ACP visit tonight, 7 pm in Bryan Center.

Dear People: Tonight we will have the opportunity to meet, hear from, and ask questions of ACP, a group based in Columbus, Ohio, with vast, nationwide experience doing visioning work with communities. I hope that many of you will turn out to hear their presentation. 7 pm in the Bryan Center.

I will also be in the Emporium for lunch/office hours from 12-1.

MON: Visioning Interview #1: Regenesis/KKG 7 pm, Bryan Ctr.

<--pic is from one of my favorite blogs, jafabrit's art

Dear People: I have been scrambling to get caught up after being out of town on a much needed spring break trip to see two old friends from grad school. So somehow I didn't even manage an email/blog update last week. Nevertheless, I was very pleased with the turn out at our meeting this past Monday where we discussed the budget and had our first vote on it. (Since it's an ordinance, we'll vote a second time at our next meeting on April 6).

The main thing I want to remind you of is our special meeting on Monday, 23 March, a public interview with Regenesis/KKG, at 7 pm in the Bryan Center. Their websites are here (Regenesis) and here (KKG). Regenesis gave a sample "charette" to a fairly large group of interested villagers last year in which they explained their "story of place" approach to working with communities; they would for the first time be working with the more local group, KKG associates, who are urban planners/architects from Cincinnati.

We'll then do the same thing with the second visioning candidate, ACP of Columbus, a firm with a long history of doing visioning work in the state and around the nation, NEXT Monday 30 March, 7 pm in the Bryan Center.

The format of both meetings should be identical: if I recall correctly, both have been asked to do a brief presentation of their proposed Visioning process, followed by Q&A. The Visioning subcommittee has created a list of specific questions that they plan to ask at the meeting, and Council will also have a chance to weigh in with questions about their work, approach, experience, and plans for us. Since this is being envisioned as a process for both village and the Miami township, Township representatives will also likely be present and engaged.

Villagers will also be encouraged to ask questions and engage with both groups, and your feedback, and experiences interacting with them will be vital for informing our decision on this process. Please plan to attend! We need variety of villagers--young, old, new and longer-term, all backgrounds, incomes and ethnicities, to give us the best sense of how to proceed.

VC: Budgets, Cell Tower, ESTF, Pool Fees

<--my dogs on a walk after that last storm. (And, um, yeah, my thumb...)

Dear People: I attended Eric Siemer's beautiful memorial service yesterday. It was a good reminder of how important it is that we appreciate life and the people around us, while we are here for our short, short stints on this crazy, beautiful, fragile, resilient planet. Even when that's hard to do, for all kinds of reasons... Including things like our Budget meetings this past week, and our village Council meeting this week (Mon 3/2, 7 pm, Bryan Ctr) , and all the other busy-ness of life. ...

I'll be in the Emporium from 12-1 tomorrow if you want to chat!

BUDGET MEETINGS REDUX: We had the final two major budget hearings last week, with yesterday's overall review of the budget lasting from 9:30-about 1 pm.
Mark Cundiff and Sharon Potter have done a simply phenomenal job for us; please thank them for their hard work and attentitiveness to detail. Although our operating income, from tax revenues, is projected to be smaller than last year, by about $300,000, Staff will be presenting a budget at our March 16th meeting for our vote that features the following:

• An across-the-board pay increase for all non-salaried employees of 3% with no staff reductions (Per unanimous Council vote).
  
• $100,000 for the green space fund drawn from estate taxes (Per a Council vote yesterday of 4-1).
  
• $50,000 for energy efficiency improvements to village properties as recommended by the ESTF Phase II report (these improvements, we believe, will eventually pay for themselves). Per Council vote yesterday (I think it was unanimous, but am not 100% sure).
• $50,000 for Visioning/Planning (as voted on earlier this year)
  
• Maintains our commitment to use the levy fees for street improvements, the pool, etc. Kathryn Van Der Heiden expressed concerns about the library being not sufficiently attended to--she will be bringing a proposed amount for library improvements to be included in this budget to our mid-March meeting
• Capital allocations for all major projects like improvements to our waste-water plant and a related rate study, sidewalk improvements, the Northern Gateway and CBE projects, etc., and various prudent staff requests that should help them better serve your needs (e.g., new equipment, office equipment, etc.)
• We did vote to allocate funds but to delay the purchasing of security cameras for some village properties until we've had a public discussion of this issue.
  
