SIDNEY — Several ordinances were introduced at the Sidney City Council meeting Monday night.
An ordinance naming The A-Diamond at Custenborder Fields, “Veteran’s Memorial Field”, was introduced to council. To honor veterans from Shelby County, going as far back as the Revolutionary War, to current activity around the world and all that served in between, representatives of American Legion Post 217 requested that the diamond be named to commemorate these contributions to the freedoms that “all of us enjoy here in Sidney, Shelby County and across the nation.”
To correspond with the Veterans’ Memorial Walkway, which begins along the Great Miami River at Johnston Park and travels through Custenborder along the outfield fence of the sports grounds where Post 217 teams have played their home games, The Sidney American Legion leaders are requesting that this field be named, “Veterans’ Memorial Field”.
This ordinance will be considered further at the next council meeting.
An ordinance was introduced to proved funds for upgrades to the Nancy Adams Training Center. For IT upgrades, $19,800 is being requested. For physical room upgrades, $24,500 is being requested and for furniture/equipment upgrades, $28,200 is being requested. This total of $72,500 will come out of the Capital Improvement Fund. $4,852 is also being requested to come out of the fire loss security fund. This appropriation would permit the reimbursement of insurance proceeds currently held to the property owners, after repair requirements are satisfied.
The Nancy Adams Training Center Fund, held in trust by the Community Foundation of Shelby County, will reimburse these expenditures. The balance of the endowment fund will remain with the Community Foundation reserved for future training equipment modernizations.
More on this ordinance will be discussed at the next council meeting.
During the March 7, 2016, workshop, council decided to generally include a nondenominational prayer and the pledge of allegiance to all meetings of council, including workshop sessions. In order to achieve this objective, Section G4 of the current council rules will need to be amended as follows:
“As a general practice all meetings of the City Council shall begin with a nondenominational prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States. The balance of the agenda shall be ordered by the City Manager to promote efficiency in the handling of business items.”
This ordinance will be brought up for a second reading at the next regular council meeting.
Community Service Director Barbara Dulworth introduced an ordinance for the purpose of accommodating a petition from Advanced Composites for a portion of Fourth Avenue. The right-of-way flares to accommodate the bridge over the east-west CSX railroad, however there is more right-of-way than necessary to proved a level area for city equipment and vehicles at the base of the bridge.
Advanced Composites currently have a Right-of-Way (ROW) License for use of a portion of the Fourth Ave ROW for a parking facility. The vacation of the ROW will transfer ownership of the land to Advanced Composites so that the parking facility is fully on their property, including a 10 foot grass area separation so that it is compliant with the requirements of the Zoning Code.
Advanced Composites is also requesting a re-plat of their property which includes the right-of-way proposed for vacation. The re-plat will be presented at the April 11, 2016, city council meeting. The Planning Commission reviewed this item at their March 21, 2016, and resolved to recommend approval of the vacation.
Dulworth said, Advanced Composites requested the space for signage, etc., and they looked at it, the engineering department reviewed it, and they don’t need that amount of right-of-way.
Mayor Michael Barhorst asked if the city may ever need that ROW back, and Assistant City Manager Gary Clough said, that area was put there for construction of the railroad bridge, and now that it’s built, it’s just a lot of extra space and there is plenty of room for equipment to get in there for repairs.
Barhorst also mentioned, if they were looking at buying a ROW it would cost the tax payers a lot of money, so why would the city just give it away. Cough said they looked at how other communities do it, and this is the way the department is choosing to handle this vacation.
More will be discussed on this at the next council meeting.
