Minutes:
Mayor Louis Sanderscalled theApril 24,2025, Village of Attica Council regularmeeting to order at 7:30PM.
Roll Call:Owen Best, Nicole Lenhart,Jim Gray,Keith Hopple, Kirk Stanfield
Others Present:Administrator Shock,Maintenance Supervisor Scott,Bob Bores – RA Bores, Heather Niedermeier – Solicitor
Absent:Ed Beamer
Approval of Warrants:Motion by Councilman Best to approve the warrants for payment, seconded by Councilwoman Lenhart. Vote: 5-0 Motion carried.
Approval of Minutes:Motion by Councilman Bestto approve 4/10/25 minutes, seconded by Councilwoman Lenhart. Vote: 5-0, Motion carried.
Written & Oral Communication:
Bob Bores of RA Bores, Contractor of the Village, inquired about outstanding invoices with the Village regarding isolation valves installed due to concerns of the impact on the town’swatermaincaused by the train derailment. Fiscal Officer Phillips explained Council was awaiting N&S’s response to pay RA Bores directly for the work. Fiscal Officer Phillips polled the Council on any objections to paying RA Bores at this time, in hopes of remaining in good relations with RA Bores,due to the lack of accountable response from N&S. Council had no objection.
Public Safety: Supervisor Scott brought to the attention of Council his concerns regarding the soil testing for ethanol contamination, he also noted as ethanol breaks down it becomesmethane, both of which would deteriorate the gaskets and seals on the town’s watermain and threaten the saftey of Attica’s water supply. Councilman Best noted Dylan, from Makeever, is spearheading the survey to re-route the water line along with the core sampling of soil containment in and near the wreck site.
Streets & Properties:Administrator Shock provided an update of the street repairs needed from the train derailment, noting N&S would like to inspect the requested repairs further. SolicitorNiedermeiersuggested many of the residents can attest to the state of the streets after the derailment, noting the roads were drivable before, to which, they are not now.
Parks:None
Trees:None
Fire:Councilwoman Lenhart provided fire and rescue call numbers for the month of March noting 20 total calls with 9 being within the Village. She also noted a total of 5 fire hydrants within the village have been found to be inoperable. Fiscal Officer Phillips will begin looking into potential grant opportunities to replace the non-working hydrants.
EMS:None
Cemetery:None
Personnel:Councilman Gray noted seasonal contract operator Mike Heacock’s last day will be May 5th. Village Water Operator Rosemark suggested posting an opening for a part-time class II or higher. Council agreed to post the opening, up to $45/hr.
Zoning Commission:Administrator Shock provided an application to transfer a liquor license for the new store opening on the north end of town. Councilman Best made motion to approve the transfer; Councilman Hopple seconded the motion. Vote 5-0, motion carried.
Supervisor Scott requested the Council to establish an address for parcel #O50-00-082128-00-00. Councilman Hopple made motion to address the property as 109 Eden St. Attica OH 44807. CouncilmanBest seconded the motion. Vote 4-1 with Councilwoman Lenhart opposed.
Finance and rule:Cash balance: $1.2 MAll funds inclusive ofreserved or restricted funds.
Water & Sewer:Councilman Best provided updates on the NORW regionalization project, noting all treatment would be handled by NORW before water comes into the Village. He also confirmed a maintenance and operation agreement would be in place so NORW would maintain and operate that distribution line so no additional cost on the line connecting the Village and NORW would be incurred by the Village.Lastly noted was the need to address the EPA violation regarding the water towerinspection. Councilman Best provided an updated quote for the inspection. Councilwoman Lenhart made motion to accept quote, Councilman Gray seconded the motion vote 5-0, motion carried.
Village Website & IT:None
Unfinished, Old Business and New Business:
Administrator Shock provided information on a 1996 International plow/dump truck for sale by Ripley Township for $19,999. He noted the current Village plow/dump truck is in dis-repair, expedited by the usage of it by N&S during the initial clean up of the train derailment. Supervisor Scott and Admin Shock test drove and inspected the vehicle noting it is in good condition. Fiscal Officer Phillips inquired if the truck would fit on the side streets and alleys to help plowing, Supervisor Scott said the truck would be too big to do that, but the Skid Steer would be able to do those areas with this truck handling the larger areas. Councilman Best shared his concern with the amount of recent investment the Village has made between mini-excavator, skid steer, and vehicles and asked if this purchase needed to happen at this time. Supervisor Scott suggested this is a good deal within the local area that is available right now, and the current plow truck and other Village vehicles are incapable of picking up the snow plowing slacknext winter, also noting this truck would allow the Village to have road salting abilities again.Councilman Hopple made motion to approve purchase, Councilman Gray seconded the motion, vote 5-0, motion carried.
Supervisor Scott inquired with Council on how to address led lines in the future, notably when the team is working in the field and finds a led line, they are required to cut that water line off and discard the meter. Residents that are affected are left, sometimes at inconvenient times, without water and forced to replace their portion of the line from the meter into their home. Supervisor Scott suggested offering a solution to the residents to provide this service if we could determine the cost to do so. Council discussed various options such as competitive rates in the marketplace, as well as being able to offer a payment plan for residents. Fiscal Officer Phillips suggested establishing a model to chargeat cost, with leaving the option to Council on whether or not to add a fixed percentage fee on top. Supervisor Scott felt confident he would be able to quote jobs on a case-by-case basis within this model. Fiscal Officer Phillips also suggested reaching out to neighboring communities to see how they handle this scenario.
Fiscal Officer Phillips inquired on the status of the roof repairs needed at Village Hall. Administrator Shock noted he would start to gather quotes and estimates. Fiscal Officer Phillips suggested refinancing the mortgage on the Village Hall to accomplish a few items, such as using equity to pay for the roof as well as lowering our interest rate, which is currently at 8.5%. Councilman Stanfield asked what the balance of the mortgage is, Fiscal Officer noted $85K as the current balance. Fiscal Officer Phillips will look into interest rate quotes and potential options available to the Village.
Lastly, Mayor Sanders established a new committee to address the needs and concerns of the train derailment to work in conjunction with Special Council Matt Dooley. Mayor Sanders appointed himself, Councilwoman Lenhart, Councilman Gray, and Fiscal Officer Phillips to the committee.
Next meeting:Regular meeting on Thursday,May 8that 7:30PM.
Motion byCouncilman Best, seconded byCouncilwoman Lenhartto adjourn the meeting. Time: 9:18 PM. Vote: 5-0, Motion carried.
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Mayor Louis Sanders- Fiscal Officer Isaac Phillips
