WHEREAS, on November 3, 2009, Rob Stephens was elected by the citizens of Oakwood to serve on the City Council, the governing body of our fine city; and
WHEREAS, on January 4, 2010, Rob Stephens was sworn into office; and
WHEREAS, during his 16 years in elected office, Rob Stephens served Oakwood with distinction as he worked to preserve the wonderful attributes of our city and always looked for ways in which we could improve; and
WHEREAS, during Rob’s 16 years on the City Council, he served as the Council’s liaison to the Miami Valley Communications Council and the Beautification Committee, and as chair of the Council committees for Safety and Traffic and Streets and Alleys; and
WHEREAS, during Rob’s 16 years of active and consistent involvement on Council, the City of Oakwood completed the following significant projects:
- Approved the Oakwood Athletics & Recreation Master Plan;
- Constructed and dedicated the Creager Field Dog Park;
- Purchased the parking lot on Orchard Drive behind the Oakwood Club;
- Approved opening of the Grace Learning Academy at St. Paul’s Church;
- Signed a reciprocal lease with UD for use of Old River fields and tennis courts;
- Installed decorative streetlights in the Far Hills Business District;
- Addressed the financial issues caused by the removal of the Ohio estate tax;
- Aided in the creation of the Oakwood Farmers’ Market;
- Approved the construction of the Routsong Retail Center;
- Approved the opening of the Top of the Hill Preschool at Lutheran Church of Our Savior;
- Completed the Far Hills Business District Street Tree Replacement Project;
- Partnered with Oakwood City Schools on building Lane Stadium;
- Accepted donation of the Virginia Hollinger tennis facility;
- Resolved a property use dispute leading to the construction of 84 condominiums at Pointe Oakwood;
- Approved business office uses at Sugar Camp;
- Approved multiple amendments to the Pointe Oakwood development master plan;
- Approved the construction of the Russell Total Wealth and Wellness office building at Sugar Camp;
- Built and dedicated Cook Park at the corner of Oakwood Avenue and Schenck Avenue;
- Completed the Shroyer Road Reconstruction project, including a “road diet;”
- Reconstructed the Shafor Park tennis facility in partnership with Oakwood City Schools;
- Constructed the Oakwood Community Center (OCC) parking lot;
- Oversaw CenterPoint’s multi-year project to rebuild the natural gas distribution infrastructure system;
- Established the Oakwood Citizen Police Academy;
- Coordinated the installation of a drop-off box for the safe and proper disposal of prescription drugs.
- Established the “Assisting and Contributing to Oakwood Resident Needs” (ACORN) Program;
- Implemented the online registration system at the OCC;
- Constructed the Recycling and Yard Waste Drop-off Facility;
- Converted an Orchardly Park tennis court into two pickleball courts;
- Updated the parking lot at Creager Field Dog Park;
- Completed major upgrades at Gardner Pool, including replacing the concrete deck and pool liner;
- Completed a comprehensive study of the traffic signal system;
- Analyzed and considered building a roundabout at the Five Points intersection;
- Appointed Katie Smiddy as the City’s sixth City Manager, after a thorough selection process, and
WHEREAS, throughout his 16 years of service, Rob consistently based his public policy decisions on what was best for the community, while also heavily considering the impact of those decisions on individual Oakwood citizens, businesses, and neighborhoods; and