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TO: City Council Members/Department/Division Heads
FROM: Douglas L. Lewis, City Manager
SUBJECT: Weekly
Update
PARRISH ROAD RAIL
GRADE SEPERATION PROJECT:
On Thursday, April 28, 2005, Mr. Joe Mayernick of Growth Partnership and
I met with executives at CW Ohio regarding the Parrish Road Rail Grade
Separation Project. As a result, a meeting has been scheduled with Mr.
Mohamed Darwish, Deputy Director of ODOT District 4, Mr. Dino DiSanto
from U.S. Congressman LaTourette’s Office, and State Representative
George Distel and State Senator Marc Dann. The meeting is tentatively
scheduled for Friday, May 13, 2005. We will keep you updated as more
information becomes available.
CRA PROPOSED
REVISIONS:
Ms. Lori Lamer, Law Director, has been working with the Ohio Department
of Development regarding revisions to the City of Conneaut’s CRA. She
informs me that we can differentiate between residential remodeling and
residential new construction with respect to the number of years and
percentage we offer so long as it is across the board. When Ms. Lamer
returns from vacation, we will finalize the legislation and prepare it
for the City Council’s approval at the May 9th Council
Meeting. If you have any questions or require additional information
regarding the CRA, please contact me.
BALLOT
ISSUES/EMPLOYEE MEETINGS:
Over the past two months, I met with all employees in order to educate
them on the three (3) ballot issues proposed by the City of Conneaut –
Municipal Income Tax (Increase), Fire Levy and NOPEC Natural Gas
Aggregation. In addition, the meeting provided an opportunity for me to
answer their questions on various topics and update them on projects
being worked on throughout the City of Conneaut.
DRUG FREE
WORKPLACE GRANT:
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of Ms. Patricia Beckwith, the elected
and appointed officials, as well as the employees who attended the
training, the City of Conneaut was approved for a Drug Free Workplace (DFWP)
Safety Grant in the amount of $1,012.50. The grant will be used to
reimburse the trainer. In addition, it will be used to fulfill any and
all requirements of the DFWP safety grant program.
SPRING
CLEAN-UP:
The spring clean-up will end Friday, April 29, 2005. The Public Works
Department, along with the Parks crew, went around town many times
during the last two weeks, picking up various types of debris. The
Parks Department will continue to work on spring clean–up in addition to
preparing the Parks for summer.
SKATE PARK
EQUIPMENT:
Assistant Public
Works Director Bob Howland and several other employees have finished
putting together the new skate park equipment. The Skate Park is now
officially open. We will be scheduling an official grand opening with
the City Council once the property has been secured from N&S.
WATER
TREATMENT PLANT INSPECTION:
The Water Treatment Plant had an unannounced inspection of their wet
chemistry this week. All records were in order and no deviations were
found. The EPA can visit the plant at any time, without advance
notification, for wet chemistry and bacteriological inspections.
ROUTE 7
PARTIAL DEPTH REPAIRS:
Boca Construction will be doing partial depth repair on Route 7 between
South Ridge Road and the Monroe Township line beginning Wednesday, May
4, 2005. The road will be closed for approximately 3-4 days. Center Road
will be the detour route to be used during this period.
POLICE
DEPARTMENT CALLS/ARRESTS/CITATIONS:
During the week of April 21 through April 28, the Conneaut Police
Department logged 390 service calls and issued 31 citations/arrests.
Included in these calls were 21 junk vehicle investigations, 20
registration checks, 10 thefts, 23 traffic stops and 10 traffic
violations. Additionally, there were 14 parallel parking citations
issued along with three speeding violations.
RETIREMENT IN
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Effective May 1, 2005, Sgt. Anthony Emery retired from the Conneaut
Police Department (CPD). He had a long and distinguished career with the
CPD. After 27 years of service with the CPD, he accepted a new position
and will be working at the Federal Building in Erie, Pennsylvania. We
wish him well and thank him for his years of service.
MENTORSHIP
PROGRAM:
On Monday, April 24, 2005, I served as a judge for the Ashtabula County
Mentorship Program. The program recognizes students for their
understanding and knowledge gained while participating in the program.
There were a number of students from Conneaut High School who
participated in the Mentorship Program. I must say that I was very
impressed and encouraged by the quality of students and the displays
they created to explain their mentorship experience. Mr. Matt Manupella,
a Junior at Conneaut High School, was one of the winners and was
recognized at the Mentorship Banquet the following night.
Upcoming Events –
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Election Day:
May 3, 2005 – Passage of Ballot Issues?
Growth
Partnership Building Dedication:
Monday, May
4, 2005 at 3:00 p.m. in Jefferson. See invitation placed in your
mailbox.
National Day of
Prayer:
May 5, 2005 at
12:00 p.m. in front of the City Hall.
Logo/Visioning
Focus Groups:
May 10, 11, 12,
2005 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
ODOT District 4
Government Day:
Monday, May 16,
2005 at 10:00 a.m. at Youngstown State University.
Farmakis
Hearing:
June 6, 2005 at
7:00 p.m. at Conneaut High School
Conneaut Soap
Box Derby/Lighthouse Cruise and Dance:
June 17-18, 2005 on Broad Street. More information to be provided as
the schedule is finalized.
4th
of July Festival:
July 2-4, 2005 at Lakeview Park.
Household
Hazardous Waste Collection:
September
17, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Ashtabula County
Fairgrounds.
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