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Clayton discusses ditch maintenance

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By Kevin O’Boyle, Contributing Writer 4:03 PM Friday, June 3, 2011

CLAYTON — Members of Clayton City Council learned a little bit about proper maintenance of storm water runoff ditches that run along side roadways in the city of Clayton.

At a public workshop session held before the May 19 meeting, city manager Dave Rowlands gave council a presentation on areas of concern with such ditches on six roadways in the city.

Rowlands said that during the years silt runoff from farm fields along with property owners either not properly maintaining the ditches or filling them in to ease property maintenance has created some safety issues on Putnam Road in the city.

“The amount of water that has been running from the farm fields has been tremendous,” Rowlands said.

Council member G. Malcolm Treon said that especially on Putnam Road, water runoff goes across the roadway and in the winter months can freeze, causing hazardous driving conditions.

“We have safety issues when standing water in the fields runs off onto the roadway in the winter and it freezes,” Treon said.

He cited a couple of traffic accidents he said were partially caused by such issues.

The ditches Rowlands was addressing were all in city right-of-way, which according to city law director Robert Portune gives the city “much more control” in forcing the hands of property owners when it comes to repairing the issues.

Other roads brought before council’s attention for ditch repair were Wenger Road, Fox Road, Thelma Avenue, Union Road and Linchmere Drive.

Council asked about funding of such repairs, and several ideas were offered, including one by the city legal counsel and assistant law director Martina Dillon. They suggested creating a ditch district whereby the city could do an assessment project for the repairs, billing the property owners through real estate taxes.

No firm ideas were agreed upon, and Rowlands said he would come back to council with more concrete funding estimates.

In the regular scheduled meeting, a ceremony was held for newly promoted Clayton fire Captain Scott Wagner.

Through a testing and interview process, Wagner, a veteran of four years in the city of Clayton Fire Department, was selected to take the rank of captain.

“He very much deserves this promotion,” Clayton public safety director Richard Rose said.

Wagner said he appreciates the opportunity to serve in his new rank, and he has enjoyed working in Clayton with his fellow firefighters and EMTs.

With more than 30 of his fire service colleagues from the Clayton department and several other area fire departments watching, Wagner had his new captain’s badge pinned on his uniform by his father, Ron Wagner, who serves as fire chief for the city of Trotwood.

Clayton council also approved the purchase through a state bid and grant process for a new brush chipper unit.

The piece of equipment, costing $25,863.65, was expected to be in service immediately after the meeting. Through a Montgomery County Solid Waste District grant, and a matching 30 percent cost share (about $7,000) by the city, the unit was funded.

According to Kevin Schweitzer, Clayton’s director of finance, the city did not use general fund revenues to pay for its share of the cost.

Rather, he said, the city used monies collected from property maintenance assessments levied against Clayton property owners during the 2010 calendar year. Schweitzer said that the city recently received more than $40,000 from the Montgomery County Treasurer’s Office for such revenues.

Schweitzer said the current brush chipper the city uses is a 1984 model, and “can’t handle the work load.”

Rowlands also informed council that the annual Relay for Life cancer support event will be held at Northmont High School, beginning at noon June 4 and continuing until 9 a.m. on June 5.

Rowlands also informed council members that a document shredding program will be held from 9 a.m. to noon June 4 at the Randolph Plaza on Main Street.

This program, Rowlands said, is part of the overall Sweep Clayton Clean program, which encompasses several projects during the year.

The next meeting of council will be at 7:30 p.m. June 2 at the Clayton Government Center, 6996 Taywood Road.

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