Carrollton council approves land interest, extends free parking

Carrollton Village Council discussed its opportunity to preserve more land and the status of parking meters at its Feb. 9 meeting.

Council also voted to authorize a letter of interest and agreement related to a Western Reserve Land Conservancy project involving roughly 46 acres behind Centerville. Officials said the land would be transferred to Western Reserve first, and the village would have up to five years to purchase it.

The discussion included an estimate of about $3,825 in closing costs if the village proceeds, with additional details to be reviewed later, including deed restrictions.

“Aside from the closing costs, which isn’t very much, this will happen the same way as the land behind Mercy Medical in Carrollton,” said Mayor Bill Stoneman. “We can take our time with this, but tonight we need to vote that we are interested. It would be nice to add some walking trails through there eventually.”

In an unrelated matter, council also discussed the status of downtown parking meters, which have been bagged to allow free parking during winter weather. Officials said the meters were initially covered due to cold conditions and difficulty maintaining aging equipment, noting that replacement parts are increasingly hard to obtain.

“We are already at that point,” said Kiehl when asked about the difficulty in finding replacement parts.

Several council members and Stoneman said the temporary change appears to be working well, with no complaints reported, and discussed extending the free-parking period beyond winter to evaluate whether meters are still necessary.

Brittany Tangler made a motion to leave the meters bagged through July 5, which was approved.

Council agreed to revisit the issue later this year to determine whether the meters should remain, be repaired or be removed entirely.

In other business, council:

—HEARD the Kimball contract has been finalized and the availability of the larger 95-gallon trash can tote will occur in April. A flyer will be sent to customers with a phone number to request the size change.

—APPROVED giving the Civic Club permission to hold a Fourth of July parade as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, with the understanding that organizers will provide appropriate insurance and coordinate safety measures such as traffic control.

—APPROVED two recommendations from the planning commission: a proposed split of the parking-lot property at 283 Second St. (Lot 101) into two tracts to allow flexibility for a future sale, depending on whether it is purchased as a whole or in parts; and a request to replat the former Rite Aid property by combining multiple lots into one parcel. Tom Konst of the Village Planning Commission said the zoning would remain unchanged and the goal is to consolidate the property for tax and recordkeeping purposes.

—PAID the bills of $179,656.17 in vendors, $57,078.94 in payroll and payment of bills without prior certification, $345.94.

—ENTERED executive session for the purpose of considering the purchase of property at 7:29 p.m. There was no action taken following the session.