing the same thing. Mr. Maxey stated he would encourage the Mayor and the active participants in the meeting this weekend to create a task force to start exploring what can be done Monday morning so we can have something that is workable and something acceptable that is joint.

Mr. Shaver stated he does intend to move this forward tonight with one amendment, and that would be changing the wording from moratorium to growth management in the ordinance.

Mrs. Bushman stated she would like to clarify some of the statistics. She stated from 1992 to 2002 the housing growth has been equal in the City and the Township. She stated the City issued 1,730 single family building permits and Violet Township issued 1,759 single family building permits during that ten year period. Mrs. Bushman stated there have been some slow times in the Township and some slow times in the City, but during the ten years, the housing growth has been equal, and therefore, the problem has been equal. Mrs. Bushman stated more importantly, when the statistics were low in the City that is when the City was in a moratorium, and during that time it forced the growth into the unincorporated and the Columbus areas. Mrs. Bushman stated as an example, in 1995 when the City built 80 houses, 360 houses were built outside the corporate boundaries. She stated as a community wide issue, it must be understood that the growth has been equal, the responsibility should be equal, and the problem and the challenge should be shared equally by both entities. Mrs. Bushman stated statistically the average student per household produced in the Pickerington Local School District by political subdivision, and there are five political subdivisions in the school district, which include Violet Township, City of Columbus, Reynoldsburg, Liberty Township, Pickerington, and a miscellaneous Other which includes students from Lancaster, Madison, Millersport, Turo, and a couple of P.O. boxes. Mrs. Bushman stated based on data provided by the school district the Violet Township housing produced 1.7 students per house, Columbus produced 1.6 students, Reynoldsburg produced 1.6 students, City of Pickerington produced 1.5 students, and the Liberty Township portion produced 1.5 students per home. Mrs. Bushman stated the Township grew a tremendous amount from 1980 to 1990 and continued to have the same growth pattern from 1990 to 2000 when the City was growing. Mrs. Bushman stated the statistics she had provided on single family building permits are only from Pickerington and Violet Township, and from 1992 to 1998 the City of Columbus built 1,356 units. Mrs. Bushman stated she was just pointing out that during the past ten years the growth has been equal in the two major entities in the school district.

Bob Harding, 13204 Wellsley Drive. Mr. Harding stated he appreciated the history, but that was the past. He stated if this committee intends to do something for the future of the whole community they should look at future numbers and not the past. He stated he wants to know what is happening tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and on into the future.

Sean Grinstead, 10268 Oxford Drive. Mr. Grinstead stated he believed the citizens of Pickerington and the Township have demanded that the supply of homes be limited. He stated this is a one year controlled growth and he felt it is necessary and he supports it. Mr. Grinstead stated if the City were to approve the same number of building permits that Violet Township did last year, that was just about 100 houses. Mrs. Bushman stated it was 182 and the City issued 357.

Bruce Rigelman, 12768 Ardine Court. Mr. Rigelman stated he did not know who was at fault for the growth, the city or the township, and he didn’t care. He stated last year the school district added almost 450 students and we cannot add that many students a year. He continued that would be a new school every other year and it would be logistically impossible to build a new school every other year even if the taxpayers could afford them. Mr. Rigelman stated if the school’s operating levy is not passed in May our schools will be scorched earth next year, and unless this Council acts to control growth, that levy will not pass. Mr. Rigelman continued that the voters are waiting to see the community leaders take control and do something to manage the growth and build our tax base. He stated the time for talking and delay is past, council needs to act and they need to act regardless of what the township does. Mr. Mapes clarified that the new high school and new junior high were built based on minimal new millage, and the effect of that is that if there is no growth the people that are here will pay more because there will not be new people coming in to pay that tax.

Beth McCullough, 660 Morello Court. Ms McCullough stated moving this issue out of committee is not having council pass it, but it is making a strong statement to put it in front of the entire council. She stated she felt the City of Pickerington needs to show they are serious about doing something about growth. She further stated she would like to know if a structure has been worked out for impact fees, and Mayor Postage stated the State of Ohio does not allow impact fees. Mayor Postage stated he was working on a Community Authority that allows us to collect fees on millage that is assessed to new homes. He stated that millage would begin when an occupancy permit is issued and the millage is based on the value of the home. Ms McCullough stated the City of Pickerington has an abundance of starter houses, but to move up to the next level of home you have to move out of the City and she felt that should be looked at and addressed.

Shannon Barnett, 10154 Hounsdale Drive. Ms Barnett stated she is a senior at Pickerington High School and she felt if everyone went to the high school for one day they would truly understand how crowded it is. She stated it takes the general population at least 10 minutes to get through the hallways and during her lunch there are over 600 kids trying to get their lunch and eat in 40 minutes. She stated it is frustrating and she is glad she will not have to deal with all this next year.

Mayor Postage stated the only thing he would ask this committee tonight would be to move this legislation to council so when he went to that meeting on Saturday he could tell the Trustees that they need to listen, the city is serious about doing something. Mr. Shaver stated he agreed with Mayor Postage this should be moved to Council and if there are any amendments to be made in the next six weeks they can do it on council floor.

