More progress reported on Schaeffler development
In his mayor’s report, Shane Gunnoe announced the latest developments on the Schaeffler project on the north end of Dover. Council had previously passed Emergency Ordinance 13-24 earlier this year.
“All parties have now signed the agreement, which makes a commitment from the Schaeffler Transmission Systems, the Tusc Port Authority and the City of Dover to the project as outlined in our public announcement in February,” Gunnoe said. “With that in mind, I request council pass as an emergency Ordinance 24-24, which authorizes the city to enter into the remaining final agreements necessary for this project.”
Council did just that later in the session. Emergency Ordinance 24-24 authorizes the mayor to enter into a cooperative agreement with Schaeffler Transmission Systems LLC and the Economic Development and Finance Alliance of Tuscarawas County and to authorize the mayor to accept and agree to a declaration of covenants and conditions relative to minimum service payment obligations and other matters, to be executed by Schaeffler Transmission Systems LLC, both in form as presently on file with such amendments and revisions approved by the city law director.
Council suspended the rules and passed Emergency Ordinance 27-24 to prohibit adult-use cannabis operators and retail dispensaries within the city of Dover and to declare an emergency, which means the ordinance goes into effect as soon as it is passed. Several members of Empower Tusc attended the meeting to observe the action.
An ordinance approving the final plat for the Crimson Cove Subdivision was read for a second time at the meeting, and council voted to hold the ordinance. A public hearing has been set for June 17.
Gunnoe gave updates on several other projects.
“Our building and zoning administrator reports that the Midway Lumber building on Tuscarawas Avenue next to the fairgrounds is expected to have demolition start this Thursday,” Gunnoe said. “We expect the project to take about a week. This project is funded through the county and the Ohio Department of Development demolition program.”
New switch gear at the light plant has been installed, and plans are for it to be energized on May 21.
“This $900,000 upgrade project was the most significant replacement of this year's shutdown,” Gunnoe said. “With the shutdown work complete, the plant will now undergo testing, and we expect it to be back online next week. This year's shutdown work continues to be on time and on budget.”
Resolution 11-24 was approved authorizing the distribution of bed tax money in the amount of $500 to the Tuscarawas County YMCA for a joint Latina celebration event.
The rules were suspended, and council passed Emergency Ordinance 23-24 authorizing additional funding for the resurfacing of the city park tennis courts in an amount not to exceed $6,650. The project was unable to be awarded prior to the passage of the ordinance.
“The bids came in pretty decent but a little bit higher,” Service Director Dave Douglas said. “Plus, we have some additional engineering on that because there were many cracks and we had to document that on the bid itself. So that's really what it was. After the bids came in, we noticed that we were short.”
In addition to giving some training accomplishments by members of the Dover police and fire departments, Safety Director Bob Everett made council aware of a story.
“We've all heard of the famous cat stuck in a tree call with the fire departments. Well, on May 13 the Dover Fire Department had a similar call, although there was a little bit of a twist to it,” Everett said.
Firefighters responded to the 700 block of North Tuscarawas Avenue.
“And apparently, there was a kitten stuck up under the engine compartment of a car, and no one could get to it. They could hear it, and the firemen had to do a little bit of work, but the crew was able to get the kitten free,” Everett said.
The kitten didn’t belong to the people who called, so the fire department members took it back to the station, where they put the gray and white kitten up for adoption on their Facebook page.
“Within 24 hours the kitten had a new home, and we're very thankful,” Everett said.
Jennifer Flaherty of Dover and her son Ryan attended the meeting to show council the new communication board that will soon be placed in Dover City Park. The communication board features photos of the park and symbols, letters and words to help nonverbal individuals communicate their needs.
The board was designed by students at Buckeye Career Center. It was sponsored by the Ruth Carlson Starlight Foundation, Buckeye Career Center and Tuscarawas County Challenger Baseball.
Jennifer Flaherty said the faces on the board for happy, sick, hurt or sad are the same ones used in hospitals and should be familiar to children.
“Other symbols came from the program called Lamp. It is on devices for children that do not communicate, so they should be familiar with these symbols,” Jennifer Flaherty said. “And then we went and actually took pictures of the Dover Park of some of the things that they might want to play on.”
A dedication event also is being planned for the communication board at the park.
Residents were reminded of the upcoming Canal Dover Festival, which runs May 24-26 in downtown Dover.
The schedule of the concert series at Deis Hill was released. The schedule is as follows: Dover jazz and steel drum bands on May 30, The Hitmen (classic rock) on June 6, Dominic Greco Band on June 20, Yankee Bravo (folk and country) on July 11, Jericho Big Band on July 25, and Ron Retzer Ensemble on Aug. 8. The series is a production of the Dover Lions Club.
Council went into executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss land acquisition.
The next Dover Council meeting will be held Monday, June 3 in council chambers, 121 E. Second St., Dover.
