Vandalia officials present proposed development of Stonequarry Crossings
By Chuck Smith
For the Drummer
Vandalia city officials during a workshop prior to the April 21 council meeting introduced to council members and members of the city planning commission a newly proposed development for 200 acres bounded on the north by U.S. 40, on the east by Peters Pike, on the south by Stonequarry Road, and on the west by the airport access road.
The new development will be called Stonequarry Crossings.
Assistant City Manager Rob Anderson said the city is now trying to interest developers in the property which is just south of the Cox International Airport.
The city has prepared a brochure and plans to participate in a convention in order to bring developers to the property. The city planning department has also drafted development design standards for the Stonequarry Crossings project.
The city has divided the property into sectors for proposed retail, offices, restaurants, medical, and other uses. Anderson pointed to an emergency medical facility as a sorely needed addition to Vandalia.
The council voted 5 to 2 in favor of a new ordinance which would add to the housing and property maintenance code requirements that property owners and residents clear snow and ice from sidewalks adjacent to their land within 12 hours of the snowfall.
The ordinance would also require that property owners and residents remove graffiti from their property within 14 days of when the graffiti appeared. Council Members Dave Lewis and Dave Brusman voted against the ordinance.
Lewis said, "If I saw a need for it, I would support it. It is not a problem Bad law is worse than no law at all. "
City Manager Jeff Hoagland said the city already requires residents to clear snow from their sidewalks as part of the criminal code which is enforced by police officers.
Council Member Candice Farst said she supported the ordinance, as it is more appropriate for zoning inspectors to check for compliance around Vandalia homes than for police to do it.
In other business, the council voted unanimously to waive the formal bidding process and awarded a contract for $22,178 to CDW Government, Inc. for four additional patrol car digital video systems.
Hoagland said the formal bidding process was waived so that the new video systems would be compatible with systems already installed in three patrol cars followi ng a council vote last year. The systems will be installed in four new squad cars.
Plans call for the city to purchase and install four more digital video systems when it replaces its four remaining patrol cars in 2009. At that time, the city will have digital video systems in all eleven police cars.
Hoagland said the new digital video systems will protect both the policeman and the motorist during traffic stops and chases.
The recording device mounted on the windshield will automatically start recording in certain situations. The recordings will be admissible in court.
The council unanimously approved the purchase of a new air street sweeper from the McLean Company of West Chester, Ohio for $165,350.
The sweeper will replace an eight year old sweeper which has swept 50,000 miles over 6,700 hours of operation.
Hoagland said the bid was under budget, and the city already has the tools required to repair the new sweeper when necessary. He said storm water funds will be used to purchase the new street sweeper.
In other business, the council unanimously approved an application to Montgomery County for a community development block grant.
The 75 percent grant for $125,000 would be used to resurface the parking lot and alley behind the Vandalia Senior Center.
The council also unanimously approved the lowest and best bid of $21,700 by GM Mechanical of Covington, to replace duct work in the Vandalia Recreation Center aquatic center.
The next meeting of the Vandalia City Council will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 12 in the Vandalia Municipal Building at 333 James E. Bohanan Drive.
This meeting will be the only Council meeting in May, as the regular meeting dates of May 5 and 19 were both cancelled.
