City Commission - Regular Meeting

Good morning everyone and welcome to the July 27th Sandusky City Commission meeting and invocation we offered by Commissioner Kuntz followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Dear Lord we come to you humbly today first of all giving you thanks for allowing us to continue to live and to be in the land of the living. We particularly pray for our strength. We pray for our strength that you give us that and give us grace for those things that we may blunder on and those things that we may not do to the best of our ability. But we're also asking for our physical strength because we face some challenges on this commission, some physical challenges. And I'd like to give out a special prayer for Commissioner Wilson, who is not with us. Please give her strength to continue on the journey to recover and give us all wisdom, give us guidance to do the very best that we can for our constituents. All of these things we ask in your name. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic.

Ms. Myers, will you call the roll, please?

Yes, Ms. President.

Ms. Wilson? Commissioners, can I get a motion to excuse Commissioner Wilson? Second. Commissioner Wilson is excused, and we again wish for her speedy recovery.

Mr. Koontz?

Here.

Mr. Crable? Here. Mr. Bugeaud?

Here.

Mr. Tucker?

Here.

Ms. Vargo? Here. Mr. Waddington?

Here. Okay. Commissioners, you received a draft of the last meeting minutes, July 13th. What is your pleasure?

Madam President.

Yes, Commissioner.

I move approval of the July 13th minutes as presented and waive the reading thereof.

Second. There's been a motion and a second. Any discussion? hearing no objection that motion is approved tonight we have a special presentation from our friends from the historical society in the maritime museum Mollie Sampson and John Lippis are going to be sharing some information with us about the Leonard Tom shoreline Park project proposal for us so welcome come on up.

Thank you. We appreciate you allowing us the time tonight. I do also want to mention that we do have Dr. Bill Siemens, who is the board president of the Maritime Museum, with us here today. I'll let Molly take it from here.

Thank you so much for having us. Again, my name is Molly Sampson. I'm the director of the Maritime Museum of Sandusky and also a bit of a World War II historian, so this is a topic that is near and dear to me. So who was Lenny Tom? Lenny was born here in Sandusky in 1917, the grandchildren of immigrants from Germany and Scotland who came here and settled. He grew up in Sandusky. He attended Sandusky High School and was a football star that made a lot of newspaper articles. When he graduated, he went to Heidelberg and then was poached by the Ohio State University to play football for them. He had a wonderful career there. He met his future wife while at OSU, but graduated and then quickly realized that he had greater things ahead of him than what he found on the football field. Like many men of his generation, he joined the U.S. military during World War II. He was commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1942 and was selected out of a very competitive group to attend Motor Torpedo Training School in Rhode Island.

I will mention or bring it to the commissioners and the audience's attention. If you notice where the Tom family business was, it is actually located right where the brand new rec center is going. So there are connections there with what is currently going on.

After graduating from the Torpedo Training School, he was assigned to PT 109 in April of 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Junior Grade John F. Kennedy. On the night of August 2, 1943, while on their normal patrol, they were sunk by the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri, that physically attacked, drove through the PT-109, destroying the ship. Two crew members were killed. He helped lead the surviving crew through five days of survival until their rescue, helping them to swim to shore, helping them move from small island to small island to evade Japanese capture. And then also, in addition to JFK's famous coconut message, using actual paper to write a detailed message to help ensure their survival. After they were rescued, just like JFK, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart. His story didn't end with PT 109. After this and after his rescue, he came home, got to visit his family, got to meet up with that sweetheart he met at OSU. He married Kay in the summer of 1944, and they had their first child, Leonard Tom Jr. He went back to being part of the training cadre in Rhode Island, and then was assigned to PT 587, nicknamed Tom Cat by the crew. He finally had his own full command. After the war, much like many men of his generation, he used his GI Bill. He had already graduated with his bachelor's degree but decided to go back for a master's degree in physical education. He'd spend the week in Columbus attending classes and on the weekend go home and visit his wife and child and she was expecting her second child shortly. Unfortunately, in October 1946, his life was cut tragically short. He was involved in an accident with his brother-in-law and one other friend. They hit a train, and Tom's last words that were recorded by the first responders were, leave me and take care of the other guys. So... Although his story became one of the most famous ones of World War II, Sandusky's never established a permanent public memorial. We have other ways of honoring him, but nothing with huge eyes, which brings us to the second part of our presentation.

Thank you, Molly. So learning a little bit about the history of Lenny Tom and PT 109. PT 109 is a global story, a global tragedy that happened during World War II. And the fact that being John F. Kennedy's executive officer, Kennedy being who he was and being who his family were, overshadowed the actual commitment and heroism and dedication and leadership that Ensign Tom portrayed on that night and during that incident. It was said in the after action report by the survivors that Leonard Tom was more instrumental in saving the lives of those from the accident and equally as responsible for all the decision-making as Kennedy. So that kind of gets lost. So we have a local hero here. a national story on a global scale and he has been basically forgotten by our community, which is why the call to action tonight is to ask the council to consider the Maritime Museum and the Historical Society for renaming Shoreline Park to the Leonard J. Tom Shoreline Park. We were strategic in that name because we know we I understand the history. We know the attachment to Shoreline Park. We wanted to keep that name as part of the group. We didn't want to just change the name of Shoreline Park. But yet we wanted to use that waterfront property to tell the story of Ensign Tom, PT-109, John F. Kennedy, the connection between it, Sandusky's connection to that story through interpretive signage like you see at the bottom of the slide deck and And we probably are looking to do maybe three or four of those within the park, within a cluster. But we're also asking for us to rebuild the main park sign. We would cover the cost of that under our own organizations as we would the cost of all the signage within the park. What we're asking the city for is basically permission to rename that park. One of the interesting things that we want to do is we want to work with the school systems. We want to introduce this story into the history, Indo-American history, at the junior high level, as well as doing interpretive talks with the museum and the Historical Society on the individuals, and frankly, other historical entities and citizens that we have. So again, we want to use this prominent space along Historia's waterfront. It ties in the Navy. It ties in water. It ties in boats to this. We want to reflect his naval service and his maritime identity to the city. And we want to create a lasting place for education and remembrance. Molly will talk just a little bit about there's a World War II memorial and historical area designation that we can assign to Shoreline Park now if this name is designated. So, Molly, if you want to...

