City of Springdale Council

January 21, 2015

President of Council Mr. Vanover called Council to order on January 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

The governmental body and those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mrs. McNear provided the Invocation.

Mrs. McNear took roll call. Council members Diehl, Emerson, Harlow, Hawkins, Knox, Squires, and Vanover were present.

The minutes of January 7th 2015, were considered. Mr. Squires made a motion to adopt; Mr. Knox seconded. Minutes were approved with seven affirmative votes.

Committee and Official Reports

Civil Service Commission Mr. Thamann - no report

Rules and Laws Mr. Hawkins - no report

Finance Committee Mr. Diehl - no report

Planning Commission

Mrs. Harlow: Planning Commission met on January 13th 2015 in these chambers, all members present. We also had fourteen people in attendance in our audience, which is something that I was thrilled to see because that means that things are moving around in Springdale. We had under New Business a revised development plan for Maple Knoll Kensington Project, they came in probably in ‘06 and got approval for some redevelopment down on that property, they were decreasing the number of units that they were going to be putting in there. They had a phase I and a phase II and because of the economic downturn, they delayed phase II for a little bit. So that was approved with a 7-0 vote.

We also have a development plan approval for Thornton’s Gas Station at 12185 Princeton Pike, and this was approved with a 7-0 vote. This is the property that sits on the southwest corner of Crescentville and 747; it is currently a strip mall and I think it has one business left in it at this time; SAS Shoe Company. I know that one of the questions that our Committee had was, well there is a Thornton’s Gas Station on 747 that is right down the road, and so what is going to be happening. There was a little bit of concern that both gas stations could be viable in that location, and we wanted to make sure that what we developed in here was going to be viable. This would be one of their flagship stations, it is a brand new design and the gentleman said that if the other gas station had a decline in business, that they would change that out to a different company or sell it to another company but they would definitely keep the one at 12185. So we were thrilled to hear that.

Then we had a Conditional Use approval for outside display of products at Thornton’s Gas, and this was approved with a 7-0 vote after a lot of discussion. There is a designated concrete pad that will be over to the side of the building that will be three feet by twenty-nine feet wide, and it will be painted so that they know that they cannot put any product past that. Their concern, I think, was just as great as our concern because they want to put a restaurant-like quality; clean, clean bathrooms, a place where somebody would not mind going in and getting a hot sandwich. They do not want their employees to be seen outside cleaning up an outdoor storage area, and then have people think that they are going back into the gas station and preparing food. So they are very much looking to bring forward a really quality gas station there, where it is going to be nice and clean.

We also had a revision to the PUD Development Plan and this is at 705 Kemper Commons. This is the old Don Pablo’s, if you remember that. Raising Cane Chicken Fingers is going to be going in there and that was approved with a 7-0 vote. Now what they are going to do with that location is, they are going to demolish the current restaurant and they are going to build Raising Cane at the western side of the current parking lot, so they would like to subdivide that parcel of land. One of our concerns was that we did not want to see a concrete pad stay over there, so they would either have to take the concrete pad up during their initial construction time or they would have six months to take it up and sow it in grass. We do not want a repeat of Cassinelli Square. So we were very, very vocal about that. Then Subdivision Plat for Cassinelli Square at 11360 that came in, and again, I think this is a financial situation where they are subdividing their properties out and that was approved by a 7-0 vote. That would conclude my report unless there are any questions.

Mr. Hawkins: So with the Don Pablo’s property, we are looking to subdivide it. Did they say anything about what they are hoping to do with the rest of that?

Mrs. Harlow: Yes they did, they are looking for a complimentary type, smaller, like maybe ice cream shop or a coffee shop to go in there. But, it would have to be something smaller than theirs. I do not know if any of you have been to their location, it is up in Grove City. I used to stop on my way home from the Dayton Airport a lot, very good food and Anne McBride had to be up that way prior to our meeting, so she scoped it out. She took pictures and she tested the menu, so she said they would be a nice addition to Springdale. So I am really glad to see that side being redeveloped and people coming in and making use of that.

Mayor Webster: How is the square footage of the Raising Cane compared to Don Pablo’s? Is it substantially less?

Mrs. Harlow: Yes it is.

Mayor Webster: It is?

Mrs. Harlow: Yes, it is going to be, probably similar to Chick-Fil-A in size. It is going to have a drive thru and it is going to have inside service seating.

Mayor Webster: Then what is left over will be subdivided into another lot?

Mrs. Harlow: Yes.

Mayor Webster: Ok, thank you.

Mrs. Harlow: You are welcome.

Mr. Vanover: Mrs. Harlow, are they out of the west?

Mrs. Harlow: Raising Cane? I am not sure where their home office is. It sounds to me like the south.

Mr. Vanover: We ate in a place that sounds like that during our last trip to Vegas, and the food was good.

Mrs. Harlow: I do not recall, I think south.

Mr. Vanover: Down south, well that could be, Vegas is southern Nevada. Alright thank you.

Board of Zoning Appeals

Mr. Hawkins: Board of Zoning Appeals met on January 20th 2015. All seven members were present. We had the one matter before us at that time a new business and the owner of 584 West Kemper Road was requesting a variance to allow two single household dwellings on one lot. The variance request was from Section 153.492E, which indicates there shall not be more than one single household dwelling permitted on a Zoning lot. This residence initially had two dwellings on it and when the code changed back in 1960, they were legally Non-Conforming and allowed to have those two dwellings on it. At least by 2009, that second dwelling was no longer being lived in and used in that capacity and was eventually abandoned, I think foreclosed on and bought by this applicant from a bank. The applicant did a fantastic job rehabbing both buildings but the code indicates that he lost the legally Non-Conforming status; therefore, could not use that property for a second dwelling. So, all that being said we had a significant meeting with regard to time and had several residents come in and speak to the issue. That matter was denied with a 0-7 vote. That concludes my report unless there are any questions.