• YET STILL should increase our general fund reserve, currently at $1.65 million, by about 7%, to over 1.7 million which is still at or over 50% of our operating expenses for the year, giving us more than a 6-month cushion in case of catastrophe. This does not make us rich--and doesn't mean that a levy renewal might not be in order as this one phases out--but we are not at this point in the serious financial crisis/bankrupt situation that many Ohio and US communities are in.
  

I do want to clarify a couple of things that came up in our meeting yesterday. One resident suggested that our "unencumbered balance" or "reserve" cited in this year's budget--currently at almost $1.65 million--is not really "free" but is allocated for capital projects. This is not true: the unencumbered balance is just that: unallocated, not appropriated for any use at this time it does NOT include things like the Green Space fund balance or money that we've said we're going to spend on big projects but haven't actually spent yet.

And it should also be clear that that is just the general fund balance. Only one of our "enterprise" fund balances--water, sewer, electric, solid waste, etc.; the funds that depend on rate-payer support--is currently operating at a small loss. (That's our solid waste budget--which we will need to address). They all have some level of "reserve" balance, including solid waste, and the others all seem to be doing reasonably well, although we'll be having rate studies for several of these areas this year.

(Additionally, we are hoping to get some federal stimulus package monies for a few of our "shovel ready" projects--particularly the WWTP. Mark, once again, has done a tremendous job of applying for those grant monies in a timely fashion.)

Obviously, these are very uncertain days. But I have emerged from these meetings feeling that, while we are not "rich" and must remain vigilant about spending, we are in a position to be reasonably proactive about our future, as opposed to simply hunkered down in a survival posture--which can feel "prudent" but can be extremely detrimental in the long run.

That's why I've supported the small additional appropriations for the green space fund (which represent a commitment to our identity as small, vibrant community with a clear village center, and, when expended for worthwhile projects, can bring federal and other matching grants into our area) and for energy efficiency for our buildings.

If you agree with this stance, the priorities represented in this budget, letters to Council thanking us, and staff, for making these commitments and urging us to stand firm on them, would be welcome, because there is so much fear and some misinformation out there. (Questions, constructive critique, concerns, of course, are also welcome.)

VC on MONDAY: On our agenda are the following:

• No legislation
• SPECIAL REPORT from VILLAGE SOLICITOR re: how to understand the issue of "Conflict of Interest" in a small village, and his advice on Guidelines for the Bryan Center with respect to religious/spiritual organizations

OLD BUSINESS:

• "New" ESTF: Next Steps: The ESTF-Phase II report suggests working to improve our energy efficiency and create energy-related jobs in the village. We'll be discussing how to move forward.
• Verizon "Flag Pole" Tower: Selecting a site. We have pictures of similar towers. The two places under consideration are next to the skate park and near the Bryan Center building.
• 2009 Goals Kathryn Van Der Heiden and I have been working on streamlining our goals over the last month...it's still a little messy.
  
• Visioning/Planning Update we have narrowed the field of contractors and have tasked the Visioning Task Force with helping us move forward with interviews, etc.

There's no NEW BUSINESS, but in the MANAGER'S REPORT are the following:

• An excellent plan for Gaunt Park Pool fees--small changes in daily fees ($.25 to make even $ figures: $4 for youth 4-18; $5 for adults, with a proposal for seniors, over 62, to pay youth fees). Season pass fees would not change, and grandparents taking care of children for the summer could buy season passes at resident rates.
• Employee compensation report: confirms that a 3% hike is reasonable.

Finally, we will be going into executive session with our village solicitor regarding pending litigation.

HEADS UP: The MARCH 16th meeting will be molto importante because we'll be approving the budget. If you can come to that meeting or write a letter to Council about your views on the budget before that meeting, I will be most grateful. The more villagers make it clear where your priorities are, the better we can represent you.

Enjoy the sun, love each other, pet a dog, ponder a cat. Be strong.

Peace--
Lori

Goals, Visioning, Cell Tower, Household Hazardous Waste Disposal

Dear People: Happy Valentine's Day weekend, villagers. At the end of this note is a little green valentine.

Another busy week ahead for Village Council, starting with our meeting on Tuesday evening (2/16), 7 pm. (Note changed night due to the Presidents' Day holiday). I must apologize that I wasn't in my office hours last week. (I had to meet with students and help with an interview at Wittenberg.) But I will be in the Emporium on Monday from 12-1.

Big things on this agenda!