So part of public history efforts, there is a digital public history project to create a global map of all of the World War II monuments and memorials. So that would be an outlet for us to share the story with people who would want to come here or with people who may not be able to travel to it, but they can still see the recognition of what the Leonard J. Tom Shoreline Park could be.

And we would also, on these interpretive signage, put QR codes so people could then read them on their phones. And we would also do websites that support this site and a national database that would support this site as well. Go ahead. So we kind of wanted to breeze through this because we're respectful of everybody's time. But we think that it's a good story. We think it's a good story to tell. It's a good story to be told. One thing that, again, was mentioned that if Ensign Tom had not been there during that tragedy of PT-109 and those men, it would have caused Kennedy to be more involved with helping his crew and saving his crew and not trying to go out to swim to find the other ships or to find someone to rescue them. Had that not happened, who knows? We might not have a 35th president named John F. Kennedy because they may not have been found. So the story is a good story. I respectfully ask you to consider our request and thank you for your time.

Thank you very much.

For any questions, if anybody needs any.

And one more shameless plug. If you want to learn more, Saturday, 9 a.m. at the Maritime Museum, we are doing a longer presentation on the history of Lenny Tom and P.T. 109. This Saturday. This Saturday.

It should be about an hour and a half presentation.

And there's coffee and donuts. And there is also a movie, right? Is it on Prime?

Yeah, so there is a movie that was made after this incident. It's called PT-109. Imagine that. It was a full-length motion picture. Lenny Tom is the big, burly, blonde-haired guy portrayed in the movie. Cliff Robertson played John F. Kennedy. And it's a good movie if you've never seen it. It's good entertaining. It's a pretty good interpretation of the story.

So, commissioners... Questions or comments for John or Molly? Madam Chair. Yes.

I think this is a great idea. I love it. I'm going to vote for it. And a good presentation. You guys did good.

Thank you, Commissioner Waddington.

Commissioner, is there anyone else?

Support that.

Madam Chair. Commissioner.

I just want to say thanks for the presentation. Having a daughter in the Navy, this is exactly what needs to happen. Thank you.

That's awesome. Chapter 10.

I very much support this. Are we going to vote this out tonight?

No. Next meeting. Anybody else? Thank you.

We are available if anybody has questions after this or in the coming weeks before the next meeting, please reach out. We'll be happy to answer.

I just appreciate you looking into the history of this incredible community that we live in and finding those great gems that are out there that don't get the time of day that they should be given. And so this is really exciting, and it sounds like you have a lot of support for it.

Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you again, Molly. Thank you, Billy. Appreciate you guys. Okay, audience participation. Anyone in the audience that has any comments on tonight's agenda, come forward, state your name and your address, and please limit your time to three minutes.

Good evening, Tim Schwanger, 362 Sheffield Way. First item is item number one, which depicts a $14,000 increase for the design, and I guess it looks like maybe this company is also the project manager, which would be Schmidt Architects. Question is, was there a stipulation in the original contract that allows for additional funds for Schmidt Architects if the rec center runs over the time frame of construction? That's what this looks like, like the construction's going over, which means more work, I guess, for Schmidt. Maybe they have to come in every day and inspect what's going on. Number two, which is Lyons Park. Did the city commission, and this is just for clarification, did the city commission actually approve which concept they were going with? There was like three different concepts. Has that concept been approved? Item number five, which pertains to animals and waterfowl, what exactly is this change to the code of ordinances for fowl and other animals? In the Pipe Creek Wildlife Area parking lot, I guess I'm questioning the need to expand that parking lot because I go down there quite a bit and I don't really see a whole lot of people. I mean, there's people there every day, but I don't see a whole lot of people parked there. And the concern And I know they've been here before. There's people on that street, River Ave, that have shared concerns about an area of business. The people that go to that business tend to park wherever they feel like it. So I'm hoping that we're not expanding that parking lot as a parking lot for an adjacent business. And there's probably no way to control that. It's going to be a public parking lot. But I don't know what we can do about that. Hopefully that business does not take over that parking lot. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Schwanger. Good evening, Mr. Garrett.

How's everybody doing?

Good, how are you? For items C and item number 5, is there a budget amount? It says there's no... But the change but there's no amount on the agenda just wondering.

We'll get that for you okay, thank you that's it. All right. Any other comments for the agenda this evening. Public comments for questions and concerns are, I'm sorry, at the end. So we'll get there quickly for you, though. Okay, commissioners, you have several communications from staff recommending legislation tonight. Can I have a motion to accept these communications? So moved.

Second.

There's been a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing no objection, that is approved. Does any commissioner wish to move any consent items to the regular agenda this evening? Okay. Okay, Ms. Myers, will you present the consent agenda?

Item A, approval of new national opioid settlement with discount drug mark. Item B, approval to execute two purchase and sale contracts for Welcome Home Ohio. Item C, approval of CDBG contract amendment with New Jerusalem Church Warming Cooling Center. Item D, approval of change order two and final for the parks paving project with Erie Blacktop. Item E, approval of change order one and final for the UV disinfection refurbishment project with great lakes.

Thank you commissioners having heard these ordinances this evening what is your pleasure.

