April 2015 Notes

April 27

Upsetting news is hitting Bay residents week after week. At the end of last week the first round of residents that will be required to reconnect their sewers have received notices, with the promise of an official letter to follow.

The upset comes because the repair cost is the homeowner’s responsibility. We are talking thousands of dollars. As one resident writes “The city is mandating a time frame from the time you're notified to complete the repairs. I believe that time frame is 12 months. If not completed by then they plan on charging you $50 per month until it is corrected. Again, the city sat on this for years and did nothing. Why don't homeowners have years to correct the city's mistakes?”

Additionally, a resident that had his basement waterproofed about 6 years ago was told he was in compliance by one of our inspectors. He had the permits, used a reputable and qualified contractor and had the final inspection all for naught.

Other residents are expressing the frustration that they have called the city multiple times and were given days they would be visited but no one has come out to visit.

April 28

Petulant. I tried to come up with a different word to describe the behavior at last night’s meeting but this word lingers. The meeting brought several residents from the Bruce, Douglas, Russell area that received the letters regarding sewer upgrades. Prior to the audience session of the meeting, during the Mayor’s announcements, harboring resentment, she spoke “I know you think I forgot about this” and proceeded to report on the $14 million that Cleveland Water distributed to competing cities for replacement of small broken pipes.

The first audience member to speak took that to heart. Hearing that council unanimously turned down the agreement, and thereby the money that she felt could have helped their neighborhood, she questioned it. Well, that money couldn’t have and probably wouldn’t have helped them, but the Mayor saw an opportunity to get sentiment on her side and ran with it. It was a jaw dropping moment for those of us that knew the backstory. You have a room with many that are attending their first meeting and through no fault of their own do not know what to believe. Hearing this added something else for them to be frustrated about. The audience questioned why council would just “table the matter” as the Mayor put it. They did not realize what work had gone into it and that it was not a simple or easy matter. When council intervened over the Mayor’s distortion and turned to Scott Thomas (Service Director) for clarity and a better explanation of the situation – let’s just say – the Mayor is his boss and he too supplied some non-answers to the question at hand.

The feeling was left dangling over these residents that they missed out on money. I left the meeting and made a point to talk to the woman that still couldn’t understand why council did that. I wanted her and the other residents to realize it was not entirely the way the Mayor portrayed it. I did not have any meeting notes with me or this quote from a Plain Dealer article “…agreement (with Cleveland Water) would provide a way to swap out 100-year-old pipes along Sunset Drive for modern plumbing, and allow Bay Village to apply twice a year for more cash to replace other antiquated pipes. Cleveland Water sweetened the deal with $1.2 million for the Sunset pipes.”

As I was leaving, the Mayor also came outside and found the group and began talking with them. I had to chuckle to myself this morning – who are they going to listen to? Some woman they don’t even know or the Mayor that told them what they wanted to hear?

Last night’s behavior was uncalled for and displayed a lack of integrity. I don’t always agree with Council, but I will say they certainly did not deserve that manipulation.

If you live in the area of Russell, Douglas and Bruce, the ordinance to repair the sewer has not passed yet. You still have time to learn and be heard. If you don’t live in that area, it is beneficial for you to follow what is happening. You may be faced with this issue someday.

April 29

In light of the confusion about Improvement Target Areas and the dye testing and sewer reconnection, one suggestion has been to obtain a copy of your property file. These are kept at the Safebuilt office at City Hall. You do not have to make a public records request for this. You can show up, but if they are busy you will have to go back. It might be a good idea to call ahead. Should you request it ask for everything in it. If you want copies, they are at your expense.

One resident had stated that her house was dye tested and was told it was fine, but has since received a notice that she had to comply with the sewer reconnection. This is just one example of why it is important to know what is in your file.

April 29

A few notes from the audience session at the 4/27 meeting: Ordinance Chapter 916 – Foundation Drain Disconnection.

The main body of the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. The City of Bay Village received a letter in 2009 from the EPA advising what needed to be done to come into compliance. A resident asked that this letter be posted on the City website. When residents asked why this had been sat on for years the Mayor stated they were working the improvements on the public right of ways according to EPA. She kept stating this was EPA mandated but did not ease the frustration for those that felt she waited too long to act on this for the residents behalf. They feel pressure to comply or be charged $50 a month if they don’t comply within a year of receiving notice. The fee will go into the City sewer fund. The Mayor said the money would go to help residents pay for compliance. I’m not sure how that would work. It was unclear if the EPA would fine the City.

Bay is under orders from the EPA to make significant progress in the Bruce-Russell-Douglas area by 2016.

The sewer improvement on private property was discussed at length during a Town Hall in November 2014.

One homeowner said they would prefer to see a letter from the EPA to the households.

The new ordinance would only apply to district 11. Different districts – different ordinances.

This ordinance calls for sump pumps to be installed. Several members of the audience expressed that sump pumps are a “horrible idea”.

Scott Thomas (Service Director) cited this work was recently done in Westlake and all went well.

Mr. Thomas said repairs should be in the vicinity of $1,500 to $2,000. While several in the audience expressed they had obtained estimates that were at least double and well over that amount. Their estimates did not even include sump pumps or re-landscaping. *There was also discussion about requiring residents to add a generator.

Some homeowners have only been in the house for a couple of years and felt that new homeowners should have been made aware of this when buying.

No, your home can not be grandfathered in.

A resident questioned if the City could get one plumber willing to give a discount to the group.

Several residents said they understood the need for compliance but wanted to continue the discussion as they have more questions and would like to have input.

Passing of 916 is currently on hold.