Council seeks project funding
By LARRY SHIELDSSALEM - City council moved two major public works projects foward by authorizing funding applications be submitted to the Ohio Public Works Commission for them on Tuesday.
The Utilities Commission received the OK to apply for money to help fund an alternate water main from the Salem reservoir to the city, a $5.2 million project that Utilities Superintendent Don Weingart pushed hard to get.
The application deadline at the OPCW is Sept. 26 and council passed the ordinance unanimously by emergency clause.
Weingart said the new line will bolster the current 57-year-old line by providing redundancy.
"We're looking at grants and we've been successful with zero-interest loans (too)," he said.
Councilman Earl A. Schory II asked Weingart, in consideration of a phosphorus removal problem and litigation, if he anticipated a rate increase.
Weingart said he didn't and explained he could switch revenues from the water side to the waste-water side. In response to another query from Schory, Weingart noted there hadn't been a rate increase since 1995.
Council also approved an OPWC grant or loan application and, in a separate ordinance the sale of bonds, for the East Pershing Street extension to Butcher Road.
That action was preceded by discussion centering on a traffic signal in front of the Marc's, Aldi's and Sport Connection plaza on East State Street.
That entrance, and more importantly the exit, has generated major safety concerns for vehicles making left turns from the plaza.
Councilman Clyde Brown has repeatedly hammered away on the safety issue and received some business backing at Tuesday's meeting.
The city administration said extending Pershing would also provide rear exit from the plaza thereby reducing chances of accidents at the shared entrance and exit in front.
But Brown, after questioning from Service Safety Director Steve Andres, insisted on a traffic light even when the Pershing extension is completed.
Diana Brown, from the Sport Connection, advised council that over 400 signatures requesting a trafficsignal at the plaza were collected on a petition at the business in two weeks.
She there were "a lot of problems there" adding, "it's a big safety issue." She cited the 35 mile per hour speed limit in front and a July accident that backed up traffic to Washingtonville along with other traffic tie-ups.
"People won't come in because during busy time they can't get out," she said, "we miss a lot of business. People come in and say they won't come because they can't get out unless they turn right." She said many of her customers are senior citizens.
Brown had copies of the petitions for council and said representatives from Marc's and Aldi's along with the plaza owner were supposed to attend the meeting but couldn't make it.
Councilman Dave Nestic said what Brown was providing was "very useful" adding input from the property owner and Giant Eagle would help.
He asked if there were discussions about a drive between Giant Eagle and the plaza and Brown said there were but was unsure how far they went.
Nestic said it was important to get the land owners involved. Brown acknowledged a back entrance and exit was a good thing, "but that doesn't solve the issue of going left back to Salem."
Schory asked if making it a right turn only would hurt business and Brown said it would explaining people say they come in when the also go to Wal-Mart and turn right to leave.
"They're OK if they turn right," she said.
Schory suggested verifying a study that was done last summer and later in the meeting, Andres, when pressed on the subject by Schory about whether it said a light was needed, said, "The report says traffic flow there...says it warrants a light."
He added the same could be said of McDonald's and other businesses.
"There are dangerous intersections in town, he said.
Schory asked if right turn only was a partial solution or even good public policy. Andres said it wasn't good policy, that it would probably help regarding safety but he couldn't provide an answer
without a trial.
Councilman Brown said if a light was installed, the city would get "thank yous." He said he was stuck trying to leave Marc's for 10 minutes not long ago.
"I think you're waiting for a very tragic accident to happen," Brown said, adding a rear entrance would help but it wouldn't alleviate the problem.
Andres said if a light was installed in the front of the plaza it would be the only one in Salem for a private enterprise and Brown suggested Andres attend senior citizen meetings.
Councilwoman Rita Joseph O'Leary, who said she at first approved the signal, now disagrees with it.
"Not at this point," she said, explaining that traffic cresting the hill during sunset or during a bad storm would have trouble seeing and could run into stopped traffic. She said she has talked with seniors and they don't want the city spending the estimated $60,000 for new signal.
Councilman Justin Palmer said he noticed traffic has increased "enormously" on the east side and Andres asked to wait and see what happens when the East Pershing Street extension is completed. That will not happen until next year and Brown again suggested Andres attend a senior citizen meeting.
"It comes up," Brown said, "believe me, it comes up."
In other business, the non-bargaining wage package was set to be discussed, but Palmer, the legislation's sponsor withdrew it because of concerns he had with the elimination of the Housing, Planning and Zoning secretary position.
He had the ordinance returned to the Finance Committee, which he chairs.
If passed, the ordinance will provide a 2.5 percent increase this year and next year and will be retro-active to July 1.
It also places the fire chief's pay on par with the police chief and will be effective "to the day he became chief," Palmer said, adding the increase for other employees puts them on equal footing with represented workers.
Also, in other business, visitor Dr. Michael Traina, spoke to council on behalf of Mayor Jerry Wolford's appointments noting Andres was a "wonderful" choice but wondered about Deputy Service/Safety Director Greg Oesch.
"I wonder what the reason is?" he asked, noting he still worked and was interested in doing the job, but council didn't want to pay him because it wanted to save money.
"Could the reason be the fire district?" Traina asked.
In May, with a 4-3 vote, city council stripped the funding for the deputy director of service/safety position from a wage ordinance.
After Wolford appointed Oesch as safety director, council merged the position with the service directors last February and Wolford then vetoed that.
Council overturned the veto and the administration created the new "deputy" position and swore Oesch back in the next day, a move that Councilman Earl A. Schory II called a "slap in the face" to the legislation.
Palmer introduced the ordinance to merge the positions and also introduced the wage ordinance to pay Oesch $704.57 a month ($8,455 annually) but council hasn't budged.
Traina questioned whether fire district politics was behind council's decision to not fund the position. Oesch, a former councilman, led the failed effort to combine the Salem Fire Department with the Volunteer Fire Department of Perry Township.
All the city council members approved the merger and the Quaker Community Fire District was formed, but a State Employment Relations Board ruled the city failed to bargain in good faith which led the demise of the district.
Since, all the council members at the time have either lost elections or decided not to seek re-election.
Traina said Andres was burdened and petitioned council to restore Oesch's position and money.
He said if the goal was to save money then council should vote itself a 50 percent pay cut so citizens would believe it.
Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net