LEGISLATION:

• RESOLUTIONS: Nature Works Grant, Glen Helen. There are two resolutions related to an exciting project of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute designed to increase wheelchair access, and improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency at the Trailside Museum in Glen Helen. GHEI is applying for a grant from the State of Ohio Nature Works program (part of the Ohio Dept of Natural Resources), but the grant application needs to be officially made by a municipality.
  

SPECIAL REPORT:

The YS Chamber of Commerce files its annual report with us.

OLD BUSINESS:

• 2009 Council Goals: I have attached what should be regarded as a tentative draft of the goals for the council (document entitled CouncilGOALS09Redux.doc). Kathryn Van der Heiden and I compiled them, and, of my own accord, I have tentatively labeled the items as "broadly shared" goals and ones that will require discussion to even get started. Other Council members need to weigh in on whether they agree that these are all the ideas we've thrown out there, and with my designation of the goals as either shared or to be discussed. I welcome your reactions, thoughts.
• Verizon Cell Tower Site: We were contacted well over a year ago about locating another cell phone tower on village property to better serve the downtown area and the Glen. Mark has communicated at length with Verizon about village needs and concerns. They have four possible sites for us to discuss.
• Budget/Levy/General Fund "Reserve" Balance: Mark has also provided us with a copy of the original flyer created for the last levy that designated how the monies would be spent, and also information from neighboring municipalities as to their policies regarding how much "cushion" they strive to keep in their general fund.

NEW BUSINESS:

• Visioning/Planning: The Visioning Task Force has selected 4 proposals of the 27 firms that originally submitted responses to our RFP. We will be hearing from the task force and discussing these final proposals, possibly moving toward interviews. The four finalists are:
  
• ACP visioning + planning (Columbus, OH)
• Bird Houk Collaborative: Architecture, Planning, Urban Design, Economics (Gahanna, OH) with marketing firm 42 Fish (Columbus OH)
  
• Regenesis Group (Santa Fe, NM) with Kinzelman Kline Gossman (Columbus OH)
• Studio Three LLC (Muncie IN) with JEO Consulting Group (Wahoo NE)
  
• There will probably be an HRC appointment made and we'll have a motion to approve Council meeting dates for the year.
• Then the Manager's report will include an Annual Report for the last year (presumeably this will cover the work of the office over the last year); there will be an update from Antioch University; and a petition from Time Warner claiming that there's effective competition (from satellite dishes, etc.) so that they should no longer have to pay a franchise fee to the village--this could mean the end of Channel 5!
  

Finally, A citizen asked in a letter to Council about how to dispose of hazardous household wastes. Vicki Hennessey, the newest member of our Environmental Commission, immediately passed on the attached information from Greene County Environmental Services in Xenia. (Thanks, Vicki!) Some things, like batteries and cell phones, are accepted every day during normal business hours; other things like appliances and pesticides are accepted one Saturday a month, and some restrictions apply.

This month's collection is NEXT SAT. FEBRUARY 21, from 9 am-1 pm, so it's a timely notice if you're doing some early spring cleaning. (And it's free to all Greene Co. residents!)

If you have questions about what's acceptable and what's not, you might also check out their website's Frequently Asked Questions. (Click on "Environmental Services")

And that's a little green valentine for all of us!

Thinking Spring--
Lori

Further update on efforts to dry Antioch Main Building

FYI!
-----
From: Lynda Sirk
To: Judith H. and Mark C.
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 5:25 PM
Subject: Antioch update

I will try to provide you with an update every 48 hours or so to keep you apprised of the progress in Main Building. Here is the first update:

Work began on drying Main building within the first 36 hours of notification of the break and the workers are making good progress. All work will continue in an effort for a full and fast recovery.

Working with insurance companies, the University received bids from three companies and chose Munters of Hebron, Kentucky to do the remediation work. Munters is an international remediation firm known for efficiency and environmentally friendly technology and they began work Thursday morning. The estimated time for this project is 10 to 14 days.

Munters is a world leader in damage restoration and owns the world’s largest fleet of drying equipment. Technicians will install robust dehumidifiers bringing heat and 2% humidity air into the building to dry affected areas and to control the environment. Munters claims that their deep drying techniques can often reverse the deterioration caused by water damage, as their desiccant dehumidifiers pump extremely dry air into water damaged buildings. This coupled with constant air movement causes the moisture in building materials to evaporate much quicker. In addition to drying the building, Munters will inspect for mold damage.

las

Lynda Sirk
Director of University Relations
Antioch University

Main Building Water Damage Updates (rec'd 2/10)

Both these letters are on http://www.antiochians.org/

----

February 9, 2009

To:       The Antioch College Alumni Board
Fr:       The Board Pro Tempore
Re:       Antioch Hall

The Board Pro Tempore of the Antioch College Continuation Corporation
shares the concerns expressed by all Antiochians regarding the
condition of Antioch Hall and will be carefully following actions to
address the damage that occurred over the weekend.