Madam chair, yes, commissioner, a move to the move to accept the consent agenda items a through the ordinances as presented in accordance with section 14 of the city charter second has been a motion and second is there any discussion.

Mr. Yes, Commissioner.

I noticed on a couple of these that there were some deductions from the amounts. I was wondering if Mr. Orszag or Mr. Snyder could talk about that?

I'll defer to Josh. He has all that information. Sure. I believe generally there are differences between the estimate and actual costs. A lot of projects we try to put contingency on there also to cover anything that's unplanned or unforeseen, and we may not have used that full amount as well. So it was either the contingency or specific line items that underran the planned quantity. Great. Thank you. We like saving money.

And then, Mr. Orszag, is there a way to speak right now to Mr. Garrett's question about the... Yeah, all they're doing is moving what funds weren't used from one year and continuing on to the next program. So that's what that is. Okay.

Thank you. Thank you. Anything else, Commissioner? Ms. Myers, will you call the roll on the motion?

Mr. Koontz? Yes. Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Bugeaud?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now in the ordinances. Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Bugeaud?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes. Ms. Fargo?

Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And that is all approved. Ms. Myers, we present item number one on the regular agenda tonight.

It is requested an ordinance be passed authorizing and directing the city manager to enter into an amendment for professional design services with Schmid Architects Incorporated of Sandusky, Ohio for the criteria engineer for Sandusky Recreation Center and design engineer for the tennis courts project and declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with section 14 of the city charter. Commissioners after hearing this ordinance.

What is your pleasure?

That's ugly madam chair I move for the adoption of item 1 for this ordinance to take a media effect in accordance with section 14 of the city charter No second.

There's been a motion in a second. Is there any discussion? I

Mr. Orszag can address the question about Schmidt Architects.

Yeah, the increase is not to exceed. Our staff's been very diligent on making sure that we're only using Schmidt Architect for necessary decision-making processes. The project was delayed at the initial phase when it was awarded. And so that they've increased their costs over the year. So that's what that is. But we are being very diligent. The staff is being very diligent to make sure that we don't go over that amount. Thank you very much.

Just to clarify that this overage is not the result of additional construction time or delayed construction time. This goes back to the beginning of the project when it was first being conceived and designed. It was there where the additional time was spent.

Thank you. Any other discussion? Mr. Orszag.

I'll just add that we'll have an update on the rec center during old business to give the commission.

Yep, thank you very much. Okay, Ms. Myers, will you call a roll on the motion?

Mr. Koontz? Yes. Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Bugeaud? Yes. Mr. Tucker? Yes. Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Coons?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Pichot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Spargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And that item is approved. Ms. Myers, will you present number two on the agenda this evening? It is requested an ordinance be passed authorizing and directing the city manager to enter into an agreement for professional design services with Smith Group Architects and Landscape Architects, PLLC of Cleveland, Ohio, for the Lyons Park Shoreline Road restoration project and declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with section 14 of the city charter. Thank you. Commissioners, having heard this ordinance, what is your pleasure?

Madam Chair.

Yes, Commissioner Waddington.

I move for the adoption of this ordinance under suspension of the rules in full accordance with section 14 of the city charter.

Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Do we want to answer that one right now too, Mr. Orsay?

Happy to. Option three was voted on by the community in the public participation. The option is the best for the community to get full access to the waterfront and all the habitation restoration that needs to take place. The other options were a little bit of vanilla, then some chocolate, and this is a ice cream sundae with all the bells and whistles. But option three has been discussed in the past. It's what we are applying for grant funding for through various organizations, as the commission's aware. So that's the plan that we're moving forward with.

And as you shared with all of us, we're going to actually get to see some things at some point down there to share what things will look like right down at the park.

Yeah, once we get into contract with the Smith Group, they'll have timelines. They do plan on having a public meeting down there. They'll have the stone, sand-ish stuff so people can feel, kind of give an overview of the project and continue on with the design phase. So everybody will have an opportunity to come to Lions Park and participate in that event.

thank you very much.

Madam Chair, City Manager Orszag, option three will it provide for fishing and swimming and other recreation along with the shoreline erosion concerns?

Yeah, it'll extend out into like an archipelago, it's called, and there'll be fishing access off of that. People will be able to sit out there. People will be able to swim in the lake, kayak in between. The habitat will increase. So there'll be a lot of activities that the community will be able to participate in.

It spans the entire frontage of the park. It's beautiful. It's going to be beautiful.

It's going to be very nice.

Thank you. Any other discussion? All right. Ms. Myers, we call a roll on the motion for that, please. Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes. Mr. Pujo? Yes. Mr. Tucker? Yes. Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Koontz? Yes. Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Pujo? Yes. Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And that item is approved. Ms. Myers, will you present item number three on the agenda? It is requested an ordinance be passed declaring that portions of certain real estate owned by the city identified as parcel number 59-66009 located between West Monroe Street and Sloan Street, Sandusky, are no longer needed for any municipal purpose, authorizing the transfer of two portions to the adjoining property owners, and declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with Section 14 of the City Charter.

Commissioners, having heard this ordinance, what is your pleasure?

Madam Chair?

Yes, Commissioner Coons.

Move for approval of this ordinance under Item 3 in full accordance with Section 14 of the City Charter. Second.

There's been a motion and a second. Is there any discussion, Commissioners? Hearing no discussion, Ms. Myers, we call a roll on the motion.

Mr. Kuhn?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Bujo?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker? Yes. Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Kuhn?

Yes.

Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Bujo?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker? Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And that item is approved. Ms. Myers, will you present item number four on the agenda?

It is requested a resolution be passed declaring the necessity for the city to proceed with the proposed Cedar Point Causeway Wetland Phase 2 Project 1 Grading and Reconfiguration Project relating to the Sandusky Bay Initiative, approving the specifications and engineer's estimate of costs thereof, and directing the city manager to advertise for and receive bids in relation thereto and declaring this resolution shall take immediate effect in accordance with section 14 of the city charter.

