ANNUAL REPORTS … Bryan Fire Chief Doug Pool, left, gave the annual fire report and Wastewater Superintendent Wes Wygant, right, gave the wastewater treatment plant annual report. (PHOTO BY DANIEL COOLEY, STAFF)
By: Daniel Cooley
The February 6 meeting of the Bryan City Council began with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by roll call. All five council members, Mary Leatherman, Richard Hupe, John Betts, Jim Kozumplik and Judy Yahraus, were in attendance.
In the first order of business, council approved both the meeting minutes from the January 17 council meeting and the special joint meeting with the Bryan Board of Public Affairs (BPA) meeting, held on January 26.
Council then approved ordinance number two. This is a transfer of funds for the city of Bryan, ending February 23, 2023 and totaling $510,000.
That was followed by council approving Ordinance Three. This ordinance is for annual appropriations for the city of Bryan, ending December 31, 2023 and totaling $105,556.56.
Next, council approved Ordinance Four. This ordinance amends/repeals 953.01 through 953.99 of chapter 953 of refuse collection for the city of Bryan codified ordinances.
City council then approved Ordinance Five. This ordinance approves the collective bargaining agreement between the Ohio Patrolman’s Benevolent Association and the Bryan governing sergeants in the Bryan Police Department. This contractual agreement will last three years.
Next, council approved Ordinance Six. This authorizes an agreement with Arcadis U.S., Inc., for a construction engineering plan for the Wastewater Treatment Dewatering Project, The projected cost for the project is $142,000.
That was followed by council approving Resolution Eight. This authorizes Clerk-Treasurer Laura Rode to advertise for bids for the safe routes to school sidewalk project.
The project, at a projected cost of $416,204, will begin soon and is projected to be completed by September 19, 2023.
Council then approved Resolution Nine. This authorizes Mayor Carrie Schlade to serve as a delegate and Bryan BPA board member Tom Sprow to serve as an alternate for the city of Bryan as members of the Board of Directors of the Ohio Municipal Electric Association. for the year 2023.
Next, council approved Resolution 10, accepting a donation of up to $2,500 in furniture from Sarah’s Friends. The donation will go to the Bryan Police Department, for a forensic interview room.
Council then approved Resolution 11, accepting a grant of $42,238 from the Ohio Criminal Justice System. This grant will provide body worn cameras for Bryan Police Officers.
That was followed by council approving Resolution 12, giving permission for the Bryan Parks and Recreation Director to apply for a grant, through the Bryan Area Foundation.
Next, council approved Resolution 13, allowing the fire chief to accept a $43,860.87 grant from the Ohio Fire Marshall, for the purchase of MARCS Radios. MARCS is a statewide public safety radio system.
That was followed by council approving a community reinvestment tax exemption application, submitted by Justin Downing, of Ivy Lee LLC.
Downing applied to build a new house on the 702 South Main Street property.
Next, council approved and signed a support letter from Mayor Schlade, for the Fountain Grove Villas to Mr. Valentine and OHFA.
Fire Chief Doug Pool then gave the annual fire department report. Pool reported that there has been a gradual increase in calls, rescue numbers are up and that the number of fires per year, generally stays around the 50 mark each year.
In emergency activity, the bulk of the 478 calls or the year were within the city limits, at 312, followed by Pulaski Township, at 78.
Pool said that the time frame for reaching an address is to get there within eight to nine minutes, which happens the majority of the time.
Areas within the city are reached in five minutes, with most of the township calls reached in the 8-9 minutes range.
Of the top fire causes, 17 were unintentional and a high number of 15 fires were intentional.
In fire prevention, there are inspections, educational opportunities, including station tours and a smoke detector program.
In training, there is an average of 104 hours of training per firefighter. There is live fire training firefighter certification and other training, such as hazardous material.
To finish, the fire department is trying to recruit volunteers, Pool stated that no one has completed the entire entry level requirements in the last five years.
Wes Wygant then gave the wastewater treatment plant annual report. Total flow was 578.7 million gallons, and the daily average was 1.6 million gallons per day.
Also, 1.6 million gallons of digested class B solids were dewatered and thermally dried, creating 253 tons of Class A bio-solids.
In treatment efficiencies, suspended solids had a 94.5% removal rate; carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand had a 97.9% removal rate; ammonia nitrogen had a 99.4$ removal rate and phosphorus had a 91.3% removal rate. Wygant stated that currently, excess waste is taken to the landfill.
Past year projects were replacement of primary digester exhaust fans, screw pump intake cleanout and screw pump upper bearing assembly replacement.
In council comments, Kozumplik thanked Sarah’s Friends and Chief Pool and Wes (Wygant) for their presentations.
Betts thanked all those who apply for grant applications, thanked Justin (Downing) for his investment in Bryan and also thanked Frontier (Fountain Grove Villas) for their investment in Bryan.
Yahraus thanked Chief Pool and Wygant for their presentations and thanked all the departments for their grant writing, which brought about body cams and MARCS Radio.
Hupe thanked Sprow and Mayor Schlade for serving as delegates and expressed thanks for all the efforts in applying for grants.
Council then voted to adjourn the meeting.
Dan can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com