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SSD provides update on recent activities, former councilman shares street proposal at Hillsboro City Council meeting

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From left, Hillsboro Police Chief Eric Daniels, Safety and Service Director Brianne Abbott and Public Works Superintendent Shawn Adkins are pictured at the May Hillsboro City Council meeting. (HCP Photos/Caitlin Forsha)
By
Caitlin Forsha, The Highland County Press

Hillsboro City Council heard an update on recent city activities as well as a citizen’s proposal for a one-way street during a relatively quiet 23-minute meeting Thursday, May 11.

In her report, Safety and Service Director Brianne Abbott recognized city Public Works Superintendent Shawn Adkins for his “admirable and heroic” actions during a council workshop earlier in the week.

The workshop was held May 9 at the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District’s station in Hillsboro. According to Abbott and council members, they were in the fire station’s meeting room when an individual, who had suffered an injury and was bleeding heavily, came up to the building asking for help. Adkins promptly began performing first aid on the individual until first responders took over.

“A gentleman experiencing some life-threatening trauma came to the glass door right where we were holding our meeting and was in obvious need of help,” Abbott said. “While most of us, including myself — although not very proud to admit it — stood in shock and froze in place, there's one individual who sprung into action.

“This individual would absolutely not want to be recognized for this act, but it’s because of his call to action, extreme resourcefulness and caring nature that an individual in distress made it safely to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery and is still with us and healthy today.”

Council members and those in attendance gave Adkins a round of applause for his actions.

“Thank you for your compassion and sacrifice in this circumstance and the sacrifices you make day in and day out for our community,” Abbott told him.

For economic development updates, Abbott reported that Choice One Engineering has been chosen to assist the city as they pursue funding through the state of Ohio’s $500 million Appalachian Community Grant program.

As previously reported, Hillsboro’s project proposal includes an amphitheater for Crossroads Park (West Main Street green space) and the Rails to Trails program, The city has also applied for grant funding for the proposed Rails to Trails project, which would develop walking trails around the old railroad beds in the city.

“Choice One Engineering was selected as the city’s procured planner to help design plans for the Crossroads Park amphitheater and trails,” Abbott said.

Abbott also reported that the Marriott Hotel project has reached another step in their planning process, as they have “completed their public comment phase for its final funding piece and should be closing on their final loan very soon.”

As previously reported, Highland County commissioners voted in November to award the environmental review bid for the Marriott Hotel project to Verdantas, at the recommendation of Highland County Economic Development Coordinator Julie Bolender. Bolender announced in July 2022 that the county has been awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant that will, in turn, be loaned to developers of the Marriott Hotel, which was first proposed in 2019.

Abbott reported in January that “the city has extended its promissory note with the developer to allow for completion of this study and the financing.” In February, she said they were awaiting the final report from the Marriott Hotel’s environmental review in order to proceed with “the final funding phase.”

Other newly constructed businesses, such as Fenner Ridge Apartments and Buckeye Family Eye Clinic are now operational, while construction of developments such as the Marshall’s department store and the Patriot Public House are continuing, Abbott said.

Other updates include the city officially becoming a member of the Highland County Workforce Leadership Council; teaming up with the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission for a traffic study; and the city’s building department received 13 commercial and nine residential permits in April.

For infrastructure updates, Abbott said that “the North West Street paving project is nearing completion, and the phase three storm water project is underway.”

Abbott also recapped several announcements from the city in the past month.

In a press release April 28, it was noted that “The Hillsboro Business Complex, LLC in collaboration with JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development and the City of Hillsboro, announced a $1,038,000 investment to redevelop three adjacent buildings in the historic section of downtown Hillsboro. The planned development includes the renovation of existing office space on the ground floor and the creation of co-working/shared workspace on the second floor of all three buildings.”

Abbott said the city is “honored” to be a part of this project.

As of May 1, the Hillsboro Police Department has also begun using 10 new Axon Body 3 cameras, which were purchased through an Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services grant.

For city events, the “Burgers in the Boro” free cookout was hosted May 5 “and was very well attended,” Abbott said, while the Hillsboro Farmers’ Market will kick off for the season May 20 on the courthouse square.

In other discussion:

• During the citizens’ comments portion of the meeting, Hillsboro resident and former council member Brian Waller presented packets he created for a proposal to convert Johnson Street to a one-way street.

Waller said his proposal was prompted by the city’s recent work on curb and gutter improvements on the street. He thanked the city for making those improvements but said that they have also caused some issues.

In the 200 block, Waller said, there is not room for on-street parking, and in the 300 block, “none of those people have access to the rear of their properties.”

“My proposal is we turn Johnson Street into a one-way street from Walnut [Street] to [state Route] 73, going south,” Waller said. “If we make Johnson Street a one-way street, we can keep our parking in front of our houses on that side.”

Council member Mary Stanforth asked if residents typically park on both sides of Johnson Street.

“No,” Waller said. “The 200 block does, or used to, before the curbs came in. The 300 block where I live, there has always been parking on the west side. There's never been parking on the east side.”

