END OF YEAR UPDATES

MURPHY REIGN CONTINUES
Council caucused briefly after the December 8th Council meeting ended.
The sole topic of discussion:

 Selection of the 2016-2017 Council President

Not wanting to openly dissent from the foregone conclusion, Councilman Ed Hargate tactfully chose not to participate.

Councilwoman Cathy Muprhy---who admitted lobbying for re-election---got her wish.

She will stay in that chair for the next two years.

Hopefully Murphy will continue to grow in her leadership

It would be nice to see her be more open and relaxed when Council members attempt to raise or press issues she prefers not to deal with.

RUTLAND DRIVE DECK DISPUTE: ROUND FOUR
The neighbors fighting the massive (46' x 16') deck installed a mere 11 feet away from a rear property line have decided to seek help from on high:  the 8th District Court of Appeals.

A notice of appeal was filed on December 8th

It was disappointing that the Court of Common Pleas judge chose to avoid addressing the many factual and legal issues raised in the dispute, but perhaps he figured he didn't need to, as the suit would inevitably end up in the appeals court anyway.

As always, I will keep you posted on the progress of this dispute.

PARK CELL TOWER TO SPROUT ANTLERS?

Quite a few years ago T-Mobile cut a deal with the city that resulted in a cell phone tower being erected in the Community Park.

That happened before the gas well brouhaha.

The tower is “grandfathered,” i.e. not subject to the new Charter provision banning commercial exploitation of the city park. 

You might be saying: cell phone tower? What cell phone tower?

The tower is a “stealth” tower, disguised to look like a tall---as in 110 foot tall---flag pole.

It’s enclosed by a small fence, on the opposite side of the unpaved parking area, across from the pool entrance.

T-Mobile eventually sold the cell tower to a company called Crown Castle, which owns other cell towers in the area.
Two Crown Castle reps came to the December 1^st Committee of the Whole meeting.

The topic: replacing the current “steath” tower with a slightly shorter (105 foot) monopole that will allow use by additional cell carriers.

The reps told Council they would us a “drop and swap” process---they’d build the new tower in the existing fenced area, transfer equipment and then remove the old tower---within a 90 to 180 day time frame.

The main visual  difference: the new pole will have antlers.

Ho Ho Ho!

Instead of being a single pole, the new tower will be branched on top.
And antennas will be visible on outside of tower instead of being concealed within the pole, as they are now.

The Crown Castle reps pointed out three benefits for the city.

• First, replacing the existing tower should reduce the need for new additional cell towers in the future.

• Second, the city would be able to use the towers, free of charge, for its own police and fire communications.

• Third, since the current lease contains a revenue sharing provision, the city should make more money (estimated between $800 to $1,100 more per month) as additional carriers come online.

Mayor Scott Coleman---who has learned the hard way---was justifiably concerned about the reaction of residents living near the park.

He asked Crown Castle to assess the impact of the proposed new tower on adjoining neighborhoods.

The result: where the old tower was visible, the new one will be too.

The company waited for the leaves to fall and then took pictures from Kennelwood and Hawthorne Drives, and the corner of Blair and Hanford Drives.
The current tower is barely visible through the trees from the Williamsburg neighborhood.
It’s not visible from Kennelwood or Hawthorne.

It is visible from Woodside Rd…so the new one will be too.

The next step?

Crown Castle will appear before the Planning & Zoning Commission on December 14^th.
Meanwhile Law Director Tim Paluf will begin work amending the language of the current lease agreement to allow for the new tower.

I wonder if our elected officials will insist on retaining the flag---which the Crown Castle reps indicated would be jettisoned.

In these fraught times, keeping the flag flying might prove quite meaningful to residents.

OVERSIZED DECK DISPUTE

The Common Pleas Court judge tasked with deciding the zoning dispute revolving around the monstrous Rutland Drive deck apparently took one look at the volume of arguments and evidence 

and…….punted

He issued a order, without any discussion or explanation, affirming the Board of Zoning Appeals’ decision to uphold the permit that the city issued…..

for a much smaller deck than the one actually built, as it turns out.

