NEW MIDDLETOWN Council delays bids on office project

Council passed first reading on an ordinance on reinstating a reserve police unit.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- Upset because they were not shown plans for remodeling of village offices, New Middletown Village Council members delayed a decision on whether to award bids for the project.
Council President William Douglas said at Monday's meeting that he couldn't vote on awarding bids for a project when he hadn't even seen a floor plan. He said the final specifications for the project should have come before council before they were advertised. He added, "We all agree [the project] needs to be done in some shape or form."
Councilman Jack Novicky added, "I don't see how we can vote on something that never came before us."
More discussion
Several council members agreed to stay for an information session after Monday's meeting, and a special meeting of council may be set to discuss the project.
Council's next regular meeting is May 8, well before the May 30 legal deadline to either accept or reject the bids.
Mayor Robert Carson, who sits on the building committee, explained, "We had several meetings. I thought the consensus was to get [the project cost] down as close as possible to the $61,500 the county gave us."
He said he thought it was council's wish to move ahead on the project, which has been in limbo for some time.
Dave Bakalar, an engineer from Thomas Fok and Associates, Youngstown, presented the list of low bids which included: ATEC, Boardman, $47,000 for the general contact (four bids); Charniga Plumbing, Poland, $10,080, plumbing (two bids); and B & amp;J Electric, Poland, $6,411 electric (three bids). Bakalar said the total of the bids is $400 under the engineer's project estimate. An additional cost of $12,000 for engineering brings it to about $76,000. The village would have to come up with $14,000 of that.
Other matters
Also Monday, council passed, after much debate, first reading on an ordinance to create a reserve police unit. The village would provide reserve officers with their uniforms, according to the proposed ordinance, but would offer no other payment.
Council discussed whether reserve officers would take hours away from part-timers, as well as whether the village could afford to clothe and equip such officers. They agreed they want more council input than the proposed ordinance provided on regulations for the unit, and made an amendment to that effect.
Police Chief Bill Morvay said such a unit would be open only to retired full-time officers who would work without pay and provide assistance in emergencies, parades and major crime investigations, as well as helping fill out grant paperwork. Councilman Dan Santangelo remarked that the village once had a reserve unit but disbanded it. The ordinance needs two more readings to become law.
Dan Love of East Calla Road asked council to consider outlawing jake brakes. He said the truck devices destroy the peace in his neighborhood in the early morning hours. Carson said it would be taken under advisement.
Council also passed a resolution thanking Ohlin Bros. Lumber Co. Inc., Main Street, for many years of service to the village and expressing regret they are going out of business.
Mayor Carson noted he would like to bring the broadcast of Cleveland Indians games back to village televisions but doesn't have the clout. The village has no power to force Comcast Cable to carry Indians games, he said.
Comcast has a contract with the village and is its only cable television carrier.
Comcast carried Indians games last year on Fox Sports Ohio, but the games are now being broadcast on an Indians network, Carson said.
Past complaints from village officials to Comcast got no response, he said. He urged individual cable subscribers to contact the company directly to complain.