By Brett Milam
Editor

The Milford City Council met on Feb. 16 to a few upcoming projects, events and the issue of snow removal on sidewalks.

– Kim Chamberland, council member, read the Public Services Committee report from the Feb. 2 meeting.

Michael Doss, city manager, talked to the Committee about City Hall building repairs on the exterior and suggested they ought to be tabled until it can out for the competitive bidding process. That process should take at least 45 days until the project can be considered for approval this spring, Doss said.

Also related to City Hall were quotes for the third floor carpet installation. McSwain Carpets and Floors was selected in the amount of $20,482. The other two bids were from Carpetland at $23,648 and J.P. Flooring at $28,300.

The carpet has already been replaced on the first and second floors.

Council also approved an agreement with Kleingers Group, Inc. to prepare a pavement management study. The study would provide a “detailed analysis of all city streets and roads,” Tim Casto with Kleingers Group, told the Committee. Included in that analysis would be pavement conditions, stress of the pavement, and degree of asphalt and concrete degradation.

Each street would be ranked and scored based on those conditions.

Doss added that the study would give the city the ability to prioritize street paving projects going forward with budgeting and grant proposals.

That analysis also includes concrete curb and catch basins, Doss said.

Casto said the proposal also included an option to have the pavement management study findings available online for public access at an additional cost.

The Committee agreed to consider those possibilities at a future date.

To conduct the pavement management study costs $27,400, which was included in the 2020 budget.

In his report, Doss said he’s working with McGill Smith Punshon on a proposal for the canoe and kayak launch on the Little Miami River.

“The river is a huge asset to the city, along with the bike trail, so we’re looking at ways to improve our canoe and kayak launch to utilize that a little bit more,” he said.

The community Shred Day is still scheduled for April 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Hall parking lot, located at 745 Center St.

Amy Vilardo, mayor, sought to have a discussion and/or clarification with her fellow council members regarding a snow removal ordinance enacted in 1975. That ordinance, 911.06, says that residents and business owners are responsible for snow removal on sidewalks within a “reasonable time, which will not ordinarily exceed twelve hours after the abatement of any storm.” The ordinance is technically enforced by a $100 fine.

However, Vilardo said they have never, to her knowledge, had to fine anyone over enforcement of that ordinance.

“Do we leave the ordinance the way that it is and do we enforce it? Or, I would prefer that we rescind the ordinance, if that is your choice,” Vilardo said.

She said it doesn’t make sense to have ordinances on the books that they aren’t enforcing.

Lisa Evans, vice mayor, said while it’s nice when people clean off the sidewalks, you can’t fine people because there are situations where someone physically isn’t able to shovel the snow away or maybe someone is out of town.

Chamberland’s perspective was, “do we need a rule to do the right thing?” She would like to see people just be good neighbors in the walkable city that is Milford.

Mike Minniear, law director, said he has a problem prosecuting residents and business owners for this, noting that as a practical matter, individuals would get a warning first, then the citation and then they’d go to court in two weeks, but by then, it’d be a “moot” issue.

“I couldn’t in good conscience do that, I don’t think,” he said.

Ben Redman, council member, added his name to rescinding the ordinance.

Doss added that the priority is to clear the streets for fire and EMS and then city-owned property areas and further down the list would be sidewalks.