It looks like round three will take place in the 8^th District Court of Appeals.

I’ll keep you posted.

OH THOSE HOLIDAY LIGHTS

The profusion of area residential holiday lighting displays this year is wonderful to see.

There aren't always this many.

I always figured that the displays reflected the mood of the community.

In the dark years following the 2008 real estate market crash, there weren't many lit houses and yards.

Perhaps this year residents are feeling more optimistic about themselves and the economy. 

I hope so.

There has been one exception, one constant, throughout the years though.

The lush, fantasy-filled display erected by my neighbors: Colene and Ivan Rus

Already the traffic is backed up on Hawthorne Drive each night, with cars waiting to spy on Santa.

And I love it.

Where else can you see and hear a 3-D, larger-than-life Santa Claus, busy at work and directing Christmas music....?

It's not to be missed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MINER ROAD RESIDENTS SUCCEED IN GETTING THEIR VOICES HEARD

Apparently the powers that be had a change of heart.

After being pushed off on Engineer Brian Mader---an affable and responsive public contractor---at a meeting earlier in the month, a large contingent of the south-of-Highland Miner Road residents were invited to attend the October 27^th Committee of the Whole meeting to---get this---dialogue with Council about their concerns.

An amazing breakthrough thanks, in no small part, to the persistence of Councilman Ed Hargate.

The residents have lost several feet of front yardage due to the widening of Miner Road. Their newly excavated, almost 2 foot deep open drainage swales now sit very close to the edge of the uncurbed road.

The residents’ spokesperson said:

“I think the safety issue is unbelievable. One wrong move and the guy who plows the sidewalk is going to be in the culvert.

We spend money on the park, on flowerpots.

Highland Heights is a beautiful city.

It’s so ugly on Miner Road.

As for maintenance… There is no way to maintain them (the deep open swales) as far as cutting the grass inside. I will have to stand on Miner Road to do any maintenance.

We were promised tree lawns for years and years. The swales are just not acceptable.”

Mader estimated it would cost between $200,000 to $250,000 to replace the swales with buried piping on the 28 impacted parcels.

A pretty penny, but then again the Miner Road project costs a pretty penny.

Most important in my mind: the safety issue, for residents and motorists alike.

Mayor Scott Coleman’s main concern seemed to be providing effective drainage for stormwater runoff. He asked Mader:

“If there was a solution that included increasing the pipe (diameter) as we go (along that Miner Road segment), would you still have a concern about capacity?”

Mader replied:

“No. If we properly size the pipe, the capacity will increase the flow as we go down.”

Towards the end of the discussion, Hargate weighed in:

 “To me the only viable option is to enclose the swales. I would like Council to authorize the city engineer to develop plans to do that.”

Councilman Bob Mastrangelo and Councilwoman Lisa Stickan quickly supported that idea.

Mastrangelo reported what he saw after visiting the area on his bike:

“There were numerous spots where I saw tire tracks right to the (unpaved) edge of the road. The swales start right there.
It is a safety issue.
There is no room for the mailboxes.“

A Council meeting immediately followed the COW meeting.
On October 27th Council passed a motion authorizing Mader to prepare plans for piping and enclosing the swales on the southwest side of Miner Road (between Highland and Wilson Mills Roads), with a cost estimate for completing that work.

RESIDENTS COMING TOGETHER: SO SCARY?

I passed two Highland Heights police officers when I entered City Hall on my way to the October 27^th Committee of the Whole meeting.

Clearly any gathering of residents is considered a potential threat to public safety....

But a large gathering of residents is treated like a BIG threat

I suppose that’s a reflection of the times.
But I have to tell you.

In the more than six years I’ve been writing this blog I haven't seen a single resident engage in threatening behavior during a Council meeting.

They may get frustrated or angry and raise their voices, or they may clap loudly, cheer or boo when someone else is speaking, but the City Hall setting always seems to engender a modicum of respect in Highland Heights residents.

Nevertheless residents should expect to see a police car and at least one police officer visibly present in City Hall whenever they gather….just in case.