[0:00] We're live.
[0:03] » Good evening and welcome to the August
6th, 2026 Council Work Session.
[0:09] First, we have Council Clerk, Mr.
Beresford.
[0:13] » Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Council.
In front of you, there's a motion to
[0:16] appoint Dale Perry to serve on the
Chehalem Volunteer Firefighter Dependent
[0:20] Fund Board. We had a recent vacancy on
that board, and he has
[0:24] decided to step up. That's all I have.
>> I have a question for that.
[0:30] How many
How many applications did we get
[0:33] [clears throat] for that? Because I know
Mr. Beresford served on many boards and
[0:36] Council.
>> We've had zero applications, and that's
[0:39] been open for a couple of months now.
>> Okay. So, we did post it for a couple
[0:43] months, and we had zero applications.
>> Okay.
[0:47] Thank you.
Mr. Zippler.
[0:50] » Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Council.
Before you tonight is ordinance
[0:54] authorizing purchase of real property
improvements located at
[0:59] 5721
Chehalem Road.
[1:03] This is
[1:07] 2.6 acres. Sorry.
Um
[1:11] the city is interested in purchasing
this property for public safety
[1:16] initiatives, including perhaps second
fire station eventually.
[1:22] With a number number of qualifiers in
here, but that's the intent from city
[1:25] staff.
The ordinance is up for its first
[1:29] reading tonight. There's not a request
to suspend the required two readings. Um
[1:33] it is drafted as a request to purchase
the
[1:36] by emergency, so a second reading on
August 20th.
[1:41] Um it will we will request that it be
adopted by emergency.
[1:46] The seller has agreed to wait until
full Council approval before it can
[1:54] Any questions on that?
>> So, we would be free to have the closing
[1:57] any any time after that point.
>> There's a short closing required
[2:00] thereafter.
Though the
[2:02] seller did agree to hold it until then.
[2:08] » Thank you.
Is this It's not currently part of the
[2:11] city, correct?
>> I do not believe it is currently within
[2:15] the city, though it is contiguous to.
>> Okay. Well, now my only question is
[2:19] since we redid our zoning,
um
[2:24] can we bring it in as a municipal use
just to
[2:29] or whatever that zoning change was? I
can't remember.
[2:31] » Yeah, public institutional.
>> Yeah, we'll bring it in as public
[2:34] institutional with the
with the direction that we wish to put a
[2:39] fire station or at least
we've expressed interest in putting the
[2:44] second fire station.
[2:49] » Anything else?
[2:53] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[2:55] Mr. Nichols.
>> Thank you, Mayor Perry. Uh in front of
[2:58] you, you should see the updated uh
Trenton Veterans Memorial
[3:04] uh imagery. It is It places it in front
of the city building by the street.
[3:10] Uh I wasn't sure. I I think that was the
feedback from council back then. If not,
[3:15] we can modify the image and have it
closer to the city building.
[3:19] Um
but we've been waiting on this and I
[3:22] wanted to get it in front of you all.
[3:27] » I think the the discussion was
previously was to have it more toward
[3:31] the
northwest corner
[3:34] » Okay.
>> grassy area.
[3:36] » Right, off the street.
[3:40] » It looks nice there in the front, but
I'm afraid a car would come up Edgewood
[3:43] Drive and drive through it.
>> [laughter]
[3:47] » By the police department.
>> Yes.
[3:53] » I I think that's a good idea, too,
because I don't think there's much
[3:56] parking in the front, if I'm correct.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
[4:00] » One of the things with the previous
location was that we would have veterans
[4:04] having to walk up the hill
>> I know.
[4:06] » to get to the memorial. So, I want to
make it as accessible as possible.
[4:10] » Yeah.
>> Perfect. I can take that feedback and
[4:13] and make those adjustments.
>> But, it would cost
[4:15] » Additionally, I did want to note the
back wall change some. It was a
[4:20] » brick
>> wall, and the feedback from Dodge was
[4:24] that brick wall was more so because it
was going to be built in a hill, whereas
[4:29] it's not being built on the on the
hillside here. So, it would provide a
[4:35] much cleaner look from that perspective
with having the white, and then you
[4:39] should see two black pillars on either
side of the of that back wall, and those
[4:45] act as kind of the support mechanism for
the wings, if you will.
[4:50] » Okay. Um does that add cost?