Board of Health

Mr. Squires: This is the report of the Board of Health Meeting of January 8th 2015. In summary, the minutes of the meeting of December 11th 2014 were approved as read and are now part of the public record.

Under Unfinished Business, the 2015 Public Pool/ Spa Fee had the second of three required readings. These are the fees that will be charged for the licensing and inspection of the public swimming pools, public spas and special-use pools in the City of Springdale.

Under New Business, the Health Commissioner reviewed the Board Member guidelines and responsibilities as to continuing education requirements as specified by the Ohio Association of Boards of Health. There were three facilities that received inspections and recommendations for improving health standards. These were all motels. This is not unusual Council; each Board Meeting will list some motels that require this type of service. As to nuisances, animal bites and food-borne illnesses; this meeting featured five of such. All have been properly handled.

Under the Nurse Report, the Flu virus is widespread and is creating serious situations for a lot of people, as well as for senior citizens. It is recommended that citizens should follow the basic guidelines as to keeping healthy. Note the present vaccine is not a total protection for this mutation of the Flu virus. The free diabetes workshop will begin February 19th and will continue through March 26th. The workshops will be conducted at the Springdale Community Center. Participants are urged to register by calling the Springdale Health Department at 346-5727. In conclusion the next meeting of the Springdale Board of Health is Thursday, February 12th at 7:00p.m.

Public Utilities Mrs. Emerson - no report

Public Relations Mr. Hawkins - no report

Capital Improvements Mrs. Emerson - no report

Public Welfare, Safety, & Education Mr. Diehl - no report

Housing Board Mr. Squires - no report

Public Works Mr. Squires - no report

O-K-I

Mrs. Harlow: O-K-I met on January 8th, mostly housekeeping issues. We do have a new President of O-K-I, Mr. Kevin Lynch. He is from Dearborn County, Indiana. Mr. Todd Portune is now past President. Legislative update: they talked about the Highway Transportation Bill, which you guys have heard me talk about this time and time again. That is funded through May, and our D.C. Lawmakers need to figure out funding so that we can get our infrastructure repaired. There was an Amendment No. 12 for the fiscal year 2014-2017, Transportation Improvement Program, and this is just updating the TIP, which they have to do all the time. There are road projects, one in Butler, two in Hamilton, one in Warren County, and then there is one that they added that was a Clermont Transportation Connection Project. That would conclude my report unless there are any questions.

Mayor’s Report

Mayor Webster: I would like to give everyone a final report on our SOS Christmas Program. We helped a total of 70 families this year with 194 kids. We started back in late November with a coat and hat drive, we provided 41 coats. I say “we”, this was primarily done in concert with the Princeton Pantry, and we provided coats for kids in need, many of those kids also received hats and gloves. Next at Thanksgiving in conjunction with the Calvary Pentecostal Church, we served 15 turkey dinners to 15 different families. Ten kids were invited to shop with a cop and nine actually showed up, each got around $100 worth of gifts. This was sponsored by Target with a $400 donation that had been given to help the program. Then 52 families sponsored or adopted families of those 70, the remaining ones were helped by SOS; they received gifts, turkeys, and a large box of non-perishable food along with presents. One local food pantry, food Ministries received the turkeys that were left over; I think that there were ten turkeys that were left over. Several new businesses got involved this year and sponsors. I think we recruited or rather received around $2370 in cash and gift cards. Additional donations were given directly to the Health Department, totaling in excess of $300. So all in all we had a great program this year again.

Once again I would like to thank everyone, the audience, the TV, and those viewing for your participation; that is very gratifying to see the way the community opens up their hearts and most notably, their pocketbooks to help us with this endeavor, and we will be forever grateful for that. I would like to thank all of the members of the SOS and the volunteers that helped with all the wrapping, and boxing the food. That is probably one area where we want to create a greater instance next year is in the food drive, maybe a little short there, at least in some people’s opinion. So we would like to start the food drive a little sooner next year. So if you have a business in the city of the area and you can accommodate a box in your lobby or store front to collect canned goods, we certainly appreciate that. With that, that concludes my report.

Clerk of Council/Finance Director

Mrs. McNear: I do have financial report this evening. This is for the General Fund receipts through December 31st 2014. We had a budget based on $15.4M and we collected $16.4M; that is 106% of anticipated receipts expected. Our top five sources of income are Earnings Tax, Real Estate Tax, Local Government Funds, Estate Tax, and Paramedic Services. We collected $14.9M, which is 91% of the total receipts. For Expenditures we had a Net Expenditure Budget of $17.3M. We spent $16.6M which is 95% of the anticipated budget or expenses. The ending balance was $3.4M. Also, on the financial train of thought, it is that time of the year when we start speaking about our annual report to the Ohio Ethics Commission. I did receive an email this week, since I did file my report online this year which is very easy to do. I recommend to all the elected officials to do it online, it is very easy, it is fast. It is a lot faster and easier than doing the forms online since there is about 8-10 pages. You can go to the Ohio Ethics Commission site to file online, or you can wait another couple of weeks or so until we actually get the papers and you can file via paper. That concludes my report unless there are questions.

Mrs. Harlow: Thank you Mrs. McNear for the reminder because that had totally slipped my mind. I appreciate that.

Mrs. McNear: You are welcome. I will now be reminding everyone at every meeting until the middle of April when they are due because trust me you do not want to be late because they don’t give you any grace period and they will fine you if you are past due.