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May 6, 2004
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May 6, 2004 |
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Village
Council business— The residents said that the project would make what one person called a “fairly dangerous area” even more unsafe for pedestrians and drivers on East Enon Road. They asked the Village to place the new power line, which will run along East Enon and connect to YSI Incorporated, underground. Before the meeting, Council received a petition with signatures from 25 residents making a similar request. The discussion centered on a project that would upgrade the power distribution system around YSI. The new line would provide power to YSI, The Antioch Company, Yellow Springs High School and residential customers. Village officials also said that the additional line would increase the electric system’s reliability by creating a continuous loop that would help the Village maintain power throughout Yellow Springs in the event of power outages. The Village has budgeted $60,890 for the project. Council and other Village officials told the neighbors on Monday that although the project is still being designed, burying the power line seems impractical and too expensive. Council president Tony Arnett said that it appears the Village plans to proceed with hanging the new power line overhead on utility poles. Village Manager Rob Hillard said that the Village will organize a meeting with the neighbors at which they can review the design of the project. Mike Breza, who lives on East Enon, said during the meeting that the neighbors were concerned with safety in their neighborhood. Susan Praeger said that she is concerned the project will increase the number of utility poles on East Enon, and therefore increase the number of obstructions on the street. Several Village staff members, including Village Planner Phil Hawkey, noted that because the project is still being designed, the Village does not know where the new utility poles will be located and whether additional poles will be needed. Naomi Ewald-Orme said that East Enon needs a pedestrian path and a lower speed limit. Council members said that lowering the speed limit or building a sidewalk on East Enon are issues for the Miami Township trustees and the Greene County engineer. Council encouraged the neighbors to contact those government officials. Council member Jocelyn Hardman said that the safety issue and the utility project “ought to be dealt with separately.” When Arnett later reiterated that the residents “will have the opportunity to review the design” of the project, Breza interjected that the residents would have “the opportunity to hire some good lawyers, too.” In other Council business: • Council unanimously approved a request from the Village Planning Commission to hire a consultant, Edwards and Kelcey of Cincinnati, to review and recommend changes to the Village’s site plan review and planned unit development processes. Both zoning processes address ways to approach residential development, but Planning Commission believes the processes can be simplified and made more efficient. The consultants’ review will cost $10,900, but is not included in this year’s Village budget. Bruce Rickenbach, the plan board chairman, said that the commission “determined that we didn’t have the skills or the volunteer time to devote to a comprehensive review” of the zoning processes. • Hillard reported that the following people had volunteered to serve on a committee to address downtown parking: Pam Adams, the Chamber of Commerce secretary and co-owner of Village Herb Shoppe; Council member Mary J. Alexander; Jonathan Brown, owner of Sunrise Cafe; Tom Gray, owner of Tom’s Market; Hardman; and Margaret Silliman, the Miami Township clerk and a Winds Cafe employee. Council said it supported the committee’s goals, which include reviewing vacant downtown property for additional parking areas and reviewing angled parking downtown. Council also said that others could participate on the committee. To join, contact Hillard, 767-1270 or rhillard@yso.com. • Bruce Cornett gave a presentation for his company, Logical Solutions, requesting a space on one of the Village water towers for an antenna that would provide wireless broadband Internet access in town. Under a draft agreement, Cornett would pay the Village $500 a year in rent, for five years. Arnett did not participate in the discussion because, he said, he has a business relationship with Cornett’s company. Cornett said that the service would be provided to business and residential customers. He explained that in order to make the service work, an antenna must be placed high in the sky. If he could erect it on a water tower, he said he would not have to build a tower. Council said it needed more information before making a decision on Cornett’s request. • Hillard presented Council with a policy allowing local nonprofit organizations to vend at Gaunt Park during the annual 4th of July fireworks display. Businesses and nonprofit groups not from town would be prohibited. Participants would not be required to give their profits to the Yellow Springs Lions Club, which sponsors the fireworks display, though the Village would encourage organizations to make a donation to the club’s fireworks fund. • Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance declaring as surplus various items in the Yellow Springs Library. Council will hold a second reading and public hearing on May 17. The ordinance allows the Village to sell for $1 the items to the Greene County Public Library system. The items include two folding tables, two chairs, a filing cabinet and two book carts. • Council agreed to hold at its next meeting the first reading of an ordinance giving Limestone Street a secondary designation, James A. McKee Way, in honor of the longtime Yellow Springs police chief who lived on Limestone. McKee died last year. • Hillard reported that 252 of the 263 defaulted utility accounts that the Village deems uncollectible were renters. In response, Council asked Hillard to suggest possible ways for the Village to address this problem. • Arnett reported that he, Hillard and Police Chief Carl Bush have been meeting with Antioch College administrators, following last month’s visit to Yellow Springs by the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan passed out literature downtown in response to a campus exercise about racial issues at Antioch. Arnett said that the college president, Joan Straumanis, plans to send Council a letter clarifying the exercise. • Council met in executive session, which are not open to the public, for the purpose of purchasing real estate. Arnett said the discussion was related to efforts to build a commerce park in town.
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