The Streets and Employee & Community Relations committees and the Committee of the Whole met preceding the June 20 Sylvania City Council meeting.
Streets Committee
The Streets Committee and its Chair Patrick Richardson agreed to authorize the administration to move forward with the conversion of the city’s 1,650 street lights to LED fixtures and asked for an implementation plan to be developed. The conversion will cost approximately $342,000, which will be recouped via lower electric costs in less than five years.
Employee & Community Relations Committee
More than half of the affected residents by the Richard Park Stream Restoration project attended the informational meeting led by the ECR Committee and Chair Mary Westphal.
In addition to voicing their concerns, residents learned in more detail about the proposed Ten Mile Creek restoration project that begins at the bridge spanning Bonniebrook Road in the Grove Bel subdivision.
City of Sylvania Department of Public Service Deputy Director Joseph Shaw, P.E., P.S., and Toledo Metropolitan Council of Governments’ Watershed Committee Chair Deana Bobak made a PowerPoint presentation outlining the proposed erosion mitigation project. Residents were able to see the current creek location with the proposed relocation. Also several natural in-stream structures including proposed weirs, or low dams, rock riffles, which serve to reduce upstream slope and velocity; and toewood structures to incorporate native woody material into a submerged undercut bank to replicate natural stream banks. Included in the discussion were the addition of J-hook vanes to deflect the stream flow to the center of the channel and double cross vanes made of wood and stone to also deflect stream flow to the center of the channel, and create pools.
According to Shaw, the city will review the feedback received and meet with the engineer and ODNR on a final conceptual plan. The city applied for and is tentatively set to receive a 100 percent grant through H2Ohio in the amount of $1,485,000 to cover the cost of the project. Mayor Craig Stough commended Westphal and the residents on the public meeting and said this was how this kind of discussion should be conducted.
Committee of the Whole
The Committee of the Whole recommended referring the matter of rezoning of 5601-5609 W. Alexis Rd., to the zoning committee for further consideration.
City Council Approves Lease, Recommendations
In its regular meeting, Sylvania City Council approved the lease for Burnham Park between the city and the Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District. Mayor Stough explained that the city has slowly been incorporating its recreation areas into SAJRD. The 10-year lease for Burnham Park will allow SAJRD to be eligible for the $200,000 State Capital Improvement infrastructure grant for the improvements to the park and Plummer Pool.
City of Sylvania Department of Public Service Director Kevin Aller, P.E., recommended that council approve DGL Consulting Engineers’ $89,994 proposal for the survey and design of the realignment of the main entrance to ProMedica Flower Hospital with Ravine Drive. This cost has been included in the 2022 budget.
City council also approved the appointment of April Amears of Maumee, Ohio, as a representative from the suburbs to the OneOhio Recovery Foundation Region 4 Board.
In other business, Mayor Stough urged city council members to approve a resolution to urge Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Transportation to reconsider its decision to end the Route 23 connection study.
The request from Dave Schmitt, DS Developers, LLC on behalf of Ralph A. Ruetz for a zoning change for 4215 N. McCord Rd. to Multiple Dwelling Medium Density District-Planned Development was referred to the Planning Commission.
Following committee reports, the meeting was adjourned. The next council meeting will be held on July 18 at 7:30 pm.