Matthew Derr, Chief Transition Officer requested and was granted a tour
of the building and also earlier discussed the situation directly with
Art Zucker, Chairman of the Antioch University Board of Trustees, Toni
Murdock, Chancellor and Tom Faecke, Vice Chancellor. The Board Pro
Tempore also met last evening and had an extensive conversation on this
topic.

The Board Pro Tempore feels that stewardship of the entire campus is a
critical responsibility of the Antioch University Board. In particular,
"Main Building" represents both our symbolic home and as well as a
national historic treasure. In the spirit of our collaborative work
with the development of the Letter of Intent, it is the Board's
expectation that the campus be carefully safeguarded prior to its
intended transfer.

Following this statement you will find a link to a document from the
Chancellor's office shared with the Antioch University Board. We
anticipate that more information will be forthcoming.

------

Letter From Antioch University:

Monday February 9, 2009

To the Community of Yellow Springs,

Over this past weekend, a water leak was discovered in the Main
Building that has, understandably, caused much concern among alumni and
Yellow Springs residents. The break was discovered around 5pm on
Saturday, February 7. Even though public outcry runs counter, cold
weather, lack of heat in the facilities, neglect on the part of the
university, and quick rebound in outside temperature is not the cause
of the current flooding in Main Building. It is early in the
investigation and the University is unable to say definitively what
caused the break.

The source of the water appears to be from a broken pipe in the very
peak of the attic of Main Building, with water contained mostly to the
center of the building. The fire system currently in use is a dry
system, which means that it is not triggered into activation until heat
is detected and, subsequently, pipes become filled with water. This
system, according to Miami Twp. Fire Chief, is perfectly designed for
the attic area of Main Building. Working with sprinkler system experts,
a complete investigation has begun to help determine the cause.

Tom Faecke is overseeing this issue and reports that all water has been
turned off in Main Building. Any remaining standing water in the
building will be addressed beginning Tuesday morning. In addition, a
professional service will begin to dry the building immediately. The
University is also working with insurance carriers to cover the cost of
remediation. It must be noted that even when the power plant was in
operation, the attic space in Main Building remained unheated. When the
break was detected, it was over 50 degrees in the attic so ice is not
suspected. However, that is speculation and a definitive answer will be
determined on further investigation.

The sprinkler system in use in Main Building is legal and has passed
all required yearly inspections according to Miami Township Fire Chief,
Colin Altman.

The pipes in the sprinkler system are 50 plus years old and corroded so
that may very well be the cause but the University will not know all of
the facts until the investigation is farther along. Water may have
pumped for several hours, but not days as has been speculated. Campus
routine inspection schedule had someone walking through, inspecting
Main Building late in the workweek and no damage was detected at that
time.

Initial inspection detects no structural damage to Main Building so the damage
appears to be superficial water damage only.

NEXT STEPS:

• the University assessed and documented the damage and is talking
with the insurance company to cover the costs

• a crew will begin Tuesday morning, working from the top floor down,
to remove any remaining standing water from Main Building

• all water will be extracted from Main Building and it will be dried
using fans and heat by a professional company who specializes in this
work

• The plan is to use 150 fans PER FLOOR to dry the facility

• Auxiliary heat will be used to warm the building during this process

• The remediation process will also remove all wet ceiling tiles and
wet carpet and replace with new once the facility is judged to be
completely dry

• Great care will be taken to dry and preserve the wood paneling
prevalent in Main Building

• During the closure of the College, all equipment was removed from Main
Building so no equipment remained to be damage

• All student records were previously removed and secured in a different
location--no student records remain in Main Building

It is regrettable that this has happened. Please look for updates from
the University as the investigation moves forward and we have more
substantive information to share.

