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.
