May 16, 2008

Zanesville awaits counteroffer for sewage system

All things come to those who wait — supposedly!

And hopefully, for the Town of Zanesville, the wait is almost over. At 4 p.m. Thursday, just two-and-a-half hours before the town’s Council meeting, officials from the City of Fort Wayne advised they are ready to make a counter-offer.

In fact, the City of Fort Wayne was hoping to have the offer ready for consideration at this month’s town meeting, but was under the impression that the meeting was next week.

Town Council members Patsy Brock, Danny Miller and John Schuhmacher advised that they are expecting the City of Fort Wayne to post their proposal within the next few days, and will consider it at an executive meeting of the town council, which hopefully will lead to its presentation to the town meeting in June.

The City of Fort Wayne made an initial offer of $110,000 for full ownership of Zanesville’s current sewage system, with a $67.50 monthly rate for residents until at least Jan. 1, 2011, Zanesville’s counteroffer requested a payment of $160,500 with a $55 monthly rate for residents for a five-year period.

The additional $50,500 will allow the town to meet all accountant and other consultant costs associated with the deal, and to provide a refund to those residents who contributed an “up-front” $500 payment last year to help the town raise much needed funds.

The counteroffer was made after consultation with Zanesville’s accountants and other advisers. Brock noted in February that Zanesville’s sewage system was worth $3 million, and even with the cost of anticipated repairs which could amount to as much as $2 million factored in, the City of Fort Wayne would still be getting the system at a bargain rate.

Fred Wymer advised that for the fourth consecutive reporting month, the town’s sewage plant handled over three million gallons of water.

During the 30 days of April, a total of 3,368,900 gallons were pumped, at an average of 112,300 gallons per day. The daily high during this period was 164,200 gallons, while the daily low was 78,700 gallons.

Wymer advised that there are no serious problems at the plant, however a new contactor needs to be fitted on lift station #6. This is a small part, and is not a serious concern.

In other matters, the Zanesville Lions Club requested a donation of $1,000 from the town to help with sealing and repairs to their parking lot. The club advised they have had some vandalism there, and intend to install a security camera, at a cost of $300.

After some discussion, it was thought that two cameras would be required to cover the full property, and the council decided to provide the $1,000 requested on condition the money be spent initially on two security cameras, with additional funds being used towards the repairs to the parking lot.

Council members felt that it was pointless simply spending money on the repairs only to have the vandals return and repeat the damage. If the cameras are in place before the repairs are done, then at least it will make the job of catching the vandals much easier.

It was also suggested that the Lions Club should close their gates at night to make it more difficult to gain entry to the property after hours. Town Marshall Carl Collins reported that this is not always done. This suggestion will also be passed on.

Council members were updated on the latest situation with the fence erected last summer by the Kissell family on Walker St., which incurred the wrath of the Area Planning Commission (APC) when it was discovered it had been erected on town land.

Relevant legal documents are now being prepared to enable the vacation of land on Walker St., Calhoun St. and Broadway to resolve the situation. A public meeting is required before this vacation can be approved, and this has been scheduled to be held before the June town meeting.

All neighbors with land adjoining the vacated properties have been identified and will be receiving details of the proposal prior to the public meeting. It is not expected that there will be any opposition to the proposal, however the legal process requires that the meeting be held.

The Allen County Commissioners have advised Zanesville that they will no longer be responsible for the maintenance of the two bridges within the town’s limits, one of which is brand new.

The question was raised regarding Allen County’s obligations to ensure the bridges have been upgraded to state standards before being handed over to the town, as this would be required if Zanesville was giving something back to the county.

Brock is to approach the commissioners with this inquiry.

Council members have also been approached by the owners of Stoney Creek Mobile Home Park who want to purchase new mobile homes and place them in the park, but not be charged for sewage until the homes have been occupied.

It was noted that there are several other properties around Zanesville that are not occupied, but the owners must still pay their sewage bills each month. It was also noted that if the sale of the sewage system to Fort Wayne goes ahead sooner rather than later, this may be a moot point.

It was agreed that the park owners should be allowed to put a proposal before the council, but if a solution is required by Zanesville, it will need to be one that is fair to all residents.

Concern was raised relating to the length of grass on several vacant properties around town.

The town is to look at options for the purchase of a mower that can be used to maintain these properties. There was a suggestion that a service fee could be placed against the property in the form of a lien, so that when it was sold, the costs of maintaining it could be recovered.

In other business, the council:

— Received Town Marshall Carl Collins report that he had worked 110 hours for the town over the past month. Collins also listed the number of calls and other tasks that he had been required to attend to during this time. These included a break-in at the Lions Club, and one investigation of child molestation which remains under investigation by sheriff’s department detectives.

— Agreed that Schuhmacher should approach the Wells County Commissioners regarding assistance from the Highway Dept. for repairs to Marzane Road. It was noted that Wells County had been able to reach a co-operative agreement with Markle for repairs to two of its streets, and was hoped that something similar could be arranged in this instance.

The next meeting of the Zanesville Town Council is scheduled to be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 19, 2008.

frank@news-banner.com

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