CITY OF FORT THOMAS,

CAMPBELL COUNTY, KENTUCKY, ON

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2010

Mayor Mary Brown called the meeting of council to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 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 Administrative Officer Don Martin, City Clerk Melissa Kelly, Fire Chief Mark Bailey, Police Chief Mike Daly, and City Attorney Jann Seidenfaden. Absent: Finance Director Fred Ewald.

Mayor Mary Brown led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Visitors and Communications

Chief Mike Daly presented Officer Dean Windgassen with a service ribbon for a job well done with an attempted suicide victim. Officer Windgassen did an excellent job at talking the victim down off of the bridge and getting him to safety. Once the victim was safe, Officer Windgassen had him transported to the hospital where he went to check on him later. This is a classic case of going above and beyond the call of duty. Mayor Brown expressed her gratitude for a job well done.

Mayor Brown read a proclamation for Brain Injury Awareness Month and proclaimed March 10, 2010 as Brain Injury Awareness Day.

Reports of Officers

Recreation Department Annual Report: Dave Buerger: Recreation Director Dave Buerger presented his annual report to council. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Steller to receive and file the annual report for the Recreation Department. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Report from City Administrator, Don Martin: Don Martin reported on the following:

Cable Board Issue: At the January 19 city council meeting, the Board of Council voted not to join the Campbell County Cable Board. The Law, Labor, and License Committee of Council asked staff to contact School Superintendent John Williamson to discuss the possibility of the school overseeing the public access channel which would allow Fort Thomas residents to broadcast shows inside the city. Mr. Williamson indicated that the start-up cost would be approximately $8,000 to do this. It was the consensus of the Board of Council to refer this matter back to the Law, Labor and License Committee for further consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Mrs. Steller to refer the matter to the Law, Labor and License Committee of Council. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

VA Homes: Staff met with two construction companies to get a developer’s perspective of the VA Homes purchase. Both developers indicated that the real estate and lending markets would make it difficult for a developer to acquire and develop the property even if the city served only as a pass-through at $2.4 million. Staff also met with John Salyers of Senator Bunning’s office and John Stanton of Congressman Davis’ office on Friday, February 26. They suggested working with Senator Stine to try to find money to cover the cost of the utility work. The city is still waiting on the revised appraisal from the V.A. Once this is received, a letter of interest will be mailed to those people on the “list”.

Deer Census: The revised and final copy of the deer census has been provided to the city. The survey identified 205 deer within the city. The study indicates a detection rate of 86% in deciduous forests. Assuming this detection rate to be accurate, it could be assumed that there were 238 deer the night of the survey. Fort Thomas is 6.43 square miles in size. Accordingly, there were 32 deer per square mile the night of the survey. Studies indicate that a maximum density rate should be between 8 and 10 or even up to 20 deer per square mile. This census will serve as a benchmark and will likely have to be completed again after the “sunset” of the program to help determine if the program should be continued or eliminated. The deer census will be added to the website for public viewing.

New Business

Consideration of Proposal from Thelen regarding Rossford Park: CDS has recommended that the city have a geotechnical exploration and construction review of Rossford Park. Thelen and Associates has submitted a proposal in the amount of $15,770. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Mr. Doepker to accept the proposal from Thelen and Associates in the amount of $15,770. 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 carried by a unanimous vote.

Consideration of Bids for Repairs to the Historic Stone Tower: On February 19, 2010 the city received bids for repairs to the Historic Stone Tower in Tower Park. Initial estimates for repairs were upwards of $300,000. The lowest and best bid was received from HGC Construction in the amount of $167,419.00. The city will incur some additional costs associated with the removal of bird feces from the tower. We are currently awaiting proposals for this component of the project. A motion was made by Mr. Lampe and seconded by Ms. Kelly to accept the bid from HGC Construction in the amount of $167,419.00. 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 carried by a unanimous vote.

Finance Committee Report on Disbursements: The Finance Committee presented its Report of Disbursements and recommended the payment of warrants numbered 59695 through 59746 for the period of February 17 – March 1, 2010. A motion was made by Mrs. Steller and seconded by Mr. Doepker 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

Ordinance O-02-2010 was presented to council for a first reading. This ordinance relates to amending the policy and procedure manual for the police department. It will be laid over to the next meeting of council for consideration.

Ordinance O-03-2010 was presented to council for a first reading. This ordinance relates to apportioning the assessments for the improvements to Manor Lane, Audubon Place, Montvale Ct., Sweetbriar Ave., Woodland Pl., and Newman Avenue. It will be laid over to the next regular meeting of council for consideration.

Municipal Order MO-02-2010: A municipal order appointing Emily Melville as a employee of the Police Department was presented to council for consideration. A motion was made by Mr. Doepker and seconded by Mr. Lampe to approve Municipal Order MO-02-2010. The motion passed by a unanimous vote.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

APPROVED:

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Mary H. Brown, Mayor

ATTEST:

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Melissa K. Kelly, City Clerk