TO:             City Council Members/Department/Division Heads

FROM:      Douglas L. Lewis, City Manager

SUBJECT: Weekly Update

 CLEVELAND HOTEL DEVELOPMENT: On Wednesday, September 7, 2005, Lighthouse Historic Development Inc. closed on the Cleveland Hotel. According to Mr. Don Longwell, they will be creating 31 condominium-style units and five (5) retail storefronts. The building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which provided important tax credits to move this project forward.  The total investment is expected to be in excess of $3.3 million.  As a result of the closing, Lighthouse Historic Development Inc. has approached the City of Conneaut regarding the acquisition of parking for the project.     

CONNEAUT CREEK WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATION:  Mr. Steve Roloson, NE Ohio Regional Scenic River Manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), notified me that the public comment period has ended for the Conneaut Creek Wild and Scenic River designation. The letters and comments in support of the designation outnumbered the letters and comments in opposition.  

The Conneaut Creek Wild and Scenic River designation will be made official only after ODNR Director Speck makes an official entry in his journal. It is our understanding that Director Speck plans to make the entry at the designation ceremony on Thursday, October 6, 2005. The ODNR is planning the event. Invitations are being prepared and the Conneaut City Council should receive them within the next two weeks.   

SKATE PARK PROPERTY ACQUISITION:  Ms. Lori Lamer, Law Director, received an e-mail from N&S Railroad regarding the deed for the property that we must acquire for the skate park. The N&S attorney indicated that the deed was prepared and will be sent out for signatures. It is our hope that the property will be transferred within a couple of weeks. 

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT (WWTP) IMPROVEMENTS:  This week, the two (2) roof sections of the sludge holding tanks were poured, the valve vault was formed, rebar installed, and the concrete was poured.   

2006 BUDGET REVIEW:  Mr. John Williams, Finance Director, and I will be meeting with Department Directors next week to review their initial budget requests. It is anticipated that we will present the budget to the Conneaut City Council for review in mid-October.    

SECTION 125 CAFERTERIA PLAN: Staff has been exploring the possibility of expanding the benefits under the current Cafeteria Plan (Section 125) serviced by AFLAC.  The plan would enable employees to enjoy the benefit of pre-tax deductions for child care, non-covered medical services, deductibles, etc. through the establishment of flexible spending accounts. Additional information will be presented at the September 19, 2005 Work Session. 

RACCOON BAITING SCHEDULED: The Conneaut City Health Department will be vaccinating raccoons by tossing fishmeal bait from the back if pick-up trucks on Thursday, September 15, 2005. The purpose of the baiting is to prevent rabies in raccoons. In some instances, the baiting will require volunteers to go into the rear yards of private home owners along Lake Road. While the fishmeal is not harmful to pets, it is recommended that baits be left alone if encountered. For more information, residents can pick up a brochure at the Conneaut Health Department or call the rabies information line at (877) 722-6725.  

BACKWASH LINE BREAK: The Water Treatment Department repaired line breaks on a 20-inch filter backwash line and a 6-inch stormwater line at the northwest corner of the main service building on Lake Road. During the Phase III portion of the plant upgrade, staff was no longer permitted to discharge the filter backwash water into Lake Erie, so they had to separate the stormwater from the filter backwash water. At that time, it was determined that the concrete pad laid by the contractor had settled and broke both the filter backwash line and the storm water line. The concrete pad that incased the lines measured 4-foot wide, 6-feet long and 5-feet deep. This was a major job and the Water Treatment Department should be commended for their efforts.   

WOODWORTH ROAD WATER LINE: During the past week, the Water Distribution Crew installed 60 feet of 6-inch water line and one fire hydrant on Woodworth Road. To date, they have installed 1080-feet of line. There are approximately 700-feet remaining to be installed.

PRESERVING CONNEAUT’S HISTORY:  Per the City Council’s approval, next week the Water and Wastewater Departments will be installing water and sewer service to the building off Mill Street that will serve as the home of the Conneaut Historical Society. It is anticipated that the project will not take longer than two days to complete. 

WOODWORTH ROAD BORE:  Per the request of the Conneaut City Council, the Water Treatment Department received a quote from the contractors that are boring under the railroad tracks on Woodworth Road. The quote for boring and materials was $25,000.  Since the money was not budgeted and there are only two houses and a sewage pump station north of the tracks, staff does believe it is cost effective to do the work. Instead, staff will be placing a hydrant near the railroad tracks.   

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF: The two Conneaut Firefighters who left last week are in Mississippi. They have access to e-mail and are permitted to make limited calls to their families. They are expected to be gone at least 30 days.Two additional volunteer firefighters have been hired as temporary FEMA Disaster Assistance Employees.  They will be leaving from Erie Saturday, September 10, 2005.  These employees are asked to be available between two weeks and four months. 

POLICE CALLS/CITATIONS/ARRESTS: During the week of September 2 through September 9, the Police Department logged 432 service calls and had 35 arrests/citations. Included in these numbers were 12 animal calls, 5 accidents, 12 disturbance calls, 10 domestic situations, 6 juvenile complaints,  36 registration checks, 25 suspicious activity calls, 35 traffic stops, and five vandalism calls. 

BOARD OF HEALTH RELOCATION: The Conneaut City Board of Health is looking at the possibility of relocating their offices in the Conneaut Human Resource Center building. The proposed relocation would be where the Seniors Together Program is currently situated. The Homeland Security funds for NIMS compliance will assist the Health Department with minor changes needed for the move, such as, telephone, computer and a security counter.  

The Conneaut Board of Health will be further discussing this issue at the September 14th Board of Health meeting held at 8:30 a.m.  In addition, we will be discussing the move at the next Work Session on Monday, September 19, 2005. Information regarding the proposed move has been placed in your mailbox at City Hall. If there are any questions, feel free to contact Sally Kennedy at 593-3087 or CHRC Director, Mike Bartone at 593-5273. 

DORMAN ROAD PAVING: Dorman Road will be closed Monday and Tuesday, September 12^th and 13^th from Welton Road to the railroad tracks. The road is being paved after completion of the sewer line project.   

MORE SEWER CAVE INS:  This week, the Wastewater Treatment Department and Public Works Department repaired cave ins at 1069 Lake Road and on 14^th Street.  Next week they will be repairing one on Washington Street near the City News. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS -- UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Raccoon Baiting – Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. at the Conneaut Health Department. 

D-Day Re-Enactment Events:   Saturday, September 17, 2005.  Opening ceremonies will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the battles re-enactments are scheduled at 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.   There will also be a USO event at 7:00 p.m. at Lakeview Park.   

Dedication Ceremony for Lakeshore Primary School:  Sunday, September 18, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. at 755 Chestnut Street. 

Wild and Scenic River Designation Ceremony -- October 6, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at the State Road Covered Bridge.    

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.   

Halloween Parade:  Saturday, October 29, 2005 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  

German Fest:  Saturday, October 29, 2005 at the Conneaut Human Resources Center  

Trick or Treat:  Monday, October 31, 2005 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.