The Jefferson city council at its June 11 meeting sold three vacant infill lots to Origin Homes at $500 each. Origin Homes plans to build a single family home on each lot. According to Matt Daniels, director of operations for Origin Homes, the houses would be 3-bedroom, 2-bath ranch homes with an unfinished basement and a 2-car garage. Selling price would be $275,000 to $285,000.
Council member Chad Sloan voted against all three sales.
The sales are contingent on Origin Homes obtaining workforce housing tax credits for construction of the houses.
At the public hearing prior to the council vote, Jefferson resident Bill Allen inquired about purchasing the lot on W. Lincoln Way. He said he grew up in the house that was formerly on the property and he was interested in purchasing it to build a home. He offered $1,000 for the lot.
The council did not give his offer consideration before selling the three lots to Origin Homes.
Daniels said his company will know in August if the project qualifies for the needed tax credits.
The council awarded the bid for construction of the pickleball courts at Russell Park to Caliber Concrete LLC of Adair. Two bids were received for the project, with Caliber’s being the lower bid. The company submitted a base bid of $175,001.20 and an alternate bid of $42,300 for lighting, for a total bid of $217,301.20. Cost of the project including engineering is $254,301.20.
Engineer Bolton & Menk’s pre-bid estimate of cost was $206,000.
The city has on hand for the project $40,000 from a bequest by the Radebaugh family for recreation projects, $118,000 as a grant from Grow Greene County, and $82,575 raised by the pickleball committee. The council approved taking the additional $13,726.20 from Radebaugh funds and the city’s annual Grow Greene County allocation.
Construction will begin on the pickleball courts in August.
The council approved a 10-year forgivable loan to Bob Smith in the amount of $52,527 for roof work on the building he owns at 104-106 N. Wilson Ave. Shingles will be replaced at 104 N. Wilson, and the roof at 106 N. Wilson will be recoated with a high tensile-strength acrylic. The loan is for the total cost of the project.
The council approved promoting Kyle DeMoss to the position of water superintendent at an annual salary of $73,900.
The council also approved the purchase of 427 95-gallon recycling carts. The carts will be available to households who anticipate having more material for recycling than will fit in a 65-gallon cart, as well as for commercial businesses.
The city has already received 1,500 65-gallon carts and will begin distributing them to residential customers next week. Single stream recycling will begin July 1. Materials for recycling will continue to be picked up every other week on the same day as garbage pickup. Residents are reminded that the carts must be placed curbside within 18 inches of the curb but with at least three feet between other carts or structures (mailboxes, lawn ornaments, etc.
Residents can keep their old green bins or return them to city hall. City residents are to receive a mailing this week with additional information.
The council held an administrative hearing on the fate of Lou, an 85-pound, 3-year-old pitbull owned by Robert Gilmore and Nikki Townsley, who live in the 700 block of W. Adams St.
The dog, who was described by Townsley as “a big teddy bear,” was deemed an illegal animal by the Jefferson police department after she left her owners’ yard and bit a neighbor’s much smaller dog and that dog’s owner.
An illegal dog must be abated from the community. Gilmore and Townsley requested the administrative hearing before the council to change Lou’s designation to vicious. A vicious dog can remain in the community if its owners meet certain requirements.
Gilmore and Alicia Paup, the person whose dog was bitten, both had neighbors with them to support their claims.
Bob Gilmore explained his dogs (three pitbulls) all come when he calls them, but he wasn’t home when the incident occurred. The dogs wear shock collars, and that day his daughters failed to check the batteries in the transmitter. The batteries were dead, so Lou was on the loose.
Gilmore said he knows Paup is afraid of his dogs and he does his best to keep them contained. He said he has never seen the sort of behavior Paup described, and that Lou had never bitten before.
Townsley also said she had never seen behavior like that from Lou. Neither she nor her husband were home when the incident occurred.
Gilmore’s neighbor Cassie Baugh said she has had pet rabbits, birds, dogs and cats in her house, and that Lou has been in her house and not bothered any of those animals.
Paup said it was the second such incident. She said four months ago Lou bit her dog but she didn’t report it.
This time, she feared for her life and her dog’s life when Lou came into her driveway as she had her dog in a harness and on a leash while she pulled weeds. She said Lou charged her dog. Lou bit her dog before she could grab him, and then Lou bit her hand. “I was screaming bloody murder and no one came to help me. I was defending my dog on my own because I didn’t want my dog to die. The daughter finally came over. She was calling the dog’s name but not doing anything. I was there trying to save my dog’s life… Then finally the daughter got the dog and brought it back to their property,” Paup said.
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t fear for my life. I can’t fear for my dog’s life. I’ve never been afraid of that dog breed before, but since this last incident, I’m scared,” she said. “It’s unfair for me and my dog to live in fear.”
Paup said she later learned Gilmore’s dogs are not current on their rabies vaccinations.
Gilmore said he would do whatever is necessary to keep Lou at home.
Councilman Chad Sloan made a motion to change the dog’s designation to vicious.
As the council discussed the matter, it came up that the veterinarian’s report referred to a “possible bite” on Paup’s dog. Council member Harry Ahrenholtz voted against the motion, Sloan voted yes, and Wetrich voted no, putting it on council member Pat Zmolek to determine how the issue would be decided.
After a very long pause, Zmolek voted yes, creating a tied vote. Sloan then made a motion to table the decision until the June 25 council meeting. Lou’s designation will remain illegal until that time and she will not be permitted in the city.
After the discussion, police chief Mark Clouse said Adolpho, an 18-month old Australian cattle dog who was the subject of a similar administrative hearing at the May 14 meeting, will not be returning to the community.
Dog owners Jeff and Paula Parris had offered to finish fencing in their yard, have the dog castrated, and obtain expert obedience training for the dog. Carrying liability coverage of at least $100,000 per occurrence is also a requirement. Parrises said they would comply and Adolpho’s designation was changed to vicious.
Clouse told the council at the June 11 meeting that the Parrises are unable to comply due to cost, and the dog will not return to Jefferson.
