With the third and final reading of Ordinance 15-17, rezoning the Whitwell School from a Residential-2 to a Residential-3, read at city council Thursday, no council members made a motion to adopt the ordinance resulting in its dying.

Developer and owner of the building Jack Hager wanted the area rezoned in order to create a 25-unit apartment complex for senior citizens and veterans. The plan was originally brought to the city’s attention in 2012.

When the ordinance died, council member Aaron Bollinger said if the issue of rezoning the area were ever to come up again, it would have to go through the whole process from scratch.

Hager said at the meeting, even without the rezoning, he can make 16 units at the school. Council and the mayor said they were unaware of that and would research that issue.

Also on the agenda was the first reading of Ordinance 15-29, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute change order with Southern Ohio Trenching and Excavating Inc. for the Ironton storm/sanitary sewer separation project and declare it an emergency. Bob Cleary made a motion to suspend the rules and give it the second and third readings by title only with Beth Rist seconding the decision. All were in favor to suspend the rules. Cleary moved to adopt the ordinance, Craig Harvey seconded and it passed unanimously. Kevin Waldo was not present at the meeting.

Ordinance 15-31, authorizing and directing the mayor to execute an agreement with Southern Ohio Trenching and Excavating Inc. for the rehabilitation of the Ironton Hills Wastewater Pump Station and declare it an emergency, was given its first reading and Cleary made a motion to suspend the rules to give it second and third readings by title only. Rist seconded the decision and Cleary made a motion to adopt the ordinance in which Rist also seconded. The ordinance was then unanimously passed. Prior to the regular council meeting, the finance committee favorably recommended this ordinance.

Mayor Rich Blankenship said the pumps were extremely outdated with the city constantly working to keep them up and this was something that needed to get done.

The last ordinance, Ordinance 15-30, providing for equal housing opportunity in Ironton, was just given its first reading.

Resolution 15-32, appointing an individual to the District 15 Public Works Committee, passed by all after Cleary made a motion to adopt the resolution with Rist seconding.

During the miscellaneous portion at the end of the meeting, Blankenship also said the city center’s parapet wall repair is compete.