SIDNEY — The best use of funds the city of Sidney will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was discussed Monday night during the Sidney City Council meeting.
City Manger Andrew Bowsher said city staff recently held a meeting looking at ways to make the most of the $2,142,054.41 ARPA money while also making the biggest impact in the Sidney community. He told council members the following plan was developed:
• Development
— Wagner Site Demolition: $500,000. This will close the funding gap, Bowsher said, of monies available for the demolition and remediation of a long-standing nuisance property.
• Beautification
— Downtown activation: $350,000. This will accelerate the city’s planned two-year appropriation of $175,000 per year.
• Parks
— Pickleball court: $75,000. This will accelerate the project from 2026 in the current five year plan to 2022. Bowsher said there is documented community support for the court, including a 130-plus signature petition.
— Walking trail at Robert O. New Park: $55,000: This will fund a requested project, Bowsher noted, but it was unfunded for 2026 in the current five year plan to develop a 0.7 mile walking trail around the perimeter for the park.
— Julia Lamb basketball court: $36,000: This will also fund a requested project, but was unfunded for 2026 in the current five-year plan.
Council members Mike Barhorst and Jenny VanMatre both expressed the desire to hold off on the basketball court at Julia Lamb. Barhorst said he would prefer to wait until the results come back from the comprehensive plan to deterimine the best use of that space. He noted they “keep chiseling away” at the land, but had considered putting an outdoor entertainment area there in the past. VanMatre agreed and said there are plenty of basketball courts around town, but is looking forward to a skate park in Sidney so young people have a place to go. Council member Scott Roddy said he thinks the notion of creating an outdoor entertainment area is a tremendous idea and is a good way to bring people into the city.
— Heritage Park half basketball court: $26,000: This will accelerate the project from 2026 in the current five-year plan to 2022 to continue the development of this new city park.
— City park signage: $24,000: This will accelerate the project from 2024 in the current five-year plan to 2022. Several of the park signs have exceeded their useful life and are in need of replacement, Bowsher said.
— Parks master plan: $75,000: This will fund a requested project, but was unfunded for 2023 in the current five-year plan. The current parks master plan was last updated in 2009 and land usage requests have changed since its last review. It will also help to provide better guidance for the addition of other recreational amenities such as a splash pad or a skate park.
— Vandemark Road to Folkerth Avenue connector: $500,000: This will fund a project that was requested, but unfunded for 2024-2025 in the current five year plan. The project will involve the extension of Echo Drive to Folkerth Avenue and will alleviate traffic congestion at intersection of state Route 47 and Vandemark Road and will promote development of the land along this route.
• Facilities
— Fire Station 1 roof: $250,000: This project was originally identified for funding using available ARPA dollars.
Bowsher said city staff also identified two projects as potential alternatives for available ARPA dollars, and they are:
• Gateway improvement plan: $25,000 – Enhancement plan for the four Interstate 75 interchanges;
• Ohio Building feasibility/use plan: $25,000.
Because staff was able to rearrange identified ARPA projects, Bowsher said general fund dollars dedicated to some of the projects were then made available for other priorities. The projects identified for the newly available general fund dollars include:
• Infrastructure
— Kroger parking lot access to Folkerth Avenue: $390,000: This will fund a requested project that was unfunded for 2024-2025 in the current five-year plan. He noted access to the shopping center where Kroger is located is difficult to access and congested with only one egress from shopping center.
— Airport improvements: $54,000: This will consolidate a project that was planned for several phases into a single project. Available FAA grant dollars are also being made available to consolidate the project into a single phase.
• Facilities
— Monumental Building windows: $150,000: This will fund a requested project, but was unfunded for 2026 in the current five-year plan.
The projects identified, Bowsher said, including the two proposed alternatives total $2,585,000; the available ARPA and general fund dollars total $2,817,054.41. The dollars remaining between the two figures will be available as a contingency should actual project costs exceed anticipated costs.
Because of the timing constraints placed on the ARPA funds, we are now pursuing other funding streams to include the new Infrastructure Bill, to fund the Howeisher Bridge extension.
In other business, a review of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission meeting set for Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, and a review of the prospective City Council agenda items for the next 30 days, was given.
At the end of the meeting, Vice Mayor Steve Wagner praised city staff for their “phenomenal work” to clear the roads of snow after the snow storm the previous week. He said although you can’t please everybody all the time, as he heard some people were not happy their driveways were plowed in, he shared also receiving a lot of complements on the city crews’ “great work.”
Mayor Mardie Milligan agreed with Wagner and also praised the street crews’ hard work. She shared a story her husband observed when a city worker got out of his work truck to help a person whose vehicle was stuck in the snow by digging them out. She said that person went above and beyond to help. Milligan also shared the following:
• Council needs to agree on a date to meet for strategic planning, as well as the annual City Council picture;
• Council needs to meet in a special committee meeting to consider any potential changes to council rules and the city charter.
Bowsher also thanked and praised city street crews for their hard work during and after the snow storm, as well as those in the county for coordinating together to work to prepare for the storm. He also shared winter yard waste collection will be Feb. 14-18.
Police Chief Will Balling reminded all the department’s citizen police academy will be held beginning on Feb. 23 for the following 10 weeks.
In final business, City Council went into an executive session to consider the purchase of property for public purposes, and the employment and compensation of a public employee. No action was taken by council after members emerged from the session.
