TROY — Members of the Troy City Council authorized improvements to the Troy Senior Citizens Center, using money leftover from a state grant that also funded improvements to the Buckeye House.
The project will include replacement of two 20-year-old HVAC units at the Senior Citizens Center, and the construction of an outdoor covered patio, as well as the installation of an Americans with Disabilities Association (ADA)-approved ramp and door at the center.
Council members approved a resolution authorizing bids for the Senior Citizens Center project during their regularly scheduled meeting held on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Council members also approved a separate resolution to amend the city’s application for the state grant that originally funded the Buckeye House improvements, to allow $158,382 in remaining funds to be used for the Senior Citizens Center project.
The ADA ramp and door will be funded through a separate $55,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The total cost of the Senior Citizens Center project is not to exceed $213,382.
In other business, council members also approved a resolution authorizing the seeking of bids for a $79,000 project to repair the façade of the Troy Rec building downtown, with $75,000 of the project’s cost funded by city CDBG funding.
“The Troy Recreation Association, the building’s owner, will reimburse the city any difference between the CDBG funding and the current estimate of $79,000,” Council member Bill Twiss said.
Council members also approved the final legislation needed for the upcoming Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) paving project on East Main Street, which will include Mulberry Street to the eastern city limits, and a resolution authorizing the city to seek bids for the 2023 Annual Paving Program, at a cost not to exceed $1,520,000. The annual paving program includes a total of 15.68 lane miles on 35 different streets and roads, as well as repaving at Riverside Cemetery.
Council members also passed an ordinance to vacate and dedicate utility easements in the Green Court subdivision, and an ordinance to create a new park maintenance/municipal arborist position in the Park Department. The second reading of an ordinance to amend zoning codes to allow urban beekeeping within the city limits was held over until after a public hearing that will be held on Monday, March 6.
Council members also approved a resolution authorizing a contract with Energy Harbor LLC to affirm pricing for a 12-month extension of the electric aggregation opt-out program.
“This continues to be an opt-out program for participating customers,” Council member Todd Severt said. “Energy Harbor LLC provided a 7.2 cent-per-kilowatt rate for the extension, which is lower than the current AES Ohio market rate of 10.9 cents-per-kilowatt.”
Council members also heard an update on C-2 and C-2 liquor permits awarded to Fuel 7 LLC located at 809 S. Market St., and discussed the safety of the city’s water supply in response to recent questions regarding the chemical spill that occurred on Feb. 3 in East Palestine.
“We do not have any contamination from the East Palestine event,” Service and Safety Director Patrick Titterington said. “We are part of the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer; that is a different source of water than what feeds and serves the East Palestine area.”
“We have had no issues, nor do we expect to have any,” he said. “We do test VOCs monthly, which includes vinyl chloride. The last time that we tested was on Feb. 8, which was five days after the derailment occurred.”
Council members also discussed the condition of the railroad bridge across the Great Miami River.
“We’ve had a few questions about that,” Titterington said. “We’ve seen the pictures of the Great Miami River Bridge. Whether they are concerning or not, we know that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), is responsible for annual inspections of all bridges.”
“Staff has called in to the manager of the railroad division of PUCO,” he said. “I have left a voicemail message with our state senator, Senator Huffman, to see if we can’t get a copy of that report.”
“The last that we had known of it, there were no issues with the bridge,” Titterington said. “We have no reason to believe that bridge isn’t safe, but when we can get our hands on the inspection report we will read it, and see what it says.”
“The railroads are federally regulated,” he said. “They’re not under our control, nor would we be able to have any control over them.”
Council members’ next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 6.