Commissioners, having heard this resolution, what is your pleasure?

Madam President? Yes, Commissioner Cravel. I move approval of the resolution under item number four in full accordance with section 14 of the city charter.

Second. There's been a motion and a couple seconds. Is there any discussion? Hearing no discussion, Ms. Myers, will you call the roll on the motion?

Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Peugeot? Yes. Mr. Tucker? Yes. Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the resolution. Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. and that resolution is approved. Ms. Myers you present item number five on the agenda.

It is requested ordinance be passed amending part five general offenses chapter 505 animals and fowl and declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with section 14 of the city charter. Commissioners having heard this ordinance what's your pleasure?

Madam Chair. Commissioner.

I move for the adoption of this ordinance under suspension of the rules in full accordance with section 14 of the city charter.

Second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion?

This just brings us in line with state law, if I'm not mistaken, correct?

That is correct. Can you, why don't you go ahead and give us your...

Okay. Commissioner Tucker is accurate. There's been some recent updates from the state legislature regarding some definitions of canines, dog attacks. It enhanced some penalties for that. Companion animals. All those recent updates were through what's called Avery's Law. Avery Russell was a female who was severely injured in an unprovoked dog attack. In response to that, legislature made some different penalties for these. This just brings our... Ordinance to mirror state law. It just answers that and there's no budget You know issue with that either.

This is just some updates to the law Thank you any other discussion Miss Meyers, will you call the roll on that motion?

Mr. Koontz? Yes. Mr. Crable? Yeah. Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Miss Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Miss Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. and that item number 5 is approved. Ms. Meyers, we present item number 6. It is requested an ordinance be passed authorizing and directing the city manager to enter into a 10-year agreement with Axon Enterprise Incorporated of Scottsdale, Arizona, for the support, maintenance, online storage, and equipment replacement program for the Axon body-worn cameras for the Sandusky Police Department. In declaring this ordinance, it shall take immediate effect in accordance with Section 14 of the city charter. Madam Chair.

having heard this there is some motion or.

Yeah, that's right with the adoption by the 6th is sort to take me back in accordance with section 14 of the city charter second there's been a motion to second is there any discussion commissioner whitington.

But this chief off. It's a 10 year contract so technology changes big time in 5 or 6 years. Will that be at a cost center?

No, this Axon, first of all, is top-of-the-line equipment. We have cruiser cameras through Axon. Our body-worn cameras are through Axon, and our interview rooms are through Axon. That sole source with Axon, and they approached us. It's normally a five-year contract, and they were willing to lock us in for 10 years. The costs go up every year with Axon, but you'll see from this one, this is actually getting locked in for us for 10 years. Right. So the savings over that 10 year, they estimated like $480,000. That's pretty big savings. They're taking a chance with us for 10 years to be a guaranteed customer, and we're definitely taking a great chance with them. They are nationwide. They are a very, very good organization, and it's just been seamless for us to provide information to the prosecutors and the public if we need it. So it's really worked out.

Thank you, Chief. Commissioner, any other discussion? Mr. Myers, will you call the roll on the motion?

Mr. Coons? Yes. Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Peugeot? Yes. Mr. Tucker? Yes. Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Coons?

Yes.

Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. that ordinance is approved. Ms. Myers, we present item number seven on the agenda.

It is requested an ordinance be passed authorizing and approving a business development loan in the amount of $150,000 through the Economic Development Assistance Program through the Horizon Education Centers in relation to the property located in at 1575 through 1625 Cleveland Road West, Sandusky, and declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with Section 14 of the City Charter.

Commissioners, having heard this ordinance, what is your pleasure?

Madam Chair.

Yes, Commissioner.

I move for the adoption of Item 7 of this ordinance to take immediate effect in accordance with Section 14 of the City Charter. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion?

Go ahead.

Okay.

I'm just, I couldn't be happier about this. We need these services here in Sandusky for sure. And you come with a wonderful reputation. So we're very happy to have you as our new neighbors.

I've worked with this organization for many years and very positive results.

We are excited to have you here, and our partners from Horizon Education are here this evening, and it's going to be a really good thing for our community, our parents, and our children. So we're really looking forward to that. So thank you very much for coming.

Madam Chair, Ms. Gilson, where exactly is this going on Cleveland Road?

Sure. Thank you for the question. It is almost diagonally across from the former BAS broadcasting site, which is also the site of a development coming up in the future. So we're seeing some real catalytic development right there on Cleveland Road. And if I may, I do want to publicly thank the foundation community for bringing Horizon to the city. It was actually the Erie Community Foundation that reached out and brought them to this area and tried to perk their interest, and here we are today. many, many years later.

It's amazing. It's amazing. Commissioners? Mr. Waddington? I just said the old doves. I ate there yesterday. Any other discussion? Mr. Myers, we call the roll on the motion.

Mr. Coons? Yes. Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Coons? Yes. Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo?

Yes.

Mr. Washington? Yes. And that ordinance is approved. Ms. Myers, we present item number eight on the agenda.

It is requested an ordinance be passed authorizing and directing the city manager to enter into a contract with Underground Solutions of Sandusky, Ohio for the Pipe Creek Wildlife Area Parking Lot Expansion Project And declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with Section 14 of the City Charter.

Commissioners, having heard this ordinance, what is your pleasure?

Madam Chair.

Commissioner Kuntz.

Move for approval of this ordinance under Item 8 in full accordance with Section 14 of the City Charter.

Second. Thank you. I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion?

Madam Chair.

Yes.

