WEEKLY UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE OF LOVELAND CITY MANAGER DAVID KENNEDY – MAY 15, 2020

City Hall re-opened to the public, modifications were made to the expanded DORA highlight the weekly report from city manager Dave Kennedy. Here is the May 15, weekly update for our readers convenience. It is also available on the City of Loveland website

CITY OF LOVELAND
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: David Kennedy, City Manager
RE: Weekly Update
DATE: May 15, 2020

LOVELAND, OH (May 16 ,2020) –

COVID-19 Updates:
This week, City Hall opened to the public. In preparation for this date, numerous improvements
were made within the building to protect both customers and our staff, with more to come. Reports
from both the utility/income tax counter and the building/zoning counters is that the number of
customers was low. In terms of utility customers, we are attributing this to an increase in ACH
signups and more people realizing the convenience of online payments. No matter the number of
visitors to city hall, it was enjoyable to get to interact with residents again, albeit thorough a glass
window.

Plans for the new interior door at City Hall have been submitted for review and approval. The plans
entail the installation of a new door at the entrance of the south hallway. The installation of the
door will include key card access control and crash bar opening. The door will also have a window
for visibility and safety. It is expected that installation work will commence early next week.

As we prepare for the second weekend with the modified DORA in place, the city continued taking
steps to accommodate visitors to the downtown district while encouraging social distancing. To
reduce pedestrian congregation on sidewalks, new a-frame signs were placed along the West
Loveland sidewalks.

Additional picnic tables were placed in the front lawn of City Hall, and we have worked with various restaurant owners to discuss modifications to their customer flow. The City has also been in contact with the Hamilton County Board of Health to update them on our progress.

The last of the DORA cups donated by LSFD were distributed this week to Casual Pint and Enoteca Emilia. Each of the downtown businesses receiving the cups were thankful to LSFD for their donation.

The City has canceled the 2020 Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony scheduled for May 25.

Members of the Loveland Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) will be placing wreaths at the Veterans Memorial.           

The May 31 Concert in the Park and the June 6 Bands and Brews event have also been canceled. 

Following City Council’s approval Tuesday, all of the necessary paperwork was mailed to the Ohio
Emergency Management Agency (OEMA) to assure the city’s eligibility for FEMA Public Assistance
(PA) funding. This funding will allow the city recoup some of the expenses related to COVID-19.

Non COVID-19 Activities:
Administration
As discussed during the Councilmanic Worksheet portion of Tuesday’s council meeting, an
application for safety grant funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to
purchase a LED, blinking 35 MPH sign was submitted on Friday.  This sign would be placed on State Route 48, for vehicles entering the city’s corporation boundaries from Hamilton Township. This area just recently had the speed formally reduced by ODOT and emphasizing the reduced speed could result in an even further reduction of accidents in the area. If awarded funding, the city would be responsible for the installation cost of the signage.

Police Department
This week is National Police Week and today is Police Memorial Day. LPD asks that you pause and
remember everyone answering the call for service, especially during the pandemic.

Building and Zoning
Title Boxing has completed their interior alterations. The alterations were made in order to
accommodate space for their new location. Their new location remains in the Shoppes of Loveland
retail center further south next to Honest -1 Auto Care. The space formerly occupied by Title
Boxing is being converted into a larger space as part of the new Dollar Tree store. The Dollar Tree
is progressing quickly with the recent completions of their rough-in plumbing and electrical.

Four building permits have been issued for the five lot Cedar Drive development; two of which are
in the finishing stages. The other two permits are still in the process of construction and the last
remaining lot is for sale.

It has been reported that the two townhomes on South Second Street are beginning to sell. When
complete, this project will consist of four townhomes, two of which have been completed, with the
other two awaiting building permit issuances.

TriHealth continues the remodel of their facility with permits for alterations being issued. The
alterations include the addition of a physical therapy section.

The plans for the conversion of DJ’s Food Mart to a laundry mat have been approved. Their permit
is ready to be issued. The laundry mat is reportedly called Tiger Express.

Section 3 of the Butterworth Glen Subdivision has completed their one-year warranty/maintenance
period. As such, the developer has requested final acceptance of the subdivision and that the
remaining performance bond be released. The improvements have been inspected by City Engineer
to be in good working order and up to City standards. This item is expected to be on the next City
Council agenda for approval. Section 3 is the last of this four-section subdivision.

Finance
Our external auditors, Clark Schaeffer Hackett, commenced our annual audit this week. While most
of the testing work has been completed, all of the pieces will be finalized in the next
month. Consistent with COVID19 guidelines, the vast majority of the audit has been done remotely
and has worked out well.

With the re-opening of City Hall, traffic has been relatively light both inside and at our drive-thru
window. The public has been respectful of the physical changes that were made, and staff is
adjusting to the new normal.

Upcoming Meetings
The Ad Hoc Committee to Review Council and Committee Rules will meet by Zoom Video
Conference on Thursday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m.
City meetings conducted through Zoom are live streamed on the City’s YouTube page, Loveland,
Ohio City Government. YouTube is ADA compliant. All YouTube uploads are automatically
closed captioned. Viewers can read along by selecting CC on the bottom of the screen.