City of ENGLEWOOD Fall 2014 NEWSLETTER Plans underway to construct replica covered bridge on Old National Road over Scenic Stillwater River INSIDE In an effort to bridge the past, present and future, Englewood, in conjunction with Five Rivers MetroParks, Butler Township and the Miami Conservancy District (MCD), has submitted applications to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) seeking funding assistance to erect a replica covered bridge which will span the Scenic Stillwater River at the precise spot at which a former covered bridge once stood on the Historic Old National Road. The covered bridge will be utilized as a biking and walking path and will connect The original bridge that was part of the the East to the West MetroPark, enhancing regional bikeway access and will have Historic Old National Road window openings all along both sides so that users may enjoy the scenic views of the river. This project will also improve access to the river for recreational activities such as fishing or canoeing and will eventually include other amenities such as restrooms and water fountains. Although made of wood, the bridge will be treated with flame retardant and will be fashioned with a fire alarm and security cameras. City Manager Eric Smith took the lead in coordinating the four primary organizations in this regional effort to apply for the funding, but the project is endorsed by other organizations such as the Ohio National Road Association and the Randolph Township Historical Society as well. “This project is near and dear to my heart,” said Smith. “I love the historical nature of it Artist’s rendering of the proposed Historic National Follick Promoted 2 combined with the practical recreational use. Road Covered Bridge Body Cameras 2 And besides that, it’s cool.” Home Safety 2 Road Salt Water Study Protect Our Water Prayer Breakfast Holiday Celebration Heck Center Beggar’s Night Retirements Holiday Closures Development Water Softening Zip Codes From the Mayor 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 No Tax Increase levy on ballot in November In order to maintain beautiful recreational areas such as the Englewood Reserve Bikeway pictured above, the city will have a renewal of a 1.26 mill five-year operating tax levy, which expires this year, on the ballot in November. This levy provides approximately $90,000 per year in tax revenue to help fund the general operations of the City. Because this is a renewal levy, it means NO increase in taxes. This levy has been in place since the 1970s and has been renewed every five years since 1979. A typical homeowner with an owner-occupied home appraised at $100,000 will pay approximately $10.20 per year in 2014, after rollbacks, as a result of this levy. Follick promoted to Police Sergeant Corey Follick was recently promoted to Police Sergeant effective in January of 2015 upon the retirement of Dave Pelkey. Follick has been with the Police Department since 1994 when he started as a part-time dispatcher. After graduating college and completing Police Academy, Follick came to Englewood full-time as a Police Officer. His duties have included School Resource Officer, Acting Supervisor, Training Coordinator and Field Training Officer. Police Department phases in body cameras Entering the next phase of security camera usage, all police officers will now be outfitted with body cameras. These cameras will be in operation anytime an officer interacts with citizens. The high-definition cameras record both video and audio, transmit the images wirelessly and are linked to the in-car cameras that have been in use for several years. The images will be retained for seven days. Police Chief Mark Brownfield said, “The use of body cameras will enhance our incident documentation and will protect both the citizen and the officer.” Officer Kevin Garlitz wearing the new body camera. Is your home as safe as it can be? Is your home as safe as it should be? Compare the safety features in your home to these required in new construction. Smoke detectors are now required in every bedroom, in every hallway near bedrooms and on every level of the house. They must be AC powered with battery backup. In a three bedroom ranch with a basement, you would need five smoke detectors. Detectors must be wired together so that if any one detector alarms, they all alarm. New smoke detectors are being designed with a lower frequency horn that is more effective when sleeping. Also, it is now recomFire Chief mended to use Photoelectric type detectors instead of ionization type because Elmer Bergman they last longer and detect smoke quicker. Smoke detectors last about 10 years, so when replacing, use the same or better detector. It is illegal Second graders from to “downgrade”. If your Englewood Elementary house has an AC powered spent a day in early detector, you cannot reOctober touring the Police and Fire Departments place it with a battery only detector. If your home is not fashioned with these up-to-date safety features, consider upgrading soon. Road salt in short supply again Englewood jointly bids road salt with 90 other local jurisdictions to take advantage of economies of scale. This consortium has been notified that salt supplies will be severely rationed due to last year’s harsh winter depleting reserves. The price will double as well from $51.94 per ton to $114.50. Our allocation for this season is only 216 tons. Fortunately, our full salt bin stores 900 tons. During a routine winter, Englewood typically consumes about 750 tons of road salt. Last year, over 1200 tons were spread. The degree of usage, of course, depends entirely on the severity of the winter. In preparation for limited supplies, the City is implementing several conservation techniques. First, a second snow plow will be equipped with a pre-treatment salt-brine dispenser. The brine, as well as rock salt, will be combined with beet juice to improve melting efficiency. Secondly, a new snow plow has arrived to ensure roadways will be cleared of snow as quickly as possible. Thirdly, stricter salt applications will be instituted. This means tertiary residential streets may not receive the customary heavy salting and primary routes may receive lighter treatments. Citizens can help by understanding the dilemna the salt shortage presents and to drive more carefully. Pre-treatment, plowing and salting operations will be evaluated on