Toni Murdock, Chancellor

--
Chelsea Martens
co-Community Manager

Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute
305 N. Walnut St.
Yellow Springs, Ohio  45387
cell: 440-840-8376
www.nonstopinstitute.org

Addition to PC post (below): Situation at Antioch College--Main Hall Water Leak

Dear People: Late last night I received word about the serious water leakage in Main Hall that a villager discovered late yesterday. This morning, after speaking with Judith Hempfling, I sent the following letter (below) to the Council and the Planning Commission, as well as to our village manager, Mark Cundiff, Ed Amrhein, and our Solicitor John Chambers.

I have asked, below, that this issue be addressed at our Planning Commission meeting tomorrow night (7 pm, Bryan Center, second floor), at least briefly.

A villager also asked me to share with everyone that a group of concerned citizens are calling for people to meet at noon, tomorrow (2/9) at the "horseshoe" on campus in front of the Main Building. They are demanding that the university take action to deal with the damage and preserve the building. The press has been alerted.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns regarding this developing situation.

Best,
Lori

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: lori
Date: Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Subject: Situation at Antioch College campus--Main Building

Dear Council, Planning Commission, Mark, Ed, & John: I am writing on behalf of both Judith, who is off on call this weekend, and myself. We wanted to be sure that Council and the Planning Commission are aware of the major water leak that has occurred in the historic Main Building on the Antioch College campus, apparently from the sprinkler system, over the weekend.

A village resident was walking his dog across campus late yesterday when he noticed water seemingly seeping out of the walls of the Main Building in ways that did not seem quite consistent with normal roof melt, etc. He approached the windows of the President's office on the eastern/traditional "front" of the building, and saw water essentially raining indoors, into several inches of water all over the floor throughout the former President's office. He called the MTFR. Looking in through other windows, the resident could see [water] was streaming into the hallways of the first floor, raining in from the upper floors in many places. A video showing the damage as it was happening has been posted on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjjUNF7Dx7E

Judith and another concerned resident who spoke to the MTFR last night were told that the MTFR were called to the campus by a resident and had shut off a main connector that was supplying the sprinkler system in the building. Hours later, water, apparently from the upper floors, was still raining down to the lower floors.

Several weeks ago, in fact, a similar problem apparently arose with the sprinkler system in South Hall around Christmas time. At the Miami Township Trustees meeting of January 5, 2009, MTFR chief Colin Altman described being dispatched to the campus at several points for a few problems, in particular when a sprinkler systems had frozen in South Hall--on the fourth floor and flowed down the building and 'did a lot of damage.' Dry wall collapsed, etc. In South Hall, an alarm went off, and water was actually shooting out the building on the fourth floor, he said. Main Building, he said, at around that time had also had a valve leaking from its "dry" system. In the theatre, also, however, a tremendous amount of water damage occurred when a sprinkler froze--apparently one they believed was a "dry" system, but which was not. (It was erroneously reported in a letter to the YS News that this leak was from the roof, but it was not.) There was no alarm to alert officials to this problem, so it was probably on-going for some time. Someone at the meeting commented that 150,000 gallons of water / day was being lost on the campus during that time, but I am not certain who said that or where they were getting their information from. Finally, Mr. Altman mentioned that the Union building also has experienced a lot of temperature fluxuation and condensation which has caused alarms to go off. He said that in those cases the University has been responsive and "has addressed things as best they can." [This is based on my viewing of the DVD of the Jan. 5th meeting of the MTT]

Citizens are expressing several concerns to both Judith and me about the damage to Main Hall:

1) The bricks through to the outside of the building have apparently soaked up a lot of water. When this water re-freezes and thaws again in the coming weeks, this will inevitably weaken the bricks, which provide the structural support for the building. Can they be dried out before this freeze/thaw cycle occurs? Could heating the building in the meantime possibly help?

2) If the building is not thoroughly dried--with more than a mop--mold will be a serious problem inside the building this spring.

3) Have the floors of the building been so thoroughly soaked as to be unsafe?

4) Most importantly, this is an historic building, decidedly the most prominent historic building on the campus, and in our community. Its cultural and historic significance is impossible to overstate. Villagers feel a collective responsibility to the preservation of this structure and its beautiful, landmark spires. They want to be assured that everything is being done that can be done, on our part--whatever that might be--to deal with this situation and protect this tremendous asset.

As a member of the Planning Commission, I request that this issue to be at least briefly addressed at the Planning Commission meeting tomorrow night. A report from Mr. Altman would be helpful, if it can be arranged. I also request that village staff report any further information that they might receive from any sources regarding this developing situation to the PC at that time.

Sincerely,
Lori Askeland