Public Works Mon 4/19/2010

I attended the Public Works meeting this evening. One item on the agenda: street paving. We approved lowest bid, as they have positive history with Village per Chris E and Dan (did work in 2002, 2004, 2005). Also, we'll use a bit of the savings vs what we budgeted (comes from Perm Improvement-like fund that comes from State of Ohio) to repair addl sidewalks. I like this because it advances something I'm very passionate about - pedestrianism!

Cortney

Rules and Law Minutes discussing Code Enforcement

Joe Miller, Dennis Malone, and a citizen met after Council approx 8:50PM Monday 4/12. We met for 15 minutes adjorning around 9:05 pm. Dennis W was absent.

We discussed 3 phases of the work for Code Enforcement: Finalize Rules, Enforcement, Help for Prop Owners.

Enforcement: we decided to leave it alone and not amend.

Help for Prop Owners: a worthy topic but to move this forward, we decided to leave on the table for now. We can take up this idea again at a future date.

Finalize Rules: we decided to take the draft shared by Dennis M. in Jan, and have Dennis M. add worthy components from both Kingsport TN and Shaker Heights OH. This will become our report and draft of our resolution.

Dennis will provide us the final reco, and we'll present this to Council.

Cortney

Tree update

John S. informed me of the tree removal and replanting due to Ash Borer.

Center is cut, stumps to be ground and replanted with Sycamore-like Londonderry trees
Wooster is cut, stumps to be ground and replanted with Pioneer Elm. Work should be done by early May (Flying Pig)
Beech soon to be cut, stumps to be ground, and a variety of species planted.

Cortney

4/12 Council Meeting

I attended the 4/12 Council Meeting. Many things transpired:
-ICRC made a good presentation re recording meetings. We'll vote next time
-Mr. Spinnenweber will pay to upgrade new trees on Wooster from 3" to 4.5". A very generous gift.
-turn lane light at library approved! State of Ohio reversed their decision. This is a great development. The only downside is we have to pay.
-Rumpke promptly paid for repair to Patriot's Park. This shows me they're serious about our Business.
-We decided on Grass Cor as lawn service this year. We added a cancel clause in case of poor performance. This is a tough decision, but it will save an additional $6K or $7K vs Lawnscapers. I look forward to working with Lawn Scapers in the future.
-I made a motion to support the Schools. And after review by Ed Mctigue our Solicitor, it was deemed appropriate to be voted on. It was unanimously approved. This is a great show of support for our schools.

I voted in the affirmative on all issues. Lawn contract is a cost issue in my opinion (John S certified their ability to perform). Schools' future is intertwined with the Village's. I voted in favor of the Levy.

Cortney

Mariemont Council unanimously supports School Levy

I'm really pleased about last nights Vote of Support for Mariemont City Schools. I made a motion that said Village and Schools are inextricably linked, so it's appropriate to take on this topic. I made a motion and on the vote, it was 5-0 in the affirmative.

I think it's a great show of confidence for our great schools.

Cortney

MPF meeting to discuss my "Vision"

I met with MPF Leaders yesterday to share my vision for the Village. We talked about a lot, but here are some of my themes

Vision: We are the premier example of a Planned Community/New Urbanism in the US. Within this:
-Sustainability-aware of our environnmental impact and working to reduce it
-Health and Well Being-encourage and celebrate pedestrians and cyclists
-Architecture/History-celebrate and protect our unique journey through today

We also talked about the Historic District. I would say the District today is no longer an asset, rather a neutral. No question there are beautiful homes and streets. But in total, we are at a crossroads. Over the next 4 years, it will become a negative without aggressive corrective action. The MPF folks I met with mentioned a non profit 3CDC type development group that could buy, improve and sell properties. Without profit (or even break even) requirements, the tough decisions aren't quite as tough. For example, take a 6 family and make it a 4 family with modern amenities and more room, allowing for higher rents. Then sell it. Use proceeds to buy another! Council could use a portion of the Perm Improvement Fund to invest in this group. Further, Council could focus disprportionate investment in beautification.

I look fwd to MPF's Vision Plan and hope to use it as a roadmap for Council.

Cortney

Tree research

With the great loss of many of our huge Ash trees this week, we need to aggressively begin replanting. And not just a 1:1 for those lost. This is a time to review what we do vs what is sufficient to continue to provide our great tree canopy. For instance, we are Tree City, but we are NOT Sterling level Tree City. We ought to be a national model for tree planting. Only Cincinnati and Montgomery are at this level.
http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/sterling.cfm

I've reached out to a couple folks in the community to learn more about previous work done (Nolen's original work, early 1950's plan). I'll be bringing up this important topic during Committee.

Cortney