an The City purchased a new snow plow event-by-event basis, dependent on the type, temperature, severity, longevity and timing to combat winter weather events of each winter event. City participates in regional water quality study Seeking alternatives to costly upgrades at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Englewood has entered into a coalition with 17 Miami Valley jurisdictions to pursue a study of water quality of the Lower Great Miami River. The coalition seeks to maintain affordable sewer rates while mitigating nutrients that promote decreased water quality. Of particular concern is phosphorus which is the prime suspect in the growth of algae, which in turn consumes the oxygen in the water and gives off a toxic by-product. An example is Grand Lake St. Marys. One undertaking that the city has participated in for the past 10 years is the Water Quality Credit Trading Program managed by the Miami Conservancy District. This initiative pays farmers to augment their conservation practices to filter out harmful nutrients that run off from their farms. Eliminating the pollutant at the source is the most effective method for improving the water quality. The new coalition will look at the effectiveness of the Credit Trading Program as well as studying the overall health of the river and develop recommendations to coalition members for cost-effective ways to meet EPA standards. Protecting our water and wildlife Electronic equipment from your home...don’t just throw it away Used motor oil can be deposited 24 hours a day at the service center at 1111 Union Road a Electronic equipment is used by almost everyone. Advances in technology result in newer equipment continually becoming available for home use. Whether you are looking at computers, monitors, fax machines and copiers, television sets, stereo/audio equipment, cell phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) or game consoles, there always seems to be a newer or better model with new features. Electronic waste or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing sources of waste in the U.S. E-waste often has hazardous or toxic components that pollute the environment if they are improperly managed. Some of these components, such as heavy metals, are also valuable materials that can be extracted, recycled and reused to make new equipment. As our old electronic equipment becomes outdated, it is important that we think carefully about reusing and recycling materials, instead of just throwing equipment in landfills. What to do with your old electronic equipment: 1.Extend the life of your existing electronics through repair, upgrade or tune-up 2.Give the electronics to someone who can use it 3.Recycle the electronics 4.Properly dispose of electronic waste Charity Krueger to speak at Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast Charity Krueger will be the guest speaker at this year’s Englewood Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 a.m. at Concord United Methodist Church. Krueger has been the Executive Director of Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm for 32 years as Aullwood celebrates its 57th anniversary year. Under Ms. Krueger’s leadership, many national, international and regional education and conservation initiatives have been implemented. In 2000, Charity led Aullwood through a major capital campaign ($4.6 million) that tripled the size of the Marie S. Aull Education Center. Most recently she led the successful Aullwood Audubon Farm Rooted in the Future Farm Initiative: Renew, Grow and Teach, raising over $6.5 million. In 2012, an 11,000 square foot Farm Discovery Center was dedicated and named in her honor to celebrate her 30 years at Aullwood. One of the crown jewels of the new center is the first Head Start Preschool in the country that is based at a working farm. Annually 30 economically disadvantaged preschoolers participate in the Nature/Farm Play Preschool. Tickets for the Prayer Breakfast will be on sale at the Englewood Government Center for $11.50 each or will be available at the door. Fall Heck Center Activities •AARP will sponsor a Driver Safety class on October 31 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This course is for adults age 50 and older. All participants will receive a certificate of completion. Completing this class may result in better rates for your car insurance. To register for this course, please call 836-5929. •Free computer classes are offered at the Earl Heck Center for seniors 55 and over. This is a beginner computer class for people with little or no experience. Participants will learn basic computer skills such as using the Internet, sending emails and using various programs. To register for this class, please call 836-5929. •Representatives from Montgomery County Veterans Services will be at the Earl Heck Center on the 4th Thursday of each month from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. to answer your questions regarding benefits and services that may be available to military veterans. No appointment is necessary. Season of change Two long-time employees retire Pat Blosser Pat Blosser retired in August of this year after serving the City for over 20 years. She had served as Director of Human Services at the Earl Heck Community Center. Ryan Kruse was selected to replace her as the new Director. Police Sergeant David Pelkey started with the City in 1979, took a brief break in 1984 to pursue a job with the Border Patrol and then Sergeant Dave Pelkey returned in 1987 thus serving Englewood for over 30 years. He will retire in January of 2015. Englewood wishes both of them the best in whatever the future may bring. Annual Holiday Open House The Annual Holiday Open House is on Saturday, November 29th at the Government Center. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and festivities will begin with the Englewood Civic Band performing holiday music. There will be ongoing entertainment for the children and Santa will arrive at 7:00 p.m. Remember to bring your cameras for those special moments. Refreshments will be served and there is no charge for this special evening. Beggar’s Night (or Trick or Treat Night) is scheduled for Friday, October 31 from 6-8 p.m. Government Center Holiday Closures and Holiday Trash Delays November 27 & 28 - Government Offices closed - Thanksgiving Holiday Trash delayed for Thursday and Friday routes only December 25 - Government Offices closed - Christmas Day Trash delayed Thursday & Friday routes January 1 - Government Offices closed - New Years Day Trash delayed Thursday & Friday routes January 19 - Government Offices closed - Martin Luther King Day No trash delay February 16 - Government Offices closed - President’s Day No trash delay Commercial development pace quickens in recent months It’s an exciting time for commercial develoment with numerous expansions, renovations, relocations and redevelopments underway in Englewood. The most prominent expansion is a 96,000 square foot addition to Good Samaritan North Health Center which will include an Emergency Department and four story addition and is projected to be completed in 2015. A new United Dairy Farmers building is under construction at the corner of Union Boulevard and West National Road, scheduled to open in early 2015. AutoZone is nearing completion of its new building at 603 South Main Street. The Tesla Motor Company, an electric car company, is constructing a super charging station next to Meijer on Main Street. SK Tech, an automobile parts manufacturer located in the Englewood Otterbein Industrial Park, is expanding again, this time by 40,000 square feet. Ideal Image is in the process of expanding both of its locations, on Haas Drive (Top to Bottom) The and on Smith Drive, to improve its operations. construction at Samaritan North Health Other new businesses moving into existing buildings include Stone House Sweets, a bakery which will be located next to JD Custards. El Toro Center, AutoZone under construction Mexican restaurant is moving into the former Tumbleweed building near and a sample of what the new UDF on Union Blvd. and West Meijer, opening later this fall. Ohio Auto Loans is locating in the former National Rd. will look like. Blockbuster building on Taywood Road and Englewood Drive-Thru, also on Taywood Road, has reopened. In addition to those projects, the redevelopment of Englewood Truck is currently being evaluated by a developer who intends to construct a multi-tenant retail building with a restaurant out lot. Tenants of the development have not yet been identified by the developer. Council approves next step toward water softening facility (Top to Bottom) Stone House Sweets, El Toro Mexican Restaurant and Englewood Truck Zip Code Request Approved To improve city identity and city services, the US Postal Service has recently approved a request by the city of Englewood to allow all residents and businesses within the 45315 and 45415 zip codes to use “Englewood” as the destination city in place of Clayton or Dayton. This change will not affect the zip code or how mail is delivered; it only provides those who wish to use “Englewood” as their city the option to do so. The USPS will continue to deliver mail if Clayton or Dayton is used. Should you have questions regarding this change, please contact William J. Singer, Jr., Englewood’s Development Director, at 7712880. Council has approved contracts with two engineering firms to study the feasibility of constructing a water softening facility at the water treatment plant to improve water quality by reducing hardness. If the project is implemented, residents may not have to purchase a water softening system for their homes or their current water softeners will be able to reduce recharge cycles significantly. Additionally, it will lengthen the life expectancy of all the water infrastructure and will decrease the occurrence of discolored water caused by high mineral content. A Moment with the Mayor -by Patricia Burnside City of Englewood 333 West National Road Englewood, Ohio 45322 Presorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Dayton, OH Permit No. 45 ECRWSS POSTAL CUSTOMER Welcome to FALL. I love the cooler temperatures and the colorful leaves. The only problem with the leaves is they have to be raked. The good news is Englewood provides a great curbside leaf pickup service for you. Fall also reminds me that school is back in session. Englewood is pleased to be the home to Northmont’s brand new Early Learning Center. It is a fantastic facility. One of my favorite Mayoral duties is to honor deserving citizens with proclamations. Recently I have honored Madelyn Mobarry, a Northmont student who earned her own way to Europe to play in an international youth orchestra. She did this by collecting aluminum cans and by getting grants. Reverend George Sidwell , the beloved retired pastor of Englewood United Methodist Church, was honored on the occasion of his 90th birthday at the church. Another birthday recipient was a perky 100 year old lady named Della Painter who was honored at Brookdale Assisted Living facility. At the September Council meeting, I had the pleasure of honoring Jim and Linda Campise for their years of service to the city; Jim as a Council member and Linda as a very dedicated member of the Festival and Arts Commission. They have moved to Beavercreek to be closer to their daughter’s family. Both of them will be greatly missed. Congratulations to city employees Pat Blosser and Dave Pelkey on their retirements. I wish you all the best in the future. Congratulations also to Corey Follick who was promoted to Police Sergeant. Corey is well-known in the city as the School Resource Officer and the promotion is well-deserved. Save the date for the annual Englewood Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. It will be held at Concord United Methodist Church on Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 7:30 am. The guest speaker is Charity Krueger, Director of the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. Taking part in the program are Northmont’s Chamber Choir, Northmont’s Naval Jr. ROTC and four local pastors. Tickets will be on sale at the Government Center , Heck Center and at the door. Hope to see you there. As always it is a pleasure to serve as your Mayor. Your City Council Marlyn Flee Council Member Thomas Franz Vice Mayor Michael Kline Council Member Cathy McGrail Council Member Judy Gerhard Council Member Jim Silko Council Member Marlyn Flee has been appointed to City Council effective October 14 to replace Council Member Jim Campise who resigned in September due to relocating outside of the city limits. Flee previously served on Council from 2008 until 2013. His term on Council will continue through November of 2015.
© Copyright 2024