I talked to the city manager about the pathway. I've been asking for that for two or three years to get that restone down there. And it's going to be part of the parking lot, right? Like an auxiliary extra work. So they are going to get the pathway done. I think that was the question. Somebody brought it up earlier.

Mr. Orsak.

Through the president. I think Mr. Schwanger's question was more about expansion of the parking lot. So... If you're going directly down River Avenue, dead ending into it, that entranceway is being eliminated. So we had to move the parking lot to the north a little bit to create two entrance exits in that area. So kind of shifting it a little bit. Mr. Waddington's correct. One of the alternates is for stone in the pathway. So it's more a shift in the parking lot than expanding it.

Thank you. Any other discussion? Ms. Myers, will you call us all on the motion? Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Cravel? Yes.

Mr. Pujo? Yes. Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Koontz?

Yes.

Mr. Crable? Yes. Mr. Peugeot? Yes. Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. That item is approved.

Ms. Myers, will you present our last regular agenda item, item number nine?

It is requested an ordinance be passed authorizing and directing the city manager to expend the funds for the purchase and installation of a napheed mechanic package from Kalita Ford Incorporated... Equipment in incorporated of Walbridge, Ohio for the fleet maintenance division and declaring this ordinance shall take immediate effect in accordance with section 14 of the city charter commissioners having heard this ordinance, what is Yes, Commissioner I move approval of the ordinance under item number nine in full accordance of section 14 of the city charter We have a motion and a second.

Is there any discussion? Miss Meyers, will you call the roll on the motion, please?

Mr. Coons? Yes. Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker? Yes. Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And now on the ordinance. Mr. Coons?

Yes.

Mr. Crable?

Yes.

Mr. Peugeot?

Yes.

Mr. Tucker?

Yes.

Ms. Fargo? Yes. Mr. Waddington? Yes. And that ordinance is passed. And now we move on to Mr. Orszag's manager report.

Good evening, commissioners, audience, and staff. I have donations both to the fire department and police department, $100 each from the Sandusky Memorial Day Association. I get a motion to accept those two donations. So moved. Second.

Thank you very much.

And then Park and Rec would like to thank Amanda Harris, Nijana Langdon, and Tia Valiant for donating popsicles, Dolores Alexander for donating kites, and Stephanie Brown for donating fabric and sewing supplies. We need a motion to accept those donations. So moved. Second.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. The city is in receipt of an economic development transfer. It's called the Trex from the Emporium Sandusky at 314 West Market Street. The permit is coming from 1107 Falcon Foods LLC located in Westchester, Ohio. From their application to the state, Emporium Sandusky LLC estimates they will invest $250,000 in this project, create 10 additional jobs at their facility and generate an additional $35,000 in sales tax. It is requested the City Commission by motion provide authorization to sign off on the TREX transfer form indicating the City of Sandusky endorses and acknowledges this transfer will be for an economic development project which will benefit the community. This proposed TREX transfer will come back to the City Commission one additional time in the near future. from the division of liquor control for one more step where the city will indicate whether a hearing is requested prior to being authorized by the state if we can get a motion to approve that inside second and that's approved do we need to vote on that mr. Hastings Acclimation will work.

What's that?

You can do it by acclimation.

Okay all in favor aye Thank you. I guess I should say all opposed. All opposed. That is approved. Go ahead.

And then from the planning department, there's been new parking and wayfinding signs have been placed downtown to help drivers find city parking lots and the county garage. Several older signs which were inconsistent and difficult for drivers to read were replaced. The new signs have simple clear graphics that match the color and design of the signs that mark each city parking lot. The collaboration between Community Development, City Sign Shop, and Streets Team advances the goal from the 2024 Downtown Parking Action Plan to help downtown visitors find parking. I asked staff, they quickly turned us around, so I appreciate Aaron and Tom on this. So you can see in the picture there, the blue with the circle. There's been ten new signs, six were replacements and four new signs. They match the design of the parking lot markers to make finding parking more intuitive and larger graphics and arrows make signs legible from a longer distance. And then on the left is the new wayfinding sign, beautifully handcrafted by our sign team. Existing city lot signs for where public parking is accessible, and those were the old signs. And then throughout the downtown area, you can see where they were added and replaced. I will note also There is a brochure, downtown parking guide, that staff has put together that's been distributed. And you can also find that on our city website, www.cityofsandusky.com backslash parking. So we appreciate staff's getting that done. It looks very nice. And that concludes my report for the evening. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to entertain them.

Commissioners, any questions or comments for City Manager Orszag?

Madam Chair, I was just going to thank you for manning the grill, I guess the griddle. Impressive burgers, hot dogs, and spread for the city. Thank you. Thank you.

Mr. Orszag, while we're talking about signs, we talked a little bit just to share with everyone with the bike path. There's been concerns about Passing and and just etiquette on bike paths and since it's a little newer to our area especially the the amount that we have now Could you just speak to that a little bit what we're doing?

Yeah, so we are again in Designing a sign so that they can be placed in along the pathways we started that conversation about six months ago or so when we knew that the additional Pathway and then we'll be putting them throughout the town. So they're throughout the pathway. So they'll have What's permitted on it? What's not permitted? He bikes e3 czar Golf carts aren't things like that. So those will those will be coming in the near future but we Are cognizant of that and want to get them out there. So we're moving forward with that project on your left Is that going to be on there? Yeah, on your left, pass on the right, ring your bell, all the etiquette stuff that people should do.

Mr. Waddington. Oh, thank you.

John, I'd like to ask you about the AMVETS thing. Have we formulated a team or meeting yet? I don't want that to drag on and have the season end and then we wait the next year to fix this.

We're coordinating a meeting with several of the stakeholders, the league, some of the school staff and stuff like that. So that should be coming in in the near future. Okay, thank you. Thank you.

Questions or comments? Okay. Commissioners, any old business this evening?

