LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS / University Heights City Council meeting highlights [online 11-16-2015]

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

• Public comments
• Mayor’s appointment to the municipal league board
• Tax board appointments
• 3478 and 3509 Raymont Boulevard
• Purvis Pool
• Water and gas lines
• Vicious dog laws

All council members were present.

Public comments

University Heights Library parking expansion: Jane Lewis of Washington Boulevard expressed concern on behalf of many neighbors regarding the library’s plan to expand parking by tearing down three houses behind the University Heights Library. They do not see the need for expanded parking. They conducted a survey of the lot and found that spaces were always available. The neighbors were also reluctant to lose the buffer those three homes provided against the noise and lights of Cedar Road. Mayor Susan Infeld promised to notify the community of the upcoming planning commission meeting on Dec. 3, at which the library’s plans will be reviewed.

Charlotte Kaminsky of Washington Boulevard asked that the library guarantee use of landscaping to disguise the parking lot. She also noted that she is bothered in her home by the lights of Cedar Road since a building was torn down to make way for the Dunkin’ Donuts.

Vacant Tullamore Road home: Kathy Adams Case of Tullamore Road asked council to tear down the home at 3505 Tullamore Road. The city has already declared the home, vacant since 2010 or 2011, to be a nuisance. The city has applied for funding through the county’s land bank program; but if the funding is not received, the city has to come up with a plan B for this severely blighted home. It is attracting vagrants whom Case is chasing away. Patrick Grogan, community development coordinator, reported that he plans to submit the application to the county for demolition funding. The county land bank manages the demolition process once funding has been granted.

Mayor’s appointment to the municipal league board

Mayor Infeld announced that she has been appointed to the Board of the Ohio Municipal League, a lobbying group which takes municipal issues to the state legislature.

Tax board appointments

Council approved the appointments of residents Michael Bohan and Frank Navratil to the City of University Heights Tax Board of Review for two-year terms. Ohio House Bill 5 stipulated a change to the makeup of the tax board of review. Bohan and Navratil were the top two choices of the Finance Advisory Committee.

3478 and 3509 Raymont Boulevard

Council declared the home at 3478 Raymont Boulevard a nuisance. Building Commissioner Eric Tuck-Macalla reported that the home looks like it is falling down, and the backyard is full of construction debris, appliances and an apparently abandoned truck. The home was initially foreclosed in 2007, and then purchased in 2011. The new owner seems to have disappeared and has not responded to notices from the city.

Council declared the home at 3509 Raymont Boulevard a nuisance. Tuck-Macalla reported that there have been several different owners since property violations were recorded, but the owners do not respond to the notices, nor address the issues. Because the home has transferred ownership through the courts by way of sheriff sales, there has been no escrow filed. The most recent owner of this home paid $12,000.

Purvis Pool

Council approved a contract with Frank Novak & Sons for the painting of Purvis Pool. They were the only company to place a bid, but have done the work the past four times and the bid of $38,370 was in line with prior years. City Engineer Joe Ciuni asked them for a separate bid to also paint the low concrete wall which separates the wading pool from the regular pool, and they asked for $2,566. The bid was approved for a total cost of $40,936.

Water and gas lines

Ciuni reported that the water department will replace water lines on two of the three streets for which the city submitted applications. He also reported that gas lines installed before 1950 are being replaced over time. Six streets will be replaced in 2016, and new sidewalks will be installed afterward by East Ohio Gas.

Vicious dog laws

Councilman Phillip Ertel reported that the safety committee will be reviewing the city’s vicious dog laws, including reviewing policies of Shaker Heights and Lakewood.

LWV Observer: Wendy Deuring.

These meeting summaries are abstracted from LWV observers’ written reports. The summaries have been edited and prepared by Anne McFarland, Charlene Morse and Maryann Barnes. To receive e-mail postings of full reports, send an e-mail to mbarnes9515@gmail.com or join through Google groups using “lwv-chuh observer reports” as a search phrase.

These reports contain member observation and selected highlights of public meetings and are not official statements of the Heights Chapter of the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland. This disclaimer must accompany any redistribution of these reports.