CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010

Mayor Mary H. Brown called the meeting of council to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 18, 2010. The Clerk called the roll and the following Councilmembers were present: Lisa Kelly, Jim Doepker, Jill Steller, Eric Haas, Roger Peterman, and Tom Lampe. Staff members in attendance included: City Administrator Don Martin, City Clerk Melissa Kelly, Fire Chief Mark Bailey, Police Chief Mike Daly, Finance Director Fred Ewald and City Attorney Jann Seidenfaden.

Mayor Brown led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Minutes

The minutes of the October 4, 2010 meeting were presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller, and seconded by Mr. Doepker approve the minutes at written. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

The minutes of the October 14, 2010 Tax Rate Hearing and Special Meeting of Council were presented for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mr. Haas to approve the minutes as written. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Visitors and Communications

Terrill Biedenharn of 22 Arno was present. Mr. Biedenharn indicated that he is 100% against the closing of the ROW between 252 and 260 Rosemont. The property has been in his family since 1959 and he does not plan on developing it anytime soon but if the potential arises in the future he does not want to be restricted by closing one end of the ROW.

Mr. Joe Powers of Overlook Drive addressed council. Mr. Powers questioned the status of the V.A. Homes. Don Martin noted that the city is currently working with BHE Environmental who will review the existing environmental documents to determine if they are sufficient, prepare a cost estimate for environmental abatement/compliance, and prepare technical specifications for inclusion in the RFP anticipated to be issued by the city to developers. CDS will be doing the surveying, engineering and architectural services for inclusion in the Request for Proposals.

The V.A. indicated they would not require the city to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement prior to these services being conducted. However, without entering into a MOA, the VA would likely not reimburse the city for the cost of BHE’s services. The city has asked them to reconsider and is awaiting a response. The city anticipates a final answer from them in advance of the November 1 city council meeting at which time the issue will likely be presented to council for discussion.

Mr. Powers also asked that council consider supporting the proposal to change the form of Campbell County Government to the Magistrate form of Government. Roger Peterman voiced his opposition against changing the form of Government in Campbell County. Tom Lampe also voiced his opposition.

Melanie Ethridge from West Southgate Avenue thanked Council and City Staff for the installation of the speed humps on their street. She said they are helping to slow people down.

Reports of Officers

Fire Department Monthly Report for September, Chief Mark Bailey: Chief Mark Bailey presented the monthly report for September to council for review. Chief Bailey noted that the Fire Detector Blitz went well thanks to the help of the Highlands High School National Honor Society. Also, the new ambulance is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Steller to receive and file the monthly report from the Fire Department. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Mayor Brown thanked the students from Highlands who helped in the Fire Detector Blitz.

Police Department Monthly Report for August, Chief Mike Daly: Chief Mike Daly presented a monthly report for September to council for review. A motion was made by Mr. Peterman and seconded by Mr. Lampe to receive and file the monthly report for the Police Department. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Jill Steller noted that every woman should take the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class that the Police Department offers. She said that Sgt. Chris Carpenter and Officer Emily Leising do an excellent job at teaching the class.

Report from City Administrator: Don Martin presented a report to council. The report included the following:

Forest Conservancy: Don complimented the Fort Thomas Forest Conservancy for all of their hard work that they have done in our parks and with the community. Don let a bird walk on Saturday, October 16, 2010 for the Conservancy. It was a good time and a great program for people in the community.

Duke Energy Donation: Three pictures of the Fort in Tower Park were donated by Duke Energy to the city. The pictures date back to WWI and there are two that we have never seen. We thank Duke Energy for the donation of the pictures.

Tax Bills: Tax bills will be mailed out on Friday, October 22, 2010. Due to a problem with advertising, the bills will not be due until November 30, 2010.

Old Business

Request to close ROW on Bonnie Lane: Sharon Schoemaker of 31 Bonnie Lane was present. Mrs. Schoemaker is asking the city to close a portion of the Cochran Avenue ROW at the bottom of Bonnie Lane. There are no developable lots that will be affected by the closure of the ROW. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Mr. Haas to approve moving forward with the closure of the portion of the Cochran Avenue ROW which lies between two lots owned by the Schoemakers. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

New Business

Park Restroom and Shelter Bids: Tom Lampe reported on behalf of the Recreation Committee. The Recreation Committee of Council met prior to the council meeting to discuss bids for Tower and Highland Park Shelters and Restrooms. Bids were opened on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. Morel Construction is the apparent low bidder with a bid of $1,647,383.75. The alternates to the bid were considered.

Alternate No. 1 would consist of adding cheek walls to the concrete steps in Highland Hills Park. This allows for a smoother finish grade along the edge of the steps. The alternate bid price for the cheek walls is $9,900.00. Cheek walls are recommended by staff and the design team.

Alternate No. 2 consisted of constructing a fireplace inside the shelter in Tower Park. The bid price for this was $41,000. It was the consensus of the board that the fireplace would only be used a “handful” of times and poses too many issues. It was the decision of the board to deny the addition of the fireplace.

Alternate No. 3 consists of planting 13 additional trees in Highland Hills Park. The average price for each tree is $500 and includes labor. Staff recommends approval of the addition of the trees.

It was the decision of the committee to recommend to council that they accept the bid from Morel Construction in the amount of $1,647,383.75 and include Alternate No. 1 in the amount of $9,900 and Alternate No. 3 in the amount of $4,550. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller to accept the recommendation of the Recreation Committee. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye”: Ms. Kelly, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Steller, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman, and Mr. Lampe. Voting “no”: none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Jill Steller thanked the Recreation Committee for all of their hard work up to this point on the upgrades to the parks.

Request to Close ROW Between 252 and 260 Rosemont Ave.: Mr. Dave Keller of 260 Rosemont Avenue addressed council. Mr. Keller would like the public ROW between his home at 260 Rosemont and the home at 252 Rosemont to be closed. The driveway that he shares with 252 Rosemont is in need of repairs and they would like to make improvements on their home. The city looked into this issue several years ago and denied the request. The consensus of city council was to deny the request to close the Public ROW. If one end of the ROW was closed it could affect potential development of the parcel behind the properties. Before making any decisions on the closing of the ROW, there would have to be a development plan in place for the property owned by Terrill Biedenharn of 22 Arno who is also against the closure of the ROW.

Finance Committee Report on Disbursements: The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 31012 through 61118 for the period of October 5-18, 2010. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mrs. Steller to concur in the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Upon call of the roll, the following members voted “aye” – Ms. Kelly, Mr. Doepker, Mrs. Steller, Mr. Haas, Mr. Peterman and Mr. Lampe. Voting "no" - none. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Orders

None.

With no further business to come before council, the meeting was adjourned.

APPROVED:

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Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

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Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk