Minutes - Oakwood City Council Work Session

The Council of the city of Oakwood, Ohio, met in a work session on Monday, August 16, 2021 in the second-floor training room at the city building, 30 Park Avenue. The Mayor of the City, William Duncan, presided.

Council members in attendance were Mayor William Duncan, Vice Mayor Steve Byington, Councilmember Rob Stephens, Councilmember Anne Hilton and Councilmember Leigh Turben. Staff in attendance were City Manager Norbert Klopsch and City Attorney Rob Jacques. Also attending the first agenda item of the meeting were Public Safety Director Alan Hill and Detective Kasey Ballinger.

Mayor Duncan called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. He began by commenting on the recent passing of his father, Mr. Ronald Duncan, at the age of 90. Thereafter, Mayor Duncan asked Mr. Klopsch to comment on the recent burglary in Oakwood and Kettering. Mr. Klopsch asked Public Safety Director Alan Hill and Detective Kasey Ballinger to describe the incident. Chief Hill provided an introduction to the incident and then asked Detective Ballinger to provide details of the events of Saturday, August 7, 2021 where two young adults ages 19 and 18 burglarized Oakwood and Kettering homes. The burglars were armed, and in the Kettering event temporarily held juvenile hostages. Through a series of events, the gentlemen were quickly identified as residents of Lewisburg, Ohio and in less than 24 hours were arrested. Mr. Klopsch and Mayor Duncan commended the Safety Department for their excellent work on this case.

At 5:30 p.m., Council moved to executive session for property matters and personnel matters. Chief Hill and Detective Ballinger departed the meeting.

At 6:00 p.m., Council concluded the executive session and moved back to work session.

Mayor Duncan continued the work session by discussing the following items:

COUNCIL COMMITTEES
- Planning & Zoning, Vice Mayor Byington
  - Zoning Certificate Extensions: Mr. Jacques explained that Mr. John Gray, the property owner of 1911 Ridgeway Road, is interested in constructing a workshop structure, also known as a “bottega”, on his property. Mr. Gray was previously approved to build the structure in 1998 and then again in 2006, but the project was never completed. The Zoning Code has changed since the project was originally approved. There is no height variance available under the current code. However, if Council is inclined to authorize the project, Section 1009.1(G) of the Zoning Code allows Council to approve an extension of the original zoning certificate, effectively grandfathering the approvals from 1998 and 2006 via a resolution. Staff will present legislation for Council’s consideration at the September 20 public meeting.
- Public Properties, Mrs. Turben
  - Gardner Pool: Mr. Klopsch commented on the capital improvement planned for the 2022 budget. It will include the complete replacement of the concrete pool deck and portions of the brick wall, along with replacement of the diving boards and lifeguard stands. The project will likely also include upgrades to the pool filtration system.
  - Dog Park Parking Lot: Mr. Klopsch reviewed conceptual drawings for an improved parking lot at the dog park. This project will be submitted with the 2022 capital budget request, and will include security cameras.