Mr. Parker stated he is not opposed to Mayor Postage’s suggestion, however, he does have a couple of concerns. He stated the Community Authority that Mayor Postage is working on is not final yet and his concern was if this moratorium were passed out of Committee tonight it could cause some problems with that. He stated we do need to limit housing on the permit end, but on the other end we also want to bring in revenue. Mr. Parker stated he would like to do both things, in essence have the impact fees, if you will, through the Community Authority and limit the housing on the other end. Mr. Parker stated a Community Authority is not an easy thing to do, you have to have 1,000 contiguous acres so it will take groups of people to come together to make it happen. He stated he would like to point out that if we limit growth in the city and it continues in the township, we really haven’t done anything. He stated he was not afraid to move this forward if it put some pressure on the township and he would like to see them step up. Mr. Parker further stated he had a problem with the number of 100 houses per year as he felt it was an arbitrary number and not based on any specific formula or whatever. Mr. Parker stated he felt we needed to look at what the city needs to meet their obligations and what we can do to help the school meet their needs. Mr. Parker stated the County has built a water and sewer plant and there is major debt on the water plant that services the county area, and they need customers to pay that debt. Mr. Parker stated he believed there would be some serious opposition at the Township level to doing any type of moratorium. Mr. Parker stated further it was his understanding that this past year the Township approved 13 plats and we do not know how many homes there are, but we have requested that information and he hoped we got it on Saturday. Mr. Parker stated he is optimistic about working with the township, but he is more optimistic about what we know we can do, we can do a Community Authority and he would like to see it put in place before we enact this legislation. Mr. Parker stated if we could come up with the right number of houses that will meet our needs, and bring this out of committee in March, then we could have the third reading at council immediately before the levy is voted on. Mr. Parker stated he would like to see this come out of this committee with 100 percent support as when it got to Council level he would like to have unanimous support as well. Mr. Maxey stated if we wait until the March Service Committee meeting that will be after Council and Mr. Parker stated that was correct and he would not be opposed to rescheduling Service to meet prior to Council. Mr. Shaver stated he understood Mr. Parker’s concern with the precise number, but amendments could be made on council floor if necessary. Mr. Shaver further stated he felt moving this forward to council would also put pressure on the township to do something. Mr. Parker stated his goal was to have something that could be enacted prior to the vote on the school levy. Mr. Maxey stated he agreed with Mr. Rigleman that some type of moratorium would assist the levy’s success, but he did feel strongly that a moratorium be in concert with something from the township and county. He further stated if this legislation was forwarded to council now, it would be a working document on council floor. Mr. Maxey stated he would be in favor of forwarding this tonight provided everyone understood his position on the involvement of Violet Township and Fairfield County and that the ordinance that is passed at council may look somewhat different than it does now. Mr. Shaver stated he felt he had indicated his willingness that this was a working document and he did not think it had to be unanimous. Mr. Parker stated on this issue he felt it was very important that all of council agreed with the final legislation. Mayor Postage stated he had no problem with moving this legislation to council. Mr. Mapes stated Hudson, Ohio, has been put forward as an example of how to do this, and he provided copies of their document which is called a “Growth Management Residential Development Allocation System.” Mr. Mapes stated this is a lengthy document and he felt council needed to look at it to see how they have set up their lottery, etc. Mr. Shaver stated he agreed we did need to develop a fair lottery system and that would be a good place to start. Mr. Parker moved to forward the legislation to Council changing the title to “An ordinance enacting a Growth Management Plan on the issuing of housing permits for single family residential units for a period of one year;” Mr. Shaver seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Maxey, Mr. Parker, and Mr. Shaver voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

Service Committee recessed at 9:25 P.M. and reconvened in open session at 9:40 P.M.

3. PLANNING AND ZONING

A. REPORTS:

(1) BZA Report. Mr. Schultz stated the BZA did not meet last month.

(2) Planning and Zoning Representative Report (Mr. Maxey). Mr. Maxey stated Planning and Zoning had unanimously approved the rezoning request of 78 W. Columbus Street from R4 to C-2 for the Design Team that is on the agenda later this evening.

B. ACTION ITEMS

(1) Review and request for motion to approve draft ordinance to rezone 28.548 acres of land located south of Refugee Road and north of Long Road (Woodward property) from AG to R4. (TABLED, 11/14/02)

(2) Review and request for motion to approve final development plan for a single-family development on approximately 79.912 acres located north of Long Road and south of the railroad tracks (formerly Lane property). (TABLED, 11/14/02)

(3) Review and request for motion to approve rezoning of 0.25+/- acres located at 78 West Columbus Street from R-4 to C-2 for The Design Team (Kern property). Mr. Frank Davis stated he was the owner of The Design Team and he was looking forward to moving their business to the old downtown area. He stated he and his wife have been in business for 25 years and their business is presently located in the Brookview Shopping Center but his lease expires May 31, 2003. Mr. Maxey stated Planning and Zoning had discussed the parking issue in the old downtown and the recommendation from Planning and Zoning was that all employees of the business park in the rear of the property so customers would be able to park on Columbus Street. Mr. Maxey stated the business is by appointment only and there would not be several people coming in at one time. Mr. Shaver stated he felt the best use of the old downtown district was commercial. Mr. Kern stated after the Planning and Zoning meeting he had spoken with the neighbors who had attended that meeting and their concerns regarding parking and devaluation of their property had been answered. Mr. Parker moved to approve and forward to council; Mr. Shaver seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Shaver, Mr. Maxey, and Mr. Parker voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

