Maumee Hires Environmental Experts To Address Sewer Concerns

Maumee City Council approved the expenditure of $61,204 for the removal of existing fencing along the south side of the Anthony Wayne Trail between Gibbs and White streets, as well as the purchase and installation of 967 feet of 6-foot white vinyl privacy fence in its place. MIRROR PHOTO BY MIKE McCARTHY

BY MIKE McCARTHY | MIRROR EDITOR — Maumee City Council took steps at its December 6 meeting to continue the city’s progress in addressing its ongoing sewer problems by authorizing the city administrator to enter into a contract with an international firm that specializes in dealing with environmental municipal water and sewer issues.

Council approved the contract with the international firm, Stantec, for the implementation of an EPA Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO), which includes an Emergency Response Plan (ERP); a Capacity, Management, Operations and Maintenance (CMOM) Program; and a Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Study (SSES) Plan. The amount of the contract is $892,457, and city administrator Patrick Burtch is authorized to approve all change orders not to exceed 20 percent of the total agreement amount. The city will amend the 2021 Sanitary Sewer Fund and appropriations accordingly.

A major portion of the expenditures will be directed toward the placement and monitoring of 10 temporary flow meters to be deployed throughout the city of Maumee. The temporary monitors will be in addition to the 20 permanent flow meters that are already in place within the city.

Maumee is facing three major deadlines in 2022 for Ohio EPA compliance and Stantec will play a major role in assisting the city in meeting those deadlines.

In other environmental action, council authorized the adoption of Ordinance 057-2021, which amends the Ohio Revised Code relative to the creation of the Chapter 189 Environmental Commission.

As reported in the November 25 issue of The Mirror, the new commission will focus on the natural and built environmental health of Maumee residents. The group will serve in an advisory capacity only and will be comprised of nine Maumee residents, serving in staggered terms. Two city council members will serve as co-chairs of the committee during their tenure and will have voting rights, as will Burtch in his capacity as Maumee city administrator. The remaining six members of the commission will be comprised of volunteer citizens from within the Maumee community. 

In other city business, council took the following action:

• Authorized a contract with Marleau Hercules to remove existing fencing on the south side of the Anthony Wayne Trail between White and Gibbs streets and to furnish and install 967 linear feet of 6-foot-tall, white vinyl, solid privacy fencing in its place. The contract is in the amount of $61,204.

The old fencing is being removed to allow extra room for trees and new streetlights as part of the city’s Anthony Wayne Trail beautification project.

• Authorized the 2022 CMI annual software contract in the amount of $59,343, which includes the licenses for the finance, payroll, tax, utility, police, fire and database network, and also authorized the 2022 CMI annual hardware maintenance agreement in the amount of $5,562.

• Authorized a one-year renewal agreement with Cellebrite for $8,575 for forensic software for the police division.

• Authorized a one-year service and preventative maintenance renewal agreement with P&R Commun-ications for the police division’s 64 portable and mobile radios in the amount of $4,284.

• Authorized the purchase an installation of emergency lighting and necessary equipment from D.R. Ebel in the amount of $224,557 for the city’s 40 new leased vehicles and police UTV.

• Authorized an agreement with the B-PAD (Behavioral Personal Assess-ment Device) Group to provide a service to assess a police applicant’s interpersonal skills and judgment, in the amount of $250 for the annual lease, a $60.00-per-candidate assessment fee and a $90.00 promotional assessment fee.

• Authorized the 2022 annual health insurance quotes from the various entities that provide employee health insurance coverage for city employees.

• Confirmed the appointment of Hope Modlin to the position of human resources manager.

• Received a letter confirming the retirement of Janet Huse from the Maumee Utility Billing Division.

• Authorized the city administrator to hire one assistant water supervisor and one assistant sewer supervisor.

• Approved the appointment of Dennis Linn to the ADA Advisory Commission for a two-year term ending on December 31, 2023.

• Approved Ordinance 060-2021 to approve a contract with the Toledo Legal Aid Society for indigent defense.

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