Lime discussion dominates meeting

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BOTKINS — A lengthy discussion of lime sludge dominated a large part of the regular session of the Botkins Village Council, Tuesday, April 25.

Village Administrator Randy Purdy updated council members on the status of permit requests that had been filed by Jim Pohlman earlier in the month. One request was for the construction of a lagoon in which to store lime sludge. The other was for a driveway leading to the lagoon.

Purdy reported that the Ohio Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA) had cited the city of Sidney with a violation because it had not filed a plan for management of lime sludge when it was due in 2014. The citation gave Sidney 30 days to comply by filing a plan, Purdy said. In addition, the county board of health had cited Pohlman with several violations having to do with the management and disposal of solid waste. Unless a specific plan for lime sludge management is approved by the EPA, it is considered to be solid waste. The county citation had recommended that Pohlman cease hauling and storing the sludge and gave him 14 days to address the violations.

Purdy said that he had asked the county and the EPA if that constituted a cease-and-desist, stop-work order and was told that it did not, that is was simply a recommendation.

“They’ve asked that we continue to monitor, to see if there’s land application,” he said.

He added that it is within his purview to approve or deny a building permit request, but he must do it in accordance with zoning code.

“There’s no agricultural uses in our village codes. There are provisions for ponds and swimming pools,” Purdy said.

Because there is no code concerning lagoons, Purdy said he felt it was important to get input from the Planning Commission and the council. The requests have to be approved or denied within 30 days of their filing. The first request, then, would require a response by May 10, the day after the next regular session of the council.

Concerning the request for a permit for the driveway, the administrator said the request was issued after the driveway was already in place.

“If we deny, they’d have to take it out,” he said.

Mayor Steve Woodruff suggested that the council get a recommendation from the planning commission before making a recommendation to Purdy and that they take up the issue again, May 9.

Purdy noted that “work needs to be done on updating the zoning code.” He has begun to research plans for residential development and economic growth that he will take to the council for consideration in the near future.

Botkins residents Diane and Ron Aufderhaar and Todd Whitt addressed the council with their concerns that lime sludge storage and application may create hazardous conditions for Botkins.

Diane said she had talked to people at the EPA, the county health department and the county soil and water district office.

“They could not say it’s just from Sidney,” she said, “because (Pohlman) hauls from other states, too. There’s no way to know what’s in it. I hear there could be metal in it. It’s been (in the Sidney lagoon) for 20 years.”

Purdy responded that the EPA would be responsible for testing it; that the Botkins sewer and water officials had looked at a lab report and had found nothing wrong.

Ron voiced his worry that the storage would not end when the lime was spread in the fall and that providing the sludge to area farmers would become an ongoing business.

“A lot of us share your concerns,” Councilman Lance Symonds told the residents.

In other business, the council waived the three-reading rule and approved the appropriation of $32,920 received in a grant for capital equipment purchases by the fire department.

Woodruff, with the unanimous recommendation of council, appointed Marcus Counts to fill the unexpired term of Josh Meyer who had resigned his seat, March 28. Counts will be sworn in, May 9.

Purdy reported on the success of the village Easter egg hunt, that a community reinvestment agreement had been filed for the Woodland subdivision, that township trustees will attend the May 9 council meeting to discuss the fire district and that village garage sales will be May 12-13.

The mayor said that the annual council breakfast was approaching and that council would need to decide who should be in charge and to whom they should award the proceeds.

Symonds reported for the Fire and Safety Committee that the chicken dinner was a success, that a grant request to fund the purchase of an air compressor had been denied, that the fire department was getting quotes for undercoating the trucks, that Pat Fullenkamp had received a full vote of confidence from the firefighters and had subsequently been sworn in as chief, and that police had participated in various required training sessions.

Symonds discussed a committee concern about people’s parking in the grass along the entrance to the park. Purdy will contact the village solicitor to ascertain what rights the council has to erect No Parking signs, because the village does not own the property there. It has a permanent easement.

The council then moved into executive session to discuss imminent court action.

By Patricia Ann Speelman

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4824.

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