Medina Leaders Advance $1.3 Million Columbarium Wall, Granger Road Pit Cleanup and Shelter Funding

Medina City Council passed nine ordinances and resolutions Monday, Sept. 28. The measures covered emergency spending, a grant application and a large cemetery project. Six members voted because Council Member Bill Lamb was absent. Earlier that evening, the Finance Committee approved several items, including $75,000 for the Next Step Up shelter. Emergency Legislation Granger Road Bore Pits City Engineer Patrick Patton said the city hired a contractor more than a year ago to install about 400 feet of water line on Granger Road. The line runs from the water plant under the Rocky River. Little work was finished, and the city has separated from that contractor. Ord. 154-26 authorizes $44,018.54 for Fechko Excavating to dewater and clean out two bore pits. The pits sit next to the road and are large, deep and open. Patton said they present a danger to the public. The work will also help the city decide how to finish the project. Patton called this part one of two. The city will return to council with a request to complete the line. He told the Finance Committee the job should have taken four to six weeks. Council passed the emergency clause and the ordinance 6 to 0. Passage is subject to Law Director Greg Huber's approval. Huber asked for the condition so he can add language describing the emergency. The city is using its statutory emergency powers instead of bidding the work. Law Firm Payment Ord. 146-26 raises a purchase order for Roetzel & Andress from $20,000 to $45,000. The firm serves the Law Department on pending litigation. Huber said the firm has helped with complicated cases, including zoning matters in court. He said the bills had been owed for a while. Council President John Coyne III works for the firm. He said so on the record and abstained. The emergency clause and the ordinance each passed with five yes votes and one abstention. Holiday Decorations Ord. 153-26 authorizes $25,000 to Main Street Medina for enhanced public decorations this holiday season. Mayor Jim Shields said a Main Street Medina design committee subcommittee built a five year plan to maintain, replace and expand the decorations on the Square. Main Street has donated $25,000, and a public campaign will seek more from foundations, residents and businesses. The mayor asked for the emergency clause because the first replacements and enhancements are needed soon. Both votes were 6 to 0. Projects, Grants and Contracts Columbarium Wall at Spring Grove Cemetery Council approved two ordinances for a columbarium wall with 1,120 niches, covering phases 4 through 10. Ord. 151-26 authorizes a $42,500 design agreement with Behnke Associates, Inc. Parks Director Jansen Wehrley said the single phase design allows a much larger wall. Ord. 152-26 lets the mayor advertise for bids and award the construction contract. The estimated cost is about $1.3 million. Wehrley said selling every niche without price increases would bring in roughly $3.4 million. Both passed 6 to 0. The design firm expects to deliver construction documents within 120 days of a notice to proceed. The new wall will match those already installed, and an entry arch was dropped from the plan. JUMP Playground Grant Res. 147-26 authorizes the city to apply for and accept money from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Land and Water Conservation Fund. Wehrley said the federal program covers up to 50 percent of eligible costs for developing public outdoor spaces. The money would offset the rebuild of JUMP Playground at Memorial Park. The vote was 6 to 0. On Sept. 14, council authorized the city to seek qualifications from design build contractors for the replacement. SR 3 and SR 57 Resurfacing Agreement Ord. 148-26 lets the mayor sign a federal local let agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation. Patton said State Route 57 is essentially Wadsworth Road. The agreement makes the city the project administrator, so it can bid and manage the work locally. Patton said ODOT charges a fee when it runs a project, so this approach saves the city money. The agreement estimates federally funded project costs at $2,248,560. ODOT would pay 80 percent of eligible costs. The city covers the rest, including any overruns. The vote was 6 to 0. Courthouse Change Order Ord. 150-26 approves Change Order 4 with The Ruhlin Company for the Medina Municipal Courthouse renovation. The change order totals $168,006. Most of it pays for court requested technology, including an annotation system and microphone muting. Signage revisions make up another piece. The contract sum rises to $11,359,036. Patton said the change order needs no new authorization of funds. Existing allowances and contingencies can absorb it. The vote was 6 to 0. Donation for Venison Processing Ord. 149-26 donates $2,000 to Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry. Wehrley said the group works with urban archery program participants who choose to donate deer. Processors in Wayne and Portage counties handle the meat. It is then