By Haylee Pence
PIQUA – The Piqua City Commissioners met on Tuesday, March 1, for their regularly scheduled meeting in order to approve several resolutions.
The commissioners commemorated Michael Allen for his 30 years of service as a city employee in his position as a Substation Generation Tech following his retirement. Mayor Thomas Fogt thanked Allen for his service for the city.
The first order of business was an emergency ordinance to adopt supplemental material to the code of ordinances for the city of Piqua, which was recommended by the American Legal Publishing Corporation.
The next resolution approved was the renewal application submitted by the Allenbaughs for the placement of farmland in an agricultural district for a total of 263.91 acres of farmland.
Then, the commissioners approved the renewal application submitted by Paul Cromes for the placement of farmland in an agricultural district for a total of 45.08 acres of farmland.
The commissioners then approved an agreement between the city of Piqua and VSF Investments 9 LTD. The city of Piqua owns the Fort Piqua Plaza, and VSF Investments 9 LTD owns Piqua Arts and Innovation Center. The agreement involves the buildings sharing trash receptacles and dumpster services. In this agreement, the city is set to pay 75% of the cost and VSF will pay the other 25%, including any damages and extra costs incurred.
Next, the city of Piqua’s Public Works Department requested bids for 402 and 404 asphalt for the 2022 Street and Alley Maintenance Program, which patches and resurfaces roads within the city of Piqua. The commissioners awarded the bid to Barrett Paving as the primary supplier of asphalt for a cost of $130,000. Valley Asphalt will be the secondary supplier if Barrett Paving cannot provide the necessary asphalt.
Then, the commissioners approved the contract with Greentech Lawn & Irrigation for their services of mowing and trimming in the city’s larger parks and right of way areas. These services are being outsourced “to save money and allow our staff to focus on other areas where they are needed,” according to the city of Piqua’s Public Works Director Brian Brookhart. The cost of these services shall not exceed $60,480. The mowing services will begin in April and end in November.
The next resolution was to authorize the City Manager Paul Oberdorfer to begin preliminary legislation with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the resurfacing of East Ash Street/U.S. Route 36 from Scott Drive to Kienle Drive and includes the removal of some concrete bases along Interstate-75. The cost estimate is $915,000 with the city of Piqua covering $315,000 of the cost. The project construction is set to begin in summer 2022.
Then, the next resolution was to authorize the city manager to finalize legislation for an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for the Safe Routes to School Project. This project involves improving signage and pavement markers at Washington Primary and Central Intermediate Schools, installation of bike racks at Piqua Junior High School, updating the school zone on Looney Road to include the Piqua High School driveway, and adding in a concrete sidewalk at the corner of Park Avenue and Nicklin Avenue. These changes are to improve safety for students and parents on their way to and from Piqua schools. The cost of these changes are expected to be $176,000 with a 10% contingency. The city will be expected to cover $37,346 of the cost. These improvements are slated for summer of 2022.
The next resolution was to authorize the city manager to award the bid contract and enter into an agreement with Access Engineering Solutions LLC for the reconstruction project of Lincoln Street. The cost of the contract for the firm shall not exceed $67,000. The city applied for funding through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) and is set to receive $400,000. The reconstruction will include removal of existing street materials including the curb and sidewalks on Lincoln Street from Boone Street to North Street. There will be new storm sewer and water lines placed along with new curbs, sidewalks, and gutters. The water lines will be replaced with 2” water lines instead of the previous ¾”. According to City Engineer Amy Havenar, “The streets will be rebuilt with an aggregate base and an asphalt surface and will include the associated pavement markings.” The total cost of the reconstruction is estimated to be $735,000. The construction is slated for the summer of 2023.
Next, the commissioners approved the resolution awarding a bid contract to Kinnison Excavating Inc for the Fountain Boulevard/Canal Sanitary Sewer Replacement Project. The project involves the installation of new sanitary sewer line and two manholes which will run from Echo Lake and Fountain Boulevard to Forest and Echo Lake with a portion of this requiring it to be under the hydraulic canal. The total cost of this project is $476,920 with a 20% contingency. The reconstruction is slated for summer of 2022.
The next resolution that the commissioners approved was to allow the Underground Utilities Department to enter into an agreement with Wessler Engineering Inc for the inspection of manholes throughout the city which is about 700 manholes. The inspection will include a complete record of their condition since most of the manholes are over 50 years old. The cost of the project is $75,000.
The final resolution was to amend a contract with Verdantas LLC for the construction administration and field oversight services for projects. The amendment was an increase in cost by $34,050 which has a total of $149,975. The amendment was necessary due to an increase in construction time after further examination of the project.
Following the session, the commissioners opened the floor for public comments and questions. Jeff Lange of Piqua informed the commissioners of the 19th annual POWW Clean Sweep. Lange is the founder of the Protecting Our Water-Ways (POWW) organization, which is dedicated to cleaning local waters. He stated that to sign up, visit their website at protectingourwaterways.org, and hit the contact tab to get in touch. The Clean Sweep event will be at 8 a.m. on July 16. Then Lange gave his reasons for supporting the low head dam removal in Piqua, stating that it’s a “safety issue.”
Then, Oberdorfer gave a report, which included the total cost of the four snow events in February, which was $16,738. Oberdorfer commented, “Great job to the public works department,” which the commissioners echoed.