Madam Chair. Mr. Waddington. I got Colleen Skilson. You're going to do this? Sure. I thought I was, I hope I was right. Okay.

You are right. So I will give a little update on the recreation center. And I want to thank Chris mailing the recreation projects coordinator for compiling this information. He is overseeing the project and heavily supported by our city engineer and the public works team. Project website I'll call your attention to lives right on the City of Sandusky's website and is updated monthly so you can follow the progress with photographs and whatnot on the project website. To date the project remains on budget and on schedule, and we're at about 40% complete with the construction. Major milestones and project highlights, the gymnasium and open fitness area, the building of the pre-engineered metal building, insulated metal panels, walls, and the roof on the gymnasium have been installed. In that facility itself is two basketball courts with four volleyball courts and an option for pickleball. One basketball court will be constructed with a Connorsport solid wood maple, and don't ask me what that is because I do not know. And the remainder of the gymnasium will be constructed with a Target OmniSport, well, A different kind of flooring, if you will, with a three-lane indoor walking-jogging track in a tonic blue with white striping color scheme. The open fitness area will be constructed with an 8-millimeter target drop zone rolled rubber athletic floor, and the cardio equipment is, I believe, under purchase order. On the screen in a few slides here, you will see the layout of the fitness center. The low bay building, the building of the structure walls and roof installation of door frames and underground utility work under slab. The finished placement of the concrete slab on Grabe and continued work on electrical roughen is in progress and working with an interior designer and choosing finishes for the building. In terms of community engagement, we're using local and regional vendors and subcontractors throughout the entire construction. And construction efforts have been heavily coordinated to facilitate the continuation of the adjacent tennis activities for Sandusky Central Catholic, Sandusky High School, and citywide camp programs that have been offered this summer. And future collaboration opportunities are planned with the Whiteman Weber Foundation and Cedar Point. Near-term construction activities through August will be to finish the slab on grade concrete floors and the low bay should be completed or was completed I believe last week and the gymnasium completed by the end of next week. And then interior concrete wall construction. Also HVAC interior overhead ductwork and balance of the electrical rough-in. Again on the screen you see some pictures and Following along online is the best way for our community to keep themselves updated as to the construction of the rec center any questions Last time I asked to about the hours certifications that we're gonna need Is that gonna be like maybe a couple months out?

Is that in the plan that we have to have people certified? You know CPR anything like that? And then the hours, too, because I have the original one from maybe like a year ago. I left it at my house. But they had us basically every day, 6 in the morning until 9 o'clock at night. That's a lot of hours. And then Saturday, I think, was a little shorter. Then there were some Sundays on them blocks.

We will be prepared with a future presentation to go over all of that with you. But I do believe you're right on the mark in terms of the weekdays, and that's typical for facilities around 6 p.m. Any other questions madam chair?

Yes, just Gilson. How do you follow along online? Is there a city website?

Yes, it is on the city website There is a tab up in the upper right hand corner called city projects You can drop down and there is I think Tom is pulling it up Well, there you go city of Sandusky comm back back slash rec center many of our projects are on that site and you can follow along including the landing and

which I was going to say and follow up with that for Under Old Business tonight because the landing's been a little while now. What a nice video that Megan Stuckey did to do the overview and being in different parts along the landing. It was just beautiful. Her explanation was great, and I hope everyone is excited as we are to get that done and get everybody on there. So thank you, John, for you guys getting that done. Thank you. to you guys as well.

Josh.

Yes.

Our IT guy or our city guy in the back, Channel 5 last night about blew my sandwich out of my mouth.

Tom Horseman, Mr. Communications.

I went in the front room and I said, that does sound like a horseman.

You did a good job in short timing.

No, it was excellent. No, good job. I was kind of surprised. I wasn't expecting you to be a little shy.

I think everyone was surprised. So thank you, Mr. Horsman. Any other comments under old business tonight? Okay, Commissioner's new business.

Madam Chair.

Yes, Commissioner.

I just wanted to make the audience that's present and the listening audience who might be tuning in to the live feed about a community meeting where they're going to be. And this is the United Way of Erie County. Everybody's welcome to participate in the discussion about a community development corporation, the formation of one in Erie County. For those who don't know much about community development for these corporations, what they can provide are opportunities, job creation, but also, more importantly, one of the things that many of us are concerned about is affordable housing. We often talk about affordable housing, and I think that our city is doing a good job as it relates to single-family housing but I've always asked everybody what do we do about affordable apartment complexes for those people who can't afford them and I'm not talking about necessarily the people who Receive Metro vouchers right even they're having a hard time But I'm talking about the people who don't receive that and so community development corporations can serve a really good purpose in terms of bringing that about. So if you want to participate in that conversation, I've got some information here. If you want to take a flyer with you, please be at the SIS, which is the Sandusky Intermediate School. Doors open at 4 p.m. And the meeting starts at 4.30 p.m. tomorrow for that conversation. That's SIS, the Sandusky Intermediate School. Doors open at 4. The meeting starts at 4.30. You're welcome to be there, participate in the conversation and dialogue. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Coons. Any other new business?

Yes. Through our conversation, I twisted the mayor's arm, and she's going to help me this year. I do the volunteer stuff every year. I'm going to try to recruit another commissioner to help me on that. Since next year, I'll be leaving, which I'll be happy about. We're going to work on what's called a founder's recognition for downtown Sandusky. Folks like... Dan Delahunt, Mr. Crable, who's sitting there, Commissioner Crable, Bob Davis, when we did the 100... I was around back then. We did the 191... units over there, the marina, we did that. The condos and the marina did all that back then. Gilbert Condos is another building. Dave Bear downtown, he's been around for a while. And then that's just to name a few. And many of the folks that believed you took chances back when there wasn't no money, no issue eight coming in. I don't want to call it a money grab, but they took some chances. Okay? And I think they need to be recognized. So we're going to call it the founders for the downtown area, correct?

