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Members of the St. Bernard City Council met on Thursday, August 16. Bill Burkhardt was President of Council Pro Tem in the absence of Curtis Walden. Mayor John Estep thanked everyone for excusing him from the last COW meeting. He had heart surgery at Christ Hospital. He also thanked those who sent him cards and said prayers during this time. Saturday night is Family Movie Night. The pool will be open late that day as part of the fun.

Mayor Estep pointed out a scale model made by Norm Miller of his design idea for Bertus Street Park. If Council approves the design, then the City can go out for bids. Mayor Estep thought it would be a good idea to send a Service Department employee to attend classes/seminars about landscaping care to learn how to take care of the plants and trees that are in the parks.

Walter St. Clair said he handed out his reports to Council and Administration that show the various accounts of the City. There is a report available that shows the accounts for hall rentals, swimming pool, investment accounts, Holiday Activity account and more. Mr. St. Clair spoke about two ordinances on the agenda. The first provides for the Auditor to adjust certain appropriations, the second one allows the City to put a special assessment on the properties when they have to clean up weeds and grass, etc.

Edward Geiser spoke about a resolution on the agenda. It will allow the Service Director to apply for grant money from the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management for recycling programs. Mr. Geiser spoke about the ordinance to allow for a fence to be built on City property at the corner of East Ross and Chalet Drive. This agreement will run with the land, if the property is sold, the agreement is canceled. (The fence is to block the view of the burial vaults and will be used along with some landscaping.) Mr. Geiser asked to have House Bill 154 put on the COW agenda. This is a law that will try to eliminate Mayor’s Courts. He would like so see a resolution drafted to protect Mayor’s Courts. Mr. Geiser also asked for an executive session to discuss potential litigation.

Jonathan Stuchell provided the Fire Department report for July. The department received a grant from the United States Department of Homeland Security’s FY 2007 Assistance to Firefighters Act Grant, first round amount of $35,238.60. The money will be used to purchase communication and accountability equipment. The Fire Department also was able to get a grant for $3,500 from the Ohio Department of Emergency Medical Services to purchase ambulance equipment. September is National Preparedness Month. This is an effort to encourage families to take simple steps for emergencies in the home, businesses and schools. Throughout next month, Mr. Stuchell will highlight the importance of emergency preparedness. Mr. Stuchell asked all elected or appointed officials if they wanted to attend the Hamilton County Fire Chiefs’ Association meeting, in conjunction with the Ohio Fire Academy, the event/seminar of “Smoke Showing” on September 29. The program is designed to orient people in training, apparatus and the equipment used by firefighters.

Joe Kempe stated that Dave Fossaluza attended a meeting in Hamilton County regarding the Emerald Ash Borer. The adult borer eats the tree foliage and the insect eats the tree itself. Most of the devastation in the United States has been in Michigan. Hamilton County is under quarantine. The infested ash trees must not leave the county. The City is intending to send out information to educate residents about the Emerald Ash Borer. Call 1-888-Ohio-EAB to find out more details. Work on the paving of Vine Street is almost finished. They need to add the striping. The work included a temporary repair of the drive lanes on Vine Street.

Greg Zix said the Finance Committee recommended the passage of one resolution and two ordinances. He handed Council a hard copy of the budget tool.

Bill Burkhardt gave the Police Department report for July. School starts August 20. Be careful driving during school hours, watch for children crossing the street and for school crossing guards.

Steve Asbach in his Public Improvements Committee report noted that Mr. Miller had built a scale model of his ideas for Bertus Street Park. The model will be located at 4604 Vine Street (across from LaRosa’s) so people can view it. Once a person has looked at the model, then feel free to leave a comment in the box.

Peggy Brickweg spoke about the I-75 Aesthetics Committee meeting she attended. They discussed the options available in the I-75 Corridor from the Western Hiills Viaduct to I-275. Their goal is to come to an agreement for the aesthetics of the highway improvement and to keep the transitions the same between the different communities. The group looked at options for bridges and noise walls. The City will get noise walls on the east side of the highway. They may add seals to identify a community on the wall. Ms. Brickweg is looking into finding out the costs of putting the seal on the other side of the wall, facing Vine Street. Highway lighting, landscaping around interchanges and possible rain gardens also were talked about. They looked at a rendering of what they may place on the retaining walls in Lockland. The group proposed decorating the retaining walls with raised concrete forms of the Miami-Erie Canal. There may possibly be a boat in the canal being pulled by two horses. The seals on the walls must be simple in order not to distract drivers.

Ms. Brickweg gave Patty Hausfeld’s report as she had recently had surgery. The Laws and Contracts Committee will meet next Wednesday (August 22) at 6:00 pm, the CIC will meet the same day at 7:00 pm. They will go over changes in the tax ordinance at the Law Committee meeting.

Under Old Business, Mr. Asbach announced a CIC meeting for August 22 at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers. They will discuss 618 Ross at the next COW meeting.

Under New Business, Mr. Asbach made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss potential litigation after the meeting, Council approved the motion.

Ms. Brickweg explained her absence at some upcoming Council meetings. She broke her artificial knee and some of the parts have come loose. She will have surgery on September 5. She will do her best to attend meetings as she can and keep up with her Ward 2 citizens. While she is recuperating at home, she said she welcomes anyone to stop by her home or call her to keep her informed.

At the end of the meeting Norm Miller spoke about his scale model of his presentation of Bertus Street Park. He welcomes comments. The model shows the three-tier fountain, landscaping, walls, iron railings and trees. The gazebo is able to be used as a bandstand. There will be a memorial to Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War veterans. Everyone at the meeting agreed that Mr. Miller did a great job on his model. Ms. Brickweg and others would like to see what Mr. Miller could come up with Vine Street.

A lady offered the idea to sell bricks at the park to help defray costs of the park development. The citizens could purchase bricks and have their families’ name put on them.

After excusing absent members (Schildmeyer and Meier), Council went into executive session and then adjourned. The next COW meeting will be August 30 at 7:30 pm.

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