Frische Stands Alone In Findlay
BY JEFF SKINNER
FINDLAY - City council member Holly Frische continues to illustrate the importance of opposition to the status quo at the June 3 city council meeting, being one of the only council members to ask any questions regarding multiple agenda items.
While most, if not all, members of Findlay city council remained silent during readings of agenda items, council member Frische represented a dissenting voice, inquiring primarily on an agenda resolution that would see the city taking possession of multiple properties. While Some of the properties have FEMA FMA FY18 restrictions on their usage and development due to requirements for flood mitigation, others do not. All properties are listed on the agenda as having FEMA restrictions on them. Frische was one of the only council members to inquire on this discrepancy.
“Two parcels, Wilson Street's a residential lot on a dead-end road,” Frische said. “I don't even know what we would do with it. The other one is East Sanduski just East of the railroad tracks before you get to the fern. Are we required to take these parcels? Because right now we can't build on them but will we be able to build on them after the updated flood maps are done. The ordinance says 20269 and then my new questions and it'll probably go to the mayor over the law director, it sounds like East Front Street again that' parking lot space that somebody's utilizing and these are not FEMA, these don't have the FEMA FMA FY18s on them So why could the commissioners not sell those? I mean there's a lot of automotive business back there on front And then Howard Street when I pull that parcel it's owned by Cartridge World and not even owned by the commissioners, so how are we doing with that?”
Mayor Christina Muryn responded by acknowledging Frische was correct in her assessment of the properties, but that the city has no set plans to develop any of it due to concerns over the effectiveness of those parcels required to be flood mitigating to maintain their functionality. In short, it’s a package deal.
“You are correct that they do not have deed restrictions on them through FEMA, so I just wanted to note that because those that are listed on the agenda as FEMA properties, they're not FEMA properties,” Muryn said. “They were just acquired as part of local flood mitigation. So I would state that the goal with the city taking them on is to be able to work with properties in that area to make sure that this is utilized properties while also protecting the integrity of the what the flood mitigation dollars were for which is to make sure that any development that would occur there is not going to impede flood mitigation.”
Frische additionally pushed back against the first reading of Ordinance 2025-74, which would authorize the mayor to enroll the city of Finley in the Bureau of Workers Compensation Group retrospective plan rating plan, given the upcoming potential construction project of the $40 million park and potential issues with the safety of the area.
“At the last council meeting I had concerns regarding how we are remediating property in the downtown park,” Frische said. “I went to park and Rec. Today and I continue to see beautiful designs for our $40 million park. But I went ahead and, as the rest of council knows because the mayor forwarded my email, I contacted CEC to get clarification on their agreement with remediation because they are going to a commercial standard and not residential. Through his response email he acknowledges that if we are going to have high traffic, high child use and we're going to have residential that that area should be taken to a residential level. Which brings me to the question, our law director said that we didn't need a third party So if we don't need a third party and we want to piggyback the county's contract for $95,000 at the current commercial level remediation, we're not meeting the standards that the city council had said they wanted. We've said from the beginning we've used the words residential standard and I asked CEC what it would cost to increase that contract and I think it was 50 to 75,000 and probably doubling the remediation cost. I guess my question would be if we want to ensure the safety of our citizens way into the future when we're developing this park, potentially would it be wise that we have a communication with the commissioner's office to see how we can work together to change that since there's not a contract signed?”
Frische added her concerns regarding the health and safety of those in use of the area and in construction given the high levels of Chromium found in the soil.
“I think the commissioners are meeting tomorrow and I thought Matt was coming,” Frische said. “I think you were meeting with the mayor and some other folks about seeing if we take over some of the cost of helping support for that $850,000 Brown grant Brownfield grant So there's a lot of moving parts but at the end of the day we need to make sure we are cleaning that site for the safety of our community. We have chromium and other things there that are high cancer causing. I think if we are able to work with the commissioners and get that residential then I would be in favor if those dot our I’s and cross our T’s.”
Muryn responded by informing Frische that the only required standard they are required to abide by at this time is commercial.
“So first I guess I would clarify um Mr Coonfair's email stated that the contract for the brownfield remediation, as we have stated, is only required to do a commercial cleanup standard,” Muryn said. “That is just the standard as part of the grant process. That is what his current proposal is for. However as he also stated the standard for which the specs are written for the phase 2 benching at completion of the benching is parks and open space And in your subsequent and when the auditor then emailed, He said parks and open space which is the appropriate standard for all parks across our communities across the nation It is a perfectly appropriate standard and to further safeguard us.”
The Findlay city council regularly meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6pm in the Council Chambers located on the first floor of the Municipal Building.
