Municipal clerk, utility adjustments top agenda

SOUTH POINT — A cheer and dance team, hoping to seek a location for their group, has been denied use of the former South Point Elementary School building.
Trinity Cheer and Dance, LLC, was founded this summer by Katrina Anson, following the closure of an Ironton gym, with the goal of keeping a team of children together for practice and competitions.

Anson said the building’s owner, Joe Freeman, had agreed to allow the team to set up in the former school.

However, the building, located on Washington Street, was zoned for residential use.

Anson appeared at the July meeting of council to request permission to use the location.

Council members discussed the matter at that meeting, and ruled out amending the ordinance, as this would affect zoning village-wide. Anson was told that she could have Freeman, the property owner, apply for a variance for consideration.

At Tuesday’s meeting of council, Freeman said he was seeking the variance.

“That’s why I’m here tonight,” he said. “The paperwork has been submitted by my attorney.”

Gaskin then put the matter before council.

“Is there any interest in this?” he asked. “In changing the variance to permit this?”

After a few seconds of silence from council with no response, Gaskin closed the matter.

“There’s no interest,” he said. “The ordinance will stay as it is.”

Anson, who was present with a group of about 12 staff and children, inquired about the decision.

“Can I ask you why?” she said. “Why no one will stand up for these kids?”

Gaskin said that Freeman had made a compromise with the village and neighbors in the past, and has asked for changes in the ordinance in the past, for which he has been denied.

“We have rules, as written,” Gaskin said. “I’m sorry, but those rules have to stand.”

Anson said she felt the decision “did not make sense.”

“You don’t know the backstory, respectfully,” council member Mary Cogan said. “We have no interest in it.”

Following the meeting, Anson said she was “shocked” by the decision.

“We did everything we had to do, and to be turned down like that was awful,” she said. “Do the right thing for these kids. That’s all I’m asking.”

Anson said she was still exploring other options and locations for the team, for which she has been fundraising and hosting practices since the closure of the Ironton gym.

“We really don’t have very many options,” she said, hoping she can find another location. “We have no building, and we need help,” she said.

Gaskin said afterward that Anson had been told she faced “an uphill battle” in getting the variance.

He said the issue of zoning has been contentious in the past and that Freeman is allowed to host certain types of businesses in the location, such as a chiropractor’s office.

“She did not meet that criteria,” Gaskin said. “So it was unlikely to happen.”

In other business, the council:

• Voted to create the position of municipal court clerk.

The job, which will be paid from the police department’s budget, will have a beginning rate of $12 an hour and the employee will work no more than 39 hours, with no village benefits.

Police Chief Chris Mahjer created a job description for the position, which he says will handle clerical duties, such as data entry and processing impound titles.

The position will be under Mahjer’s direction and Gaskin stressed that no money will come from the village’s general fund for the job.

Mahjer has said the creation of the position will free up officers for more policing duties around the village.

• Voted to amend a resolution, passed at last month’s meeting of council, which would end the practice of forgiving water bills for unoccupied rental apartments.

The council voted to change the wording from “commercial rental property” to the more encompassing description of “rental property.”

Gaskin has said the vacancy adjustments were costing South Point $3,000 a month, according to village clerks.

• Heard from fire chief Mark Goodall, who said crews have responded to three overdose calls in the past month, as well as three fire calls, which turned out to be false alarms.

Goodall said emergency crews have also worked to put a plan in place to deal with the closure of the Solida Road interchange on U.S. 52 over the next few months. He said the fire department is using mutual aid agreements with surrounding departments to alleviate the situation.

• Heard from Gaskin, who said the village needs to begin plans for the replacement of fiscal officer Scott Thomas, who will be retiring in October 2019 after three decades in the position.

The mayor said it was important that the replacement spend time working alongside Thomas to better learn the job.

Thomas was asked of his preferred timetable.

“I’d like to have someone by the first of November,” he said.

• Discussed the village’s operating levy, which is up for renewal on the November ballot.

Gaskin said the vote, which comes every five years, pays for things such as such as street lights, clean ups and some police services.

“It’s $265,000 a year,” he said of the funds from the renewal. “We must get this passed or we’re in trouble.”

• Heard from village administrator Russ McDonald, who said the village had treated 26 million gallons of sewer in July.

He said work has paused on the clarifier project at the sewer plant, due to a change order for parts, which will arrive at the end of the month.

“The painters are here and getting things ready,” he said.

McDonald said the department had recently received an inspection from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“It went fine,” he said, stating the inspector was impressed with what he saw.

“They were pleased with the upgrades we’ve been making,” McDonald said.

The next meeting of council is set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 4.