>> Uh a little bit, yes, but
[4:54] negligible.
>> Okay.
[4:57] » Um
So,
[5:00] I will
reach back out, and we'll make further
[5:03] modifications, and we'll bring something
back to council.
[5:06] Uh I've got some notes on city projects
as it relates to uh Trenton Square.
[5:13] The parking lot is scheduled for the
first week of August. The block masons
[5:18] are installing interior walls, and
exterior brick, exterior concrete column
[5:23] pours are next week.
We're still on track to be all dried in
[5:27] by early September.
And we are moving forward on basin
[5:31] number three.
As it relates to the collector roads,
[5:35] curb is installed, basin intermediate
asphalt's installed, electric and gas
[5:39] conduits are installed. Duke's on site
pulling the electrical service
[5:45] uh for the development. The electric is
installed and the transformer has been
[5:49] set at the city building.
Gas is
[5:52] Gas install is scheduled to begin in
October. You should see street lights
[5:57] being installed going down Edgewood
Drive.
[6:01] Uh, city sidewalks and the ADA ramps
grading is being done
[6:07] for those and we hope to see sidewalk
installation begin next week.
[6:12] Uh, as it relates to the offsite
improvements, we've been told that the
[6:16] traffic light poles have been delivered
and should be installed in the coming
[6:21] weeks. Once those are installed, stop
bars will follow the traffic light and
[6:25] temporary paint on Edgewood Drive going
north.
[6:28] So, we're getting closer to those items.
Uh,
[6:32] as it relates to the splash pad, we did
receive the $50,000 ODNR grant
[6:36] reimbursement.
Uh, one little interesting thing to note
[6:40] is that 1 million gallons of water have
been used in roughly the month that it's
[6:44] been open.
Uh, with the elevated water tower, we're
[6:47] at 155 ft high. It's the last pedestal
pour and the concrete dome has been
[6:53] poured with the tank structure to
follow.
[6:57] Uh, the local paving, we had the bid
opening and that will be going to
[7:02] council at the August 20th meeting, the
ordinance for that. The urban paving
[7:08] project, the contractor has started the
base repairs, which you'll
[7:12] you'll see the cutouts throughout State
Street, uh, doing the base base repairs
[7:18] and the ADA upgrades at this point. Uh,
the OPWC waterline project is scheduled
[7:24] for next week for a bid opening and then
the intent is to bring that to council.
[7:30] Uh, the EV charging station project is
scheduled for the end of August for a
[7:35] bid opening and then we'll bring it to
council.
[7:38] As it relates to,
uh, the baby box project, the $16,000
[7:42] invoice for the baby box itself was
processed, and we're conducting work to
[7:48] investigate what it would take to get
the north wall for construction and
[7:53] implementation of said baby box.
That's all I have for project updates.
[8:02] I do have a request to go into executive
session for conference with an attorney
[8:06] for the public body concerning disputes
involving the public body that are
[8:09] subject of pending or imminent court
action and to consider confidential
[8:13] information that is directly related to
a request for economic development
[8:16] assistance
under any provision identified in the
[8:19] Ohio Revised Code 121.22
subsection G8 or that involves public
[8:24] infrastructure improvements or the
extension of utility services that are
[8:27] directly related to an economic
development project
[8:30] as necessary to protect the interest of
the applicant or the possible investment
[8:34] or expenditure of public funds to be
made in connection with the economic
[8:36] development project and to confer with
legal counsel.
[8:40] » Thank you. Any questions or comments
from council?
[8:43] » No.
>> All right. Seeing none, I'll entertain a
[8:46] motion we go into executive session for
the reasons stated.
[8:49] » So moved.
>> Second.
[8:52] » Councilman Rohr and Councilman Nichols.
>> Rohr, aye.
[8:55] » Mr. Rohr?
>> Yeah.
[8:56] » Mr. Nichols?
>> Yeah.
[8:57] » Vice Mayor Draucher?
>> Yeah.
[8:59] » Ms. Montgomery?
>> Yeah.
[9:00] » Mr. Profit?
>> Yeah.
[9:01] » Ms. Butts?
>> Yeah.
[9:02] » Mayor Berry?
>> Yeah. We are going into executive
[9:05] session at 6:39 p.m. No other business
will be conducted.
[9:10] We will return from executive session at
7:30 p.m.