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TO:
City Council Members/Department/Division Heads
FROM: Douglas
L. Lewis, City Manager
SUBJECT: Weekly
Update
MALEK PARK
IMPROVEMENTS:
The City of Conneaut was recently notified we have been selected for
funding through the 2005 Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The
amount awarded for the Malek Park Arboretum Improvements totals $29,000.
The project includes the creation of a pond and wetlands area, the
construction of an observation deck and drainage improvements. The total
project cost is $61,086 with $32,229 in matching funding being provided
by the City of Conneaut and the Tree Commission. The majority of the
City’s contributions will be in-kind services such as labor and usage of
equipment.
This is the second
improvement that will be made to Malek Park in as many years. As you are
aware, the City of Conneaut was awarded $30,844 for the installation of
a playground through the 2005 ODNR NatureWorks Grant. Mr. John Falcone,
Park & Recreation, is working with the Public Works Department to
purchase and install the equipment.
HAYWARD PARK
IMPROVEMENTS:
The City of Conneaut was informed recently that the $12,084 being
requested for the installation of a new modular play system through
Round 12 of the ODNR NatureWorks Program was awarded to the Village of
Orwell for new ball fields. The total project cost was estimated at
$33,217. Staff plans to submit the application again next year.
FY2005 CDBG
COMMUNITY DISTRESS GRANT:
The City of Conneaut was informed that its application did not rank high
enough to be funding in FY2005. The $300,000 in funding being requested
through the FY2005 Community Distress Grant would have enabled the City
of Conneaut to make a number improvements in the targeted area. Some of
the improvements planned included: the installation of parking at
Hayward Park, Sandusky Street sanitary sewer improvements, the paving of
Mill Street from State Street to 16th Street, the paving of
Depot Street from Broad Street to Mill Street, repair of various
sidewalks and installation of handicap ramps, improvements to the pump
station on Poplar Street, and the paving of Ackerman, Beaver, Harper and
Marshall Streets.
This was the first
time that the City of Conneaut requested funding through the CDBG
Community Distress Grant. Over 33 applications were submitted and the
top 10 ranked proposals received $300,000 each. Ms. Patty Lines of
Lines and Associates and I will be contacting the Ohio Department of
Development’s Office of Housing and Community Partnerships to determine
how we can improve in the rankings. As a result, we will make revisions
to the application and submit it in FY2006.
ASHTABULA
COUNTY RECYCLING GRANT:
Mr. John Williams, Finance Director, I received confirmation that we
will not be receiving the County Recycling Grant of $25,000, and the
recycling stipend of $19,200 has been reduced to $17,916. Therefore,
the Litter Control Department will be short $26,284 at the current
staffing level. Staff is examining options to make up for the
shortfall.
PRESIDENTIAL
VISIT:
On Monday, August 22, 2005, I met with Mr. Dennis M. Chack, President of
the Illuminating Company. The purpose of the visit was to introduce
himself, identify needs of the City of Conneaut, offer assistance with
economic development, and discuss how future outages could be minimized.
During his visit, I also provided Mr. Chack with a tour of the
community.
WATER LEAK ON
BROAD STREET:
The Water Department recently responded to a water leak on Broad Street
near Russell Street. The leak was repaired and patched with cold patch.
The Water Department consulted with Public Works Director John Roach and
they both feel that after it has settled there will not be a problem
making the final repairs to the new pavement. The water leak was found
to be from a service tap that was made decades ago and was never used or
recorded as being in that area.
WATER
TREATMENT PLANT SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE FEED SYSTEM:
Mr. Harry Runnion, Water Superintendent, met with Mike Murphy and Shawn
Aiken of CT Consultants, to review plans for this project. Plans will
be submitted to the EPA this week. We estimate that it will take the EPA
Central Office 60 days to review and make comments. We plan to go out
for bid in December and hope to begin construction in January of 2006.
The deadline for completion under the Formula Grant is July 2006.
WOODWORTH ROAD
WATER LINE:
The Water Department is currently working on installing a new 6-inch
water line on Woodworth Road. This past week they installed
approximately 100 feet. The project is going slow because staff must
work around the numerous gas lines and phone cables located in this
area.
WOODWORTH ROAD
BORE:
The bore under Woodworth Road railroad tracks at the Norfolk & Southern
crossing has been completed. They are now working on setting the
manholes as the new 20” line has been pushed through the casing.
WOODWORTH ROAD
LIFT STATION:
The fence at the Woodworth Road Lift Station has been cut again. Two
contractor’s ladders were stolen this time. The Conneaut Police
Department has been informed and will be performing surveillance from
time to time.
WWTP PROJECT
UPDATE:
Construction at the plant has consisted of bracing and forming for the
sludge tank roof. The contractor is still welding the top plates on the
new digester cover. Updated pictures of the construction have been
placed on the City of Conneaut’s web site located at
www.conneaut.net
OLD MAIN FORCE
MAIN:
The Wastewater Treatment Department and the Public Works Department have
been working on the Old Main Road Force Main for the past two weeks.
They installed from the Eagles parking lot apron to the bottom of the
hill on Old Main. There were a number of obstacles to tunnel under and a
very large bridge piling to contend with. They are only a few days from
hooking up. Clean up will be performed after the project is completed.
DORMAN ROAD
LIFT STATION:
The Dorman Road Lift Station is now running through the new force main.
The temporary force main was removed and the road is now open. Road
work and new pump installation is still planned for this project.
SEWER CAVE
INS:
The Wastewater Treatment Department repaired a cave-in at 148 Grant
Street. They also fixed a cave-in at 156 Grant Street this past week.