I love that, yeah. Yep, I do. And I think that, and hopefully we'll even look, you know, outside of downtown eventually. You know, that was the idea popped up here. But there's, again, I go back to my history, having Molly and John and Billy in here today bringing great history with us today. But This community has incredible, incredible people that have done incredible things, and we want to acknowledge that and continue and hopefully spur people to see them and think what they can do here. So I think it's a great idea, and I welcome helping you.

Madam, speaking to your point, I remember when I still had the ad agency, and this probably goes back, years or more ago George Gilbert walked in one day and he said that he was thinking about building a condo start to build condominiums and he had picked out this this piece of property and it was this thin little piece of property over there between shoreline drive and water street and he wondered if I could help him put together a brochure on that and Nobody else was thinking of building anything downtown at the time, but he had the vision. Unfortunately, he's gone now.

I have all the pictures and the brochures and everything.

We'll have to have a beer with you, too.

I've got a lot of history on that.

There were people who really, really, really took risks, and Dan Dolehunt is another one, who really stepped out and did something when everybody else would have been scratching their heads as to what in the world are you doing.

Thank you, Mr. Waddington, for that idea. Any other new business? And I have three hearings, public hearings to set. Do I have to do them separately?

We vote on each one? You should do them separately.

Okay. So I need a motion to set a public hearing for a use variance denial by the Board of Zoning Appeals for 337-339 Camp Street on August 24th, 2026. So moved. Second. that hearing is set for August 24th, 2026. The next meeting, I need a motion to set a public hearing for the 2025 program year consolidated annual performance and evaluation report for September 14th, 2026. So moved. Second. Motion to second that hearing is set. And then number three, I need a motion to set a public hearing for a proposed map amendment at 1925 Barker Street for September 14th, 2026. So moved. Second. and that hearing is set so 3 public hearings at different meetings if that this is taking care of any other new business. Okay, his audience participation time please come forward state your name and your address and questions or concerns about city business for a 3, 6, I'm sorry, Tim Schwaner re 6 to Sheffield way.

And the Gilbert, those people, they did it with their own money.

Yeah, they did.

Okay. I was asked today if the rec center has been, electric has been laid for that to be a casino. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. So I think it's important once in a while to do a little bit of show and tell for the city commission. These two pictures are from the Sandusky-Shelby Street boat ramp. This is the restroom. I spoke with the gentleman that runs the boat ramp, and he said they've tried and tried and tried. And of course, you know, I'm a professional custodian. I did it in a factory, and there's no place dirtier than a factory, folks. This cannot be addressed. This cannot be cleaned. It's time that we put in new fixtures. Probably last year, I came to the, well actually it was when Aaron Klein was still here. I came to Aaron with this issue, which is Shoreline Park. As you can see, one of the boulders is like right in the center of the sidewalk. Here's another one that's almost in the center of the sidewalk. This is causing hazards for anybody who's maybe riding a bicycle or if they have a wheelchair or if they want to fish in that location. It's causing issues. And if you noticed, all the other... they're not locks, they're boulders, are all lined up in a line for some reason. Either this one got moved or it wasn't put in the right location to begin with. So maybe we can, you know, just give me the okay to hook my Dodge Ram up to it and I'll test whether or not it's really in it. We'll take care of that. Okay. And this right here is in front of Value City. This is where one of the trees used to be. And that needs to either have a tree replaced or some of those have been concreted in, whatever it takes. So that's pretty much it that I wanted to share tonight. Again, like I said, I think it's good once in a while that because we're all under time constraints, I could tell you about this stuff and then y'all go home for dinner and sometimes it gets kind of lost in the shuffle. But I figured if I did a little bit of show and tell, it might get some action.

Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Mr. Schwanger. Okay.

I just want to open it up here so everybody can see this.

Thank you. You'll have to see them when you come around. My name is Tammy Elliott, and I reside in the 1900 block of Sandusky Street, and I represent several neighbors on Putnam, Sandusky, and Mill Street. Before I start, I'd like to tell you something about our neighborhood. We're more than neighbors, we're friends. We look out for each other, and we take pride in our property. Most of us have lived here more than 40 years. We've raised our families here, and we don't plan on leaving, and this is what we're up against. First property I want to talk about, and if it's over here on the left, is 1418 Mill Street. The owner is Donna Erkman. She passed away in 2023. The house is occupied by her adult sons, Jay and Lenny. Most properties in Ohio take an average of 6 to 12 months to go through probate. This house has been sitting here in probate for over three years. Each day this house remains in probate, more siding falls off and the weeds continue to grow taller. The next property is 1412 Mill Street. The owner is Donna Durrett. She resides in the Providence Care Center. The city did condemn this house in May of this year. I spoke with Craig Ward and he voiced our concerns to him about weeds in the backyard that were over six feet tall and just numerous overgrowth. The neighbors reported seeing rats in the backyard. The city crews came within two days of me talking to Mr. Ward. They only cleared partially the backyard. They piled it against the garage and the front yard was untouched. Then we come to 1406 Mill Street. It's owned by Holly Hardecker. The overgrowth and weeds completely cover her house. She actually occupies this house. She has a dog that the neighbors hear barking. That dog hasn't been seen outside in over a year. This kind of tells you her living conditions. She planted bamboo in her backyard. It's very invasive. It has spread to the neighbor's yard. Bamboo can't be mowed over. It has to be dug out. Sandy Stacey happens to own the adjacent yard to Hardecker's. She's been complaining to code compliance for three years. They did come out again today and they took more pictures. They must have a gazillion pictures of it. I expressed my concerns to Craig Ward about Holly not having water in her house. She has what looks like feces on the back of her clothes. Her clothes are just complete filth. The stench is unbearable. It actually, you gag when you walk by her house. Mr. Ward did check with the city and he emailed me and told me that she does have water. Well, water bills are public record and I pilled her back water bills for months. It shows that her water usage each month is zero. The city even had concerns, and they sent someone to check her meter, assuming it was broke, in January of 2026. It works perfectly. I spent the majority of last Monday on the phone with Adult Protective Services, two veteran agencies, and the Health Department. The next day, two women from the county showed up at her house. Holly will not answer the door. The women left within 30 seconds. The last time that I called Code Compliance was probably about six months ago, and I complained about the outside of her two properties. I was told by Code Compliance that she has the right to live like this. She absolutely does not. Her properties do not comply with the city ordinance and they affect the value of my home and the neighbors. This is very unfair to all of us who takes care of our property. The last property is 1928 Sandusky Street. That's also owned by Holly Harddecker. It's hard to believe if you look at the pictures there's actually a house in there. It's completely overgrown. It has sat vacant for over ten years. There's a car in the driveway that's been sitting there for seven years, but she does keep the plates current. All four of these properties have been reported to code compliance for years. Our complaints have fallen on deaf ears. I'm here tonight to ask the city, please, please, step up and do your jobs. We want action for this. I want all of you, please, look at these pictures closely. None of you would tolerate this in your neighborhood, so why are we expected to? And in closing, I'd just like to say, there's seven houses on the same side of the 1400 block of Mills Street. These are four of them. We honestly feel the city of Sandusky, you've let our neighborhood down. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Oh, we got to deal with this. This has to be dealt with.

