Mayor Duncan asked if there were any suggested edits to the September 10, 2024 meeting minutes. There being no edits, Mayor Duncan asked for a motion to approve those minutes. Motion to approve by Mr. Boose; second by Mr. Risley. Upon viva voce vote, motion passed and the minutes were approved.

Mayor Duncan announced that Mr. Klopsch is being presented the Wick Wright Award by the National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA) at the Air Force Museum on Tuesday, November 12. He is receiving this award as a result of his work relating to the opening of Hawthorn Hill to the public and his assistance with the planning and conduct of the Joby Aviation event held at Hawthorn Hill last fall.

Mayor Duncan invited Mr. Klopsch to make opening comments and then deliver the meeting presentation.

Mr. Klopsch shared that he and former Mayor Judy Cook managed the approval process for Hawthorn Hill becoming part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and transitioning from a tightly controlled and closed facility owned by NCR Corporation to a facility open to the general public. Last fall, Joby Aviation joined Governor Mike DeWine and many other state and regional leaders at Hawthorn Hill to announce plans for Joby to build an electric aircraft manufacturing facility in Dayton. Oakwood’s cooperation and assistance in the planning and conduct of the event was a major factor in Mr. Klopsch receiving the award.

Mr. Klopsch mentioned that the proposed 2025 capital improvements were presented at the September 10 meeting. City staff prepared a 2025 budget that shows end of the year balances slightly ahead of beginning year. This is due to budgeting conservatively and is done without raising any income or property taxes. The refuse and water fee changes introduced at the September meeting will be discussed later in the meeting.

Mr. Klopsch discussed the following:

• ➢ Far Hills Storm Sewer Replacement: The construction and restoration work is completed and is a major improvement to the storm sewer system. He thanked City Engineer Chris Kuzma for all of his efforts with the project, particularly the manner in which he continuously communicated with property owners impacted by the year-long project.
• ➢ Far Hills Roadway Resurfacing: The work on the Far Hills Avenue resurfacing project is completed. The project was expected to take about three weeks to complete, but due to complications, it actually took about 10 weeks. City staff is confident that the quality of the pavement is what it should be.
• ➢ Concrete Pavement, Sidewalk, Curb & Driveway Apron Repairs: Concrete roadway repairs are underway on Raleigh Road, Devereux Drive, Ashridge Road and Woodstock Drive. Once completed, the roadways should be in good shape for 20 or more years.
• ➢ Oakwood Public Facilities: With the construction of the new Public Works Facility in 2000 and reconstruction and addition to the Safety/City Building in 2004, these two primary Oakwood public facilities will be in good shape for many decades. With recent improvements to Gardner Pool and continuous improvements to the Oakwood Community Center (OCC), that facility will also be in good shape for many years to come.
• ➢ Commercial Development: There currently remain three locations available in Oakwood for major commercial development. The 2600 Far Hills building owned by Kettering Health Network, an undeveloped area near the entrance to Lane Stadium, and the open land between the west entrance to Sugar Camp and the Jewish cemetery.
• ➢ Property Maintenance: Enforcing property maintenance is more challenging today than it was 10+ years ago. There is a growing interest in native gardens and natural landscaping.