Council paves way to open warehouse

ST. MARYS - City council members acted on Tuesday night to clear the way for a warehouse to be opened inside the former Kmart building on Celina Road.

The city's zoning ordinance has no designation to allow warehouses. Council members, though, are looking to remedy that through legislative action.

Councilors on Tuesday night heard first reading of an ordinance to amend the city's zoning ordinance concerning C-2 General Commercial Districts to allow warehouses as a conditional use.

The proposal would allow the zoning board of appeals to permit the use if the building has no more than six loading docks, none of which can be in the front yard; has a separate entrance to make the building look like a commercial storefront or office building; has no parking for commercial trucks or trailers in the front yard; and has no outside storage of product, material or equipment.

Council will hold two more readings of the proposed ordinance, and a public hearing is set for 5:15 p.m. June 5. Two unidentified businessmen have offered to buy the former Kmart building, which had been slated for demolition, to convert the structure into a warehouse.

If the ordinance is approved, the owners must petition the zoning board of appeals for a conditional use permit. Law director Kraig Noble noted that the owners of the old department store had already improved the building, and it would meet the new law's restrictions. Council members will next consider the ordinance at their June 11 meeting.

In other action, councilors passed, on suspension of the rules, an ordinance to make supplemental budget appropriations of more than $2.5 million. Council's finance committee had supported the supplemental requests on May 21.

The appropriation re-quests included,

• $1.128 million for electric service improvements.

• $45,000 for software upgrades that will allow taxpayers to file, pay and monitor their accounts. The upgrades also would allow CPAs to upload city returns into the system.

• $120,000 for the refund of quarterly projected taxes to a large company that has moved out of St. Marys.

• $23,000 for the city's Medicare fund that was not originally budgeted.

• $7,500 as a donation to the Lake Restoration Commission for work to improve Grand Lake.

• $5,000 to pay Lexipol risk-management service for writing policies for police and fire departments. This money will be partially reimbursed by the city's insurance carrier.

• $55,000 for Public Employees Retirement System for the street maintenance department.

• $115,133 for the city's portion of the county's street resurfacing project, which will resurface all of Oil Street and part of Pine and Columbia streets.

• $5,000 for engineering work on street projects. This fund had not been used in the past few years and therefore had not been appropriated for 2018. It can be used for city engineering projects such as the grist mill renovation project and the municipal building project.

• $266,330 for engineering services for the new water plant. This money will be reimbursed by the Ohio Water Development Authority.
  • $402,510 for payment on bonds taken out for the city's electrical system improvements.

• $2,500 from four different funds for a promotional article and advertising about St. Marys in the Japan Times.

• $27,000 for an engineering rate study for future operation needs and projects in sewer services.

• $13,512 transfer of an insurance payment received for a February house fire at 221 N. Ash St.

• $56,000 for refunds for overpayments on utility bills.

• $302,510 transfer to debt service of electric revenue bond payment.

They also approved under suspension of the rules a resolution authorizing the purchase of an upgrade for electrical generator 7.

The cost of a replacement for the used unit acquired in 1983 is $466,687 and, according to electrical superintendent Dale Good, the unit will pay for itself in less than a year through increased credits from the electric provider and more efficient use. The new generator is from HPI (Horse Power Ignition) of Belgium. Funds are available through revenue received through the issuance of notes for the upgrade of the electrical system.

The current generator is used as a backup and during peak electrical use.

Members also gave first reading to an ordinance authorizing the execution of an agreement with Clemans, Nelson & Associates Inc. for employee relations work.