The Village of Continental held a regular session council meeting on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 in council chambers with Mike Varner, Roxie Knipp, Tom Armey, Todd Bartley and Dan Sullivan present, Jordan Streicher was absent. Also in attendance were Administrator Prowant, Fiscal Officer Darby and Mayor Miller. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
Council approved the minutes from the previous meeting and reviewed the bills and the receipts and approved them. There were no Then & Now Purchase Orders.
Old Business:
The Mayor has contacted R & L Builders with the go ahead to repair the roof on the EMS building.
Neighborhood Revitalization Grant Update: The contractor is installing fixtures in the bathroom at the park and continues to fill in low spots around the new sidewalks and seeding.
Sidewalk Initiative: Fiscal Officer Darby provided a rough draft of the Sidewalk Ordinance for review. Mayor Miller would like to require a contractor to do the work on the sidewalks that are within the village right-of-way so that all the sidewalks will be uniform and since it will include a reimbursement from public monies. Discussion was held on who will be the oversight on the Sidewalk Initiative, Miller would like to have the Zoning Board provide the oversight. Darby stated then the Zoning would have to make a recommendation to the Council since the Zoning Board cannot authorize the expenditure of money. Council approved the First Reading of the Ordinance.
NatureWork Grant: Miller passed a catalog with pages marked of potential swing sets for Sparling Park. The approximately cost for these is $5,000, this will bring the Grant application up to $15,000. The grant provides a reimbursement of 75% of the project with the villages portion of the remaining 25%. Council approved the second reading of the Resolution.
Water Meter Replacement Update: The meter replacement has begun and residents will notice that their meter pits have been marked and holes are being drilled in the meter pit lids. Residents may notice yellow or orange tinted water and are advised to open their water taps and let the water run for 10-15 minutes until it clears. During a previous meter read all the meter pits were graded 1-5 with 1 being the best and 5 the worst. There were 40-45 pits that were graded a 4 or 5 but when we applied for the grant only 25 meter pits were included to be replaced. Miller would like to have the remaining 20-25 replaced while the contractors are here at a cost of $300 each. Council agreed to spend the extra after finding out that money will have to be transferred from the General Fund to the Water Fund to pay for this.
Income Surveys: The surveys are out and the Mayor would like to encourage all residents to return them as soon as possible. Those that are not returned will receive a second letter and if that is not returned then a door-to-door survey will be done.
Fire Damaged Structure: Council heard that the Fire Marshall’s investigation into the cause of the fire and the insurance company assessment at North Fourth and Grove Streets are being completed. The home owner has been weighing his options between demolition or rebuilding. He has been encouraged to approach the Zoning Board about the requirements to rebuild.
New Business:
Building Permit: a permit was reviewed for a new roof on a home on South Main Street. The permit was approved pending the completion of the permit paperwork.
Hydrant Flushing: The flushing of the hydrants has been put on hold until the meter project is completed.
Community Garage Sales: Will be held May 17 & 18.
Grass Clipping: Village residents are asked to blow all of their grass clippings back into their yards and not into the streets, alleys or on the sidewalks. The clippings can cause a safety issue and also contribute to build up of debris in the Village’s storm sewer lines.
Water Leak: A resident asked for a reduction on his sewer bill for a water leak that was found. The Mayor wanted to table this until more information is gathered.
Water Level at Ponds: Lions Club has asked if water could be pumped into the big pond for the Fishing Derby. Miller has had a conversation with the village workers about this as the smaller ponds are quite full. Miller also reported that a company is supposed to be here soon to grind the yard waste pile before the fishing derby in hopes to provide more parking between the small ponds. The Lions Club would like to have the pole replaced that is used for the speaker during the Derby.
With no other business, Council adjourned.
Susan Darby,
Fiscal Officer
Village of Continental