Council member Adam Wilkin, who is also the chair of the street and safety committee, asked if Waller had gotten any feedback from neighbors about his proposal.

“I've talked to a lot of them, but the problem is they’re all renters,” Waller said.

Council member Greg Maurer, who served as president pro tempore for the May meeting, placed the proposal in the street and safety committee for further consideration.

• The lone committee report was given by council member Dan Baucher, who discussed the civil service and employee relations committee’s May 1 meeting.

The committee reviewed revisions to the civil service manual as proposed by city law director Randalyn Worley, which will require a public hearing. The committee recommended to hold a public hearing before the June council meeting, Baucher said.

Also during the committee reports, utilities committee chair Maurer noted that the ballot issue for a proposed electricity aggregation program was approved by voters during the May primary election, “so it will be moving forward.”

During council’s consideration of resolutions and ordinances, two items were approved unanimously on their respective third readings. There was no discussion with either ordinance.

The first was an ordinance amending sections 32.100, 32.101, 32.102, and 32.103 of the codified ordinances of the City of Hillsboro pertaining to the City’s records commission.

The amendments include outlining the members to serve on the commission, including “the chief executive or the chief executive’s appointed representative, as chairperson, and the chief fiscal officer, the chief legal officer and a citizen appointed by the chief executive,” as well as a secretary. The commission is to “meet at least once every six months,” and the legislation goes into more detail on their duties for reviewing the retention and disposal of public records.

Also approved was an ordinance amending section 39.20 of the codified ordinances of the City of Hillsboro pertaining to the City’s records request policy.

When the ordinance was introduced in March, Worley said, “The Records Commission recommended a records request policy back in 2021, which never made its way to council.”

The legislation updates the current policy and includes definitions of public records, information on the city’s appointed records custodian and procedures for record requests, among other items.

Council also approved two unrelated ordinances making supplemental appropriations, both by a 7-0 vote, on their first readings.

The first was for a $1,000 appropriation for the city’s annual Hillsboro High School Scholarship Program in order to award that scholarship, Abbott said.

The second ordinance was to appropriate a $9,000 donation from the Cassner Foundation to the Hillsboro Police Department.

Three other items of legislation were introduced Thursday.

The first was a resolution authorizing the safety and service director to enter into an easement agreement with AEP on real property owned by the City of Hillsboro.

According to the resolution, “AEP desires an easement for electric and other current/future energy or communication purposes, overhead and underground, in, on, over, through and across” land owned by the city on West Street. AEP is to pay the city $3,610 for the easement, the legislation says.  

The second ordinance having its first reading is to amend section 39.35 of the codified ordinances of the City of Hillsboro pertaining to the disposition of human remains, “to be compatible with the Ohio Revised Code,” according to Abbott. The legislation is to “mirror” Section 9.15 of the ORC regarding “burial or cremation of [a] body at [the] expense of [a] township or municipal corporation.”

Also proposed was a resolution authorizing the safety and service director to purchase a Caterpillar Model 308 07 mini hydraulic excavator, through the State of Ohio Cooperative Purchasing Program.

According to Adkins, “This is a piece of equipment we’ve been needing for a good while now,” as their current equipment is not sufficient for some of the projects they are undertaking.

The quote for the excavator, as of May 9, was $143,957, according to the council packet.

Council also heard the second reading of the following legislation:

• An ordinance creating a designated outdoor refreshment area (DORA) and enacting regulations. Unlike the April meeting, where 17 people spoke about the legislation — including nine against it, seven in favor of it and one with an informational report — there was no discussion Thursday night.

• Two related resolutions for loans — a resolution authorizing the Safety and Service Director to apply for, accept and enter into a water pollution control loan fund agreement (WPCLF) on behalf of the City of Hillsboro for planning, design and/or construction of waste water facilities and designating a dedicated repayment source for the loan, and a resolution authorizing the SSD to apply for, accept, and enter into a water supply revolving loan account agreement (WSRLA) on behalf of the City of Hillsboro for planning, design and/or construction of water facilities and designating a dedicated repayment source for the loan — had a second reading, with Abbott asking the finance committee to make their final recommendation to council in June.

“I believe it’s still in committee, so we’re just looking for recommendation out of the committee,” Abbott said. “We can discuss it at that time, but it looks like after its third reading, we may need to request an emergency [passage] to meet the EPA deadline.”

• A resolution authorizing the City of Hillsboro to prepare and submit an application for the State of Ohio Department of Development Residential Public Infrastructure Grant for FY23.

In other action, at the start of the meeting, council voted 7-0 to excuse the absence of council president Tom Eichinger. Also absent were Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha and Auditor Patty Day, although their absences were not excused, since they are not required to attend.

Hillsboro City Council May 23
Pictured (l-r) are Hillsboro City Council member Jo Sanborn; City Law Director Randalyn Worley; council members Don Storer, Dan Baucher, Greg Maurer, Jason Brown and Mary Stanforth; clerk Whitney Aliff; and council member Adam Wilkin.

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