My name is Stan Blakely. We're new residents here. We've been here about two years now. And there's this big empty lot behind our house that was well maintained when we bought the house. Now it hasn't been touched all year. It's overgrown really bad. And I swear there's a coyote back there. We have lots of kids on our street, lots of small kids, asking what happened they quit mowing this. It's that big lot between Heritage Drive and Aspen Run. Somebody has an easement on it or something that they mow. Does anybody know where this lot is?

We do not know right now, the commission, sir, but we will find that out for you.

It is really, really overgrown.

Could you please state your address?

Do we know who owns the- My address is 2111 Heritage Drive.

2111?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay. Do we know who owns the overgrown property?

I've heard two rumors. One is the city, one is the state.

I don't know why the state went on that, but... We will get the answer and we will definitely be back to you.

Okay, because it's really bad. It's almost as high as a four-foot fence. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Hello.

Good afternoon, board.

My name is Robert Jordan. My auntie, Rebecca Jones. We're concerned about... I'm sorry, sir.

Can you give me your address?

I'm sorry. I didn't say it right. 1816 3rd Street. Thank you. And the reason why we're here today is, come to find out, I guess it's between 1824 and 1820, I mean, 1816, Third Street. My aunt been taking care of this lot for 15 years, cutting the grass. And I'm pretty sure the city should know if they cutting that lot or not. They have not cut it over 15 years. She's been taking care of it. And we found out last week that the lot was sold. She never got a notice to ask her if she wanted that lot or anything. So we wanted to know what was the problem? Why was she never noticed about this?

Was it a city-owned property?

Do you know what the address of the lot is?

The lot have to be, if her address, Mrs. Brown is 1824, that got to be 1820, and then hers will be 1816. Third Street. Mm-hmm.

And no one ever comes to do it, so I kept it up. Okay. And now it's supposed to be sold, and that bothers me. How come I didn't get a chance to be able to get it before someone else did?

We will look into that and see whose lot it is, and we will let you know. As far as someone selling something, it's sort of... You know, people sell their houses and never goes on the market. I know that seems horrible, but they do. And it's just how it works. But we will find out who owns that lot.

The city owns it. That was the problem. The city owned it. And just like I heard in one of your other sections, I think it was three, where a person was able to get half of the lot, both of the people, and she was not awarded that. Okay. And I think, you know, that was unfair. I'm just moving back here in Sandusky area, and when she called me last week all upset, I'm like, well, okay, we'll see when they hold a meeting to find out.

Thank you. We will get with Ms. Gilson and City Manager Orszag, and we will find out how... about the lot and they will reach out to you, okay? Thank you so much.

Can I get five more minutes each time?

You have three left.

Okay, three left. One of the other issues I had, Fowler Street, East End Park there, I was riding through there the other day and I noticed that There's no parking area there. Only parking areas there is for Cedar Point, the motels and stuff. And as I was growing up as a kid, I grew up there. We had a parking place there. And now it's not available for even if family want to come there, where would they park? I mean, Cedar Point got their signs up. If they overcrowded, where would they park at?

I think currently right now, when we just did the dedication of the park and it looks beautiful, We were parking on the street there currently. That's where I know I parked there.

Yes. I know the north side of that street you can park on, and then there's side streets that come into it, and I believe it's parking on both sides, but I'm not sure. But you're right. There's no parking on that.

Madam Chair. Yes, Commissioner. Mr. Orszag, does Cedar Point or Six Flags, they actually own that park, correct? That's correct. We lease it. That might be an explanation for why, but hopefully... Parking at the hotel is okay. Last time I was there, that's where I parked.

Well, probably is, but like I think it was yesterday when I rolled through there, it was kind of full there parking. So I'm doing like this. If someone wanted to even have a birthday party there, where would they really park at off the street? I mean, it just wasn't like that when I was a kid growing up right there. I grew up right across the street from the park.

There wasn't a hotel there, was there? No, it wasn't. It wasn't.

But I think the park looked very nice there, and we should be able to have parking space there somewhere where, you know.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you all. Thanks. Thank you.

What was he talking about?

Any other audience participation this evening? Questions or concerns for the commission?