In addition, they are looking into another possible cave-in on
Washington Street near City News.
POLICE
CALLS/CITATIONS/ARRESTS:
During the week of August 12 through August 19, the Police Department
logged 384 service calls and had 31 arrests/citations. Included in
these numbers were eight animal calls, four accidents, 10 disturbance
calls, 11 domestic situations, six juvenile complaints, two neighbor
disputes, 25 registration checks, 27 suspicious activity calls, 52
traffic stops, and five vandalism calls.
OFFICER
RESIGNS:
This past week, Police Officer Steve Perkio resigned after being
arrested for domestic violence. He will be arraigned on Wednesday,
August 24, 2005.
DISPATCHER
APPOINTED:
Ms. Lonna Pelton has been recommended to fill the position of full-time
dispatcher in the Police Department. Ms. Pelton worked as a full-time
corrections officer in the City jail and was cross trained and certified
as a dispatcher. She will be assigned to 3rd shift effective
August 26, 2005. Congratulations are in order for Ms. Pelton.
OVERTIME
SITUATION:
It is anticipated that the pending vacancies in the Police Department
will create additional overtime. Police Chief Arcaro is in the process
of making one appointment and interviews are being conducted for the
second appointment. The final position will be filled in FY2006 due to
budget constraints in the current year.
NEW POLICE
VEHICLES:
The two new police vehicles that were budgeted in FY2005 will be
delivered on Thursday, August 25, 2005.
HABITAT HOME
ON HAYWARD AVENUE:
Mr. Craig Pierce, Wastewater Superintendent, met with Paula DeMichael of
Habitat for Humanity in regards to a new Habitat house to be built on
Hayward Avenue. Evidently, there is no tap to the lot, so one will have
to be installed by the Wastewater Department.
N&S RAIL GRADE
CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS:
Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Lori Lamer, Law Director, we received
confirmation that Norfolk & Southern will be making improvements to
various crossings in Conneaut. The schedule provided is as follows:
Week of August 22, 2005:
Mill Street
-- Closed Monday,
Chestnut Street --
Closed Monday
Week of August 29, 2005:
Sandusky Street
-- Closed Monday
Please note that the
railroad crossings will be closed the ENTIRE week. We appreciate that
Norfolk & Southern has worked with the City of Conneaut to make repairs
to the rail grade crossings on Mill and Chestnut Streets prior to the
start of the new school year.
CONNEAUT
HISTORICAL SOCIETY:
Staff has been working with representatives from the Conneaut Historical
Society to extend the water and sewer lines from Sandusky Street to east
end of Historical Society Building behind Sal’s Restaurant on Mill
Street. The cost is anticipated at approximately $4,000. If funds are
available in the water and wastewater budget and the monies are
appropriated by the City Council, it is anticipated that the
construction will commence early this fall. This is part of the local
match for the USDA Grant obtained by the Conneaut Historical Society.
EMPLOYEE
APPRECIATION DAY PICNIC:
Friday, August 19th was the annual employee appreciation day
picnic at Township Park. The weather was cooperative and all had a good
time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the employees for
their hard work and dedication throughout the years. In addition, I want
to thank the picnic committee for their efforts in putting this event
together. The committee members are as follows: Brian Bidwell, Collette
Shugerts, Larry Gasch, Barb Distelrath, Bridgette Morris, Pam Harper,
Steve Sanford, Miranda Puthoff, John Roach, Pete Liviola, Bill Johnston
and Pat Beckwith. On behalf of the staff, we would also like to thank
the many sponsors of the event for their generous donation of food and
gifts. A thank you letter and list of sponsors will be forthcoming.
C.A.M.A. BLOCK
PARTY:
The Conneaut Area Ministerial Association (C.A.M.A.) held a block party
at Dean Avenue Park this past Saturday, August 20, 2005 from 4:00 p.m.
until the rain began. The event brought out approximately 300 people
from the neighborhood and throughout the community. C.A.M.A. sponsored
games and a dunking booth, as well as providing free food, music and fun
for the whole family. They should be congratulated for their efforts to
bring the community together. It was a very nice event and we hope that
it will be continued for many years to come.
NIMS TRAINING:
Approximately twenty-five (25) employees and Councilmembers from the
City of Conneaut attended the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
training at the Millennium Training Center in Ashtabula, Ohio. The
training is a requirement for federal funding.
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR – IMPORTANT DATES:
CONNEAUT CREEK
WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATION:
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will be hosting an
informational meeting on the proposal to designate Conneaut Creek as a
Wild and Scenic River. The meeting will be held at the Conneaut Middle
School (cafeteria) on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.
CONGRESSMAN
LATOURETTE VISIT:
Conneaut Moose Club on Monday, August 29, 2005 at 4:00 p.m. The purpose
of the meeting is to update Congressman LaTourette on the project
currently underway to remove the sand from the inner harbor of the
Conneaut Port Authority. While he has been very helpful to date,
Congressman LaTourette’s visit will enable him to learn more about the
project and see it for himself.
PORT AUTHORITY
MEETING:
Thursday, August 25, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. at the Conneaut Port Authority.
D-DAY EVENT:
September
17, 2005 at 12:00 and 4:00 p.m. at Conneaut Township Park.
BEST OF THE
COUNTY AWARDS DINNER – GROWTH PARTNERSHIP:
Tuesday, September
20, 2005 at 5:30 PM. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to Ms. Pat
Beckwith in the City Manager’s Office.
TRICK OR TREAT:
October 31, 2005 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. |
