Tuesday, May 10th, 2016

St. Marys offers Celina possible water solution

Local officials say they are receptive to collaboration

By Jared Mauch
ST. MARYS - City officials have reached out to Celina officials regarding a possible joint effort for clean drinking water.
Mayor Patrick McGowan on Monday told city council members he had recently sent a letter to Celina's mayor and council, proposing a water partnership and asking if they would be interested in tying Celina's lines into St. Marys' planned new treatment plant.
The city is trying to be a good neighbor by offering the option, McGowan said. However, he understands Celina may not be able to accept as the cities are located in different watersheds. St. Marys is in the Lake Erie watershed while Celina is in the Ohio River watershed, McGowan said.
"Don't get get too enamored by the offer because it may not even be possible," he said. "There may be so much government red tape that it may not even be worth pursuing."
The Canadian government may also have to approve such a move due to the shared monitoring of the Lake Erie watershed, he added.
McGowan requested Celina officials respond within 30 days so plans for the new plant could proceed. The new facility is projected to be built near the intersection of county Road 66A and Koop Road south of St. Marys.
A response would not necessarily mean a commitment, McGowan noted. St. Marys Law Director Kraig Noble said the offer was made in part because of a recent Daily Standard article stating Celina had received an $8 million grant in which the city could partner with a neighboring entity.
St. Marys gets its water from the ancient underground Teays River while Celina draws from Grand Lake, Noble said. Clean water is a topic that has been discussed multiple times in the past with Celina mayor Jeff Hazel, McGowan added.
City officials must take a wait-and-see approach. A similar plan was discussed several years ago but fell through because of the watershed issue, city council president Jim Harris said.
St. Marys residents use about 2.5 million gallons of water daily, while Celina uses a little more than 3 million gallons daily, McGowan said.
"They may be looking at other sources, and we just don't know that," he said.
In other action, council members heard the first reading of an ordinance approving new fees to continue to use Clemans, Nelson and Associates Inc. of Dublin for employee-relations work.
The city has used the firm since 1985 to help in personnel issues, safety service director Greg Foxhoven said. The firm has a $175 monthly retainer, which stays the same, but other new prices will begin staring June 1, 2017.
Consultant prices will increase from $95 per hour to $100 per hour. Senior consultant prices will increase from $135 per hour to $145 per hour and manager prices will increase from $150 per hour to $160 per hour, Foxhoven said after the meeting. The last increase in service charges was in 2011.
"We try to limit our dependency on them and do some of the things in house, but we don't do that at the cost of making mistakes," Foxhoven said. "We still need to have them on board with us."
Council members also heard first reading of a resolution authorizing officials to create a volunteer peace officer department fund. The resolution would allow officials to move $500 from the general fund to start the new fund.
The fund is to help pay for any possible deaths or disabilities among the city's auxiliary police, Foxhoven said.
The resolution also would create a committee to supervise the money. The committee will consist of two city council members, two members from the police department and one community member who is not a public employee or legislative authority. The initial term for committee members is one year, according to the resolution.
Also on Monday, council members,
• heard Nathaniel McMaster take the oath of office as police officer.
• had a 20-minute executive session discussing pending litigation regarding personnel. No action followed.
• scheduled a finance committee meeting for 5:15 p.m. Monday.
Additional online stories on this date
St. Marys offers Celina possible water solution
CELINA - City officials say they're open to partnering with their neighbors to the east to procure drinking water for both communities after receiving a request from St. Marys Mayor Patrick McGowan. [More]
MARIA STEIN - Nathan Wilker's hit put St. Marys on the scoreboard in the fifth. He then saved the day with Marion Local's making a late comeback attempt. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - City councilman Mike Sovinski at Monday night's meeting scolded the planning commission, specifically member and mayor Jeff Hazel, for not providing council with necessary information regarding the panel's zoning change recommendation.
ST. MARYS - Tri Star Career Compact officials fielded a few questions from voters at the first of two informational meetings regarding the Tri Star 2.0 project.
New Bremen
NEW BREMEN - The village will likely pay more in architectural fees due to higher costs for recent building projects.
Village administrator Wayne Y
Coldwater
COLDWATER - Village officials are hoping for grant money to replace a traffic signal and some street lights.
Council members on Monday approved an
ST. HENRY - The Willow Street reconstruction project is nearly complete.
Village council members on Monday approved paying the local share of the project to the Ohio Public Works Commission.
Marion Local
MARIA STEIN - New and upgraded Marion Local Schools facilities continue to be discussed, but no decisions will be made until more research is completed.
ST. HENRY - School board members voted at Monday night's meeting to adjust salary schedules for the non-teaching staff to bring the pay into line with the agreement recently reached with the teachers.
ST. HENRY - St. Henry softball coach Kylie Huelsman said after the game that her squad had a tendency to start out slowly against teams.
That was not the case on Monday.
Monday's Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Bryce Langenkamp and Kyle Lochtefeld returned to Celina as WBL second doubles champions after completion of the league tournament in Lima on Monday.