After consulting with engineer Brian Mader and Service
Director Thom Evans, Mayor Scott Coleman and Council agreed at last week’s
Committee of the Whole meeting to put off the start date of the Miner Road
reconstruction project until next spring.
Initially city officials hoped to begin work on the project this summer, but drainage issues and street closings tied to other 2014 city road work convinced them to wait.
Mader explained that:
Initially city officials hoped to begin work on the project this summer, but drainage issues and street closings tied to other 2014 city road work convinced them to wait.
Mader explained that:
“..everyone north of Highland (Road) is going to have swales (shallow grass covered ditches with piping and gravel) because between Highland and Diana Court the grade of the road falls less than a foot.
Trying to get water to flow is tough.”
Swales, rather than an enclosed storm water piping system, will be used because
of the significant cost difference and because the location of a water main
prevents digging to the depth necessary to install an enclosed system.
In discussing the project’s timeline Mader said,
In discussing the project’s timeline Mader said,
“Traffic is one of my biggest concerns, with the road projects we have out and going out, if Miner Road is started this year.”
Everyone agreed that all of the preliminary work, including bidding the project,
should be in place by this fall, so that the Miner Road construction work can begin
in earnest first thing next spring.
Meanwhile any individual pieces of the project that can possibly be performed this year----such as installing new traffic signals at the Miner Road/Highland Road intersection---will be.
Meanwhile any individual pieces of the project that can possibly be performed this year----such as installing new traffic signals at the Miner Road/Highland Road intersection---will be.
NEW LADDER TRUCK
The city acquired its first ladder fire truck, second-hand, from Mayfield Village, I believe in the 1980’s.
Having a ladder truck is a mark of prestige for any fire department, but with mutual aid available from surrounding cities (that have both high rises and ladder trucks) and given Highland Heights zoning laws that restrict buildings to two stories or less, the “need” to own and/or replace the ladder truck has never been readily apparent to many tax-paying residents.
The city acquired its first ladder fire truck, second-hand, from Mayfield Village, I believe in the 1980’s.
Having a ladder truck is a mark of prestige for any fire department, but with mutual aid available from surrounding cities (that have both high rises and ladder trucks) and given Highland Heights zoning laws that restrict buildings to two stories or less, the “need” to own and/or replace the ladder truck has never been readily apparent to many tax-paying residents.
No matter.
Mayor Scott Coleman’s Capital Improvement budget for 2014 included $860,000 to
buy a new ladder truck for the Highland Heights Fire Department.
Last Tuesday Council held a special meeting and heard the second reading of Resolution 11-2014, which authorizes
Last Tuesday Council held a special meeting and heard the second reading of Resolution 11-2014, which authorizes
“…the Mayor to execute a contract…for the purchase of a 2015 Stuphen SP-70 Platform Fire Truck…..in an amount not to exceed…$885,000.00, excluding any trade-in allowance…”
Delivery of the new ladder truck should take place next year.
IT’S A GOOD TIME TO BORROW MONEY
SO THE CITY IS DOING JUST THAT
Interest rates continue to remain at all-time lows, but that could all change once the economic recovery really takes hold.
Low interest rates provide an opportunity to borrow money at low cost, allowing the city to perform much more capital improvement work (such as road work) than it could otherwise afford to do if it had to pay the entire cost, out of pocket, this year.
By borrowing money and issuing bonds, the city will be able to amortize the cost of the expensive work over time, preserving cash in the general fund.
It all makes a great deal of sense from financial and budgetary perspectives.
Council has agreed with the mayor to do just that.
At the special meeting last Tuesday Council heard the second reading of Ordinance 9-2014,
IT’S A GOOD TIME TO BORROW MONEY
SO THE CITY IS DOING JUST THAT
Interest rates continue to remain at all-time lows, but that could all change once the economic recovery really takes hold.
Low interest rates provide an opportunity to borrow money at low cost, allowing the city to perform much more capital improvement work (such as road work) than it could otherwise afford to do if it had to pay the entire cost, out of pocket, this year.
By borrowing money and issuing bonds, the city will be able to amortize the cost of the expensive work over time, preserving cash in the general fund.
It all makes a great deal of sense from financial and budgetary perspectives.
Council has agreed with the mayor to do just that.
At the special meeting last Tuesday Council heard the second reading of Ordinance 9-2014,
“..providing for the issuance and sale of $3,650,000.00 of notes, in anticipation of the issuance of bonds, for the purpose of widening and reconstruction Miner Road, resurfacing and otherwise improving Ford Road and other City streets, improving Culver No. 15 in Highland Road, replacing segments of concrete in City streets, and all drainage and other related improvements thereto…”
Having explained this sensible decision, I can’t help but point out one irony.
During his first mayoral race, supporters of Mayor Scott Coleman slammed former Mayor Fran Hogg for borrowing money and taking on debt to finance city infrastructure work, including building the new city swimming pool.
According to them, the city's borrowing money was a capital crime.
During his first mayoral race, supporters of Mayor Scott Coleman slammed former Mayor Fran Hogg for borrowing money and taking on debt to finance city infrastructure work, including building the new city swimming pool.
According to them, the city's borrowing money was a capital crime.
I wonder if it’s more palatable to them now, now that it’s their mayoral choice doing the borrowing?
MAYOR FINALLY ADDRESSES THE CITY WEBSITE
Perhaps it’s serendipity, but the mayor’s action coincides with the vacation, by the city’s prior website designer (Brown Flynn), of its former Highland Heights headquarters this month.
The mayor’s choice to update, redesign and rejuvenate the city’s website?
A company called CivicPlus, which advertises itself as:
“..the nation’s leading expert in local government eGovernment applications and websites…”The cost for the service for the next three years (which includes design, training and hosting services) is projected to be just $300 more than what the city paid last year ($4800) to have someone post updates, on a part-time, after-hours basis, to the city website.
Mayor Coleman told Council that CivicPlus, which is located in Kansas, specializes in government websites.
They caught his eye because they have designed websites for several area cities, websites that the mayor found attractive and appealing.
In making a recommendation to hire CivicPlus Mayor Coleman said:
“I looked at the websites they design and the dynamic setup that they would give us.Sounds like the mayor’s finally on board with addressing the deficits of the city's current website.
One thing I found most telling, regardless of the device used to look at the website, it will appear appropriately. Ours doesn’t do that.
….Marlene (Kohl, the mayor’s wonderfully competent administrative assistant) and others could be trained so we have realtime updates for the website….
It (the new website) will allow residents to sign up for “notify me” and have notifications sent directly to their device or tablet.”
It’s about time, too.