4. SERVICE DEPARTMENT

A. WATER UTILITY MAINTENANCE. Mr. Wiseman stated he had a gentleman from the Pearl and Florence community speak to him prior to the meeting and he had requested the City do a survey as a confirmation that all of the residents are aware of the cost of the water line so they can make an informed decision. He stated if the Committee concurs he will put together a letter and bring the results to the next meeting. Mr. Shaver stated he did not have a problem with that and he would like to make sure the residents know they are not required to do this, but if they did it now they would receive the opportunity to pay for it over a period of time.

B. WASTEWATER UTILITY MAINTENANCE.

(1) Review and discussion of fire sprinkler capacity fees. Mr. Wiseman stated Mr. Maxey had requested some information regarding what other communities did on this and Mr. Lewis is checking into it. He stated we are awaiting further information and he should have something for the next meeting.

C. STREET MAINTENANCE

(1) Review and request for motion to recommend additional appropriation for road salt and necessary overtime. Mr. Wiseman stated the Committee had a revised recommendation this evening and he was requesting an additional $65,000 for salt, 14,000 for overtime, and $2,600 for gas and diesel fuel. Mr. Parker moved to approve; Mr. Maxey seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Parker, Mr. Maxey, and Mr. Shaver voting “Yea.” Motion passed, 3-0.

(2) Review and request for motion to approve annual street repaving recommendations. Mr. Wiseman stated he would request this be held until the next meeting as they are still trying to resolve what to do with the requirement for handicap ramps and some of the curb and gutter issues that we have. Mr. Parker stated there were some potholes and he would like to see something done in the high traffic areas. Mr. Wiseman stated they have started filling some potholes, however, with the rain that is predicted he has pulled the crews off to start cleaning up the storm drops. Mr. Parker stated this would be continued on the agenda for the next meeting.

D. STORM WATER UTILITY MAINTENANCE.

(1) Janice Lane/Long Road/Diley road Stormwater Study – Update. Mr. Wiseman stated the engineering contract is currently on Council floor for a second reading.

5. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CAPITAL PROJECTS

A. WASTEWATER – R. D. ZANDE

(1) Wastewater Plant Expansion (CIP# 02-03-005) – Update. Mr. Wiseman stated there was no update this evening.

B. TRANSPORTATION

(1) Cycle Way (CIP# 02-03-013) – Update. Mr. Dailey stated this project is essentially shut down for the winter, however, they have made some progress on relocating the utilities and that can be done as soon as the weather allows.

(2) Courtright Road.

(A) Courtright Road Extension Project (CIP# 02-03-011) Mr. Dailey stated they are waiting for the weather on this project as well.

(3) Diley Road Improvements Project

(A) 256 Realignment Phase (CIP#98-03-005) Mr. Dailey stated the engineering is complete on the next phase of this and they are awaiting the city’s schedule for funding.

(B) MORPC/ODOT Project (CIP#98-03-005 and 03-03-005) Mr. Dailey stated the preliminary environmental report has been submitted to ODOT and R.D. Zande will attend the next Service meeting to provide a briefing.

(4) Downtown Revitalization Project Phase III, IV, and V and West Columbus Street Public Parking Lot (CIP#s 02-06-001, 03-06-001, & 03-06-003) – Mr. Dailey stated they are waiting on the legislation to become effective.

(5) Cover/Ebright Connector (CIP#02-03-010)

(A) Mt. Carmel Signal – Update. Mr. Dailey stated he expected the contractor to start next month.

C. WATER

(1) Water Plant Expansion Project (CIP# 00-01-006) – Update. Mr. Dailey stated this project is going relatively smooth and is on or near schedule.

D. WASTEWATER – No Report.

E. STORMWATER.

(1) East Street Outfall (CIP# 01-04-003) – Engineering completed.

6. SCIP/LTIP PROJECT (FORMERLY ISSUE II) – Update. (Proposed project: Long and Wright Road Intersections on Diley Road) Funding not approved. Mr. Parker stated this could be removed from the agenda.

7. CHAIRMAN.

A. Review and discussion regarding draft ordinance to enact a moratorium on the issuing of housing permits for single family residential units for a period of one year. Mr. Parker stated this had been discussed earlier this evening.

8. OTHER BUSINESS. No other business was brought forward.

9. ADJOURNMENT. There being nothing further, Mr. Maxey moved to adjourn; Mr. Shaver seconded the motion. Mr. Shaver, Mr. Maxey, and Mr. Parker voted “Aye.” Motion carried, 3-0. The Service Committee adjourned at 10:15 P.M., February 20, 2003.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

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Lynda D. Yartin, Municipal Clerk