Income tax collections are up, food may be coming to Mentor Lagoons and the city’s first community garden is ready to open. Those items in more in the latest city manager memo to council:

Manager Comments 
• We have issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to prospective restaurant owners/concessionaires to provide food and non-alcoholic beverage service to the public at our Lagoons Marina and Nature Preserve for this upcoming season. The RFP is posted at our website under the “News” tab and notice will appear in this Sunday News Herald, the City’s Facebook page, Channel 12. It will also be disseminated by the various Lake County Chambers of Commerce. The deadline for proposals is May 16, 2012, and we hope to have service starting in time for the Memorial Day weekend.
• The city obtained public records made pursuant to a records request regarding a recent Addendum to the agreement between the City of Painesville and the Shamrock Business Center approved by the Painesville City Council. The addendum states the responsibility of each entity in advancing the development of an additional 300 housing units. We will review the documents with the law director for compliance with the settlement agreement between the cities and determine if any action by Mentor is needed.
• Dave Swiger and I met with representatives from CT Consultants this week to discuss the creation of a storm water modeling program. The administration is interested in better understanding the current system efficiency and limitations and to be able to have tool we can use to evaluate alternative storm system improvements and establish priorities. CT will prepare a proposal for a first phase model of the system “backbone.”
• Income tax collections for the month of April were up $126,000 when compared to April of last year. The current total year collections thru April as compared to last year are up 15%. We expect collections to “normalize” to more realistic levels as we proceed through the after tax filing deadline.

Police Department
• Sometime over this past weekend a storage shed, located on Tyler Boulevard, was forced open and numerous supplies belonging to a dart league association were stolen. Also stolen was a trailer used to transport the supplies by the owner.
• On May 1, two suspects were arrested at the Super 8 motel in connection with several warrants, possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Both suspects are alleged to be responsible for several burglaries in the Cleveland 2nd district.
• Unit 525 was struck by another vehicle while stationary on the SR2 assisting a disabled vehicle. The unit sustained damage to the left rear section requiring repairs. The officer was not injured due to the accident.
• On May 5, Great Lakes Mall hosted Law Days. The police department will have a display featuring a marked cruiser, SWAT members and weapons, members from the Detective Bureau, Crime Prevention and Dispatch. The event will continue all day at the mall. One highlight of the event will be the awards presentation of winners from the Mentor Police Department’s third-grade seatbelt safety poster contest at 2 p.m.

Fire Department
• The Department is continuing several educational campaigns to reduce harm in the community. Hands on CPR, Marsh Fire Awareness, SIDS Program and Third Grade Educational Tours start next week at the Children’s Safety House. 
• Hydrant flushing and testing continues.
• Part-time Firefighter negotiations are ongoing.
• On April 30, Mentor Haz-Mat Technicians participated in scenario based training that included controlling various types of chemical leaks along with decontamination training. The training was held with members of the County Haz-Mat team from other Lake County communities at the Lubrizol Plant in Painesville.
• Reminder that a Retirement Party to celebrate the Retirement of Deputy Chief Thomas Talcott and Fire Lieutenant Allen Keeney is Friday, May 11 held at the Patrician Party Center in Eastlake. Tickets can be purchased through Mentor Fire Administration.

Engineering and Building Department
• Stoneybrook Lane/Garfield Culvert Improvement – The Stoneybrook Lane/Garfield Road Culvert Improvement project is expected to start on or about June 11 this year.  The project has experienced a delay due to utility conflicts which were resolved.  Because of the utility conflicts, the fabrication of the new culverts was delayed and, as a result, they will not be delivered to the job site until the end of May or early June. Any updates to the construction schedule will be forwarded as they are received.
• Corduroy Road Streetscape Improvement— A preconstruction meeting for the Corduroy Road Streetscape Improvement project was held on Tuesday, May 1 with the contractor, TC Construction. The project is located between the Mentor Headlands IGA marketplace and Jordan Drive.  The contractor expects to start construction on or about the third week in May. Work will in-clude the removal of asphalt parking in the right of way on the east side of Corduroy Road, the construction of a 6” vertical curb along both the east and west side of the road, new concrete drive aprons on the east and west side of the road, and new tree lawn with street trees. The scheduled completion date is June 15.
• The Engineering & Building Department has issued a grading permit for the large field east of Pinecone Drive and south of Diamond Centre Drive. The scope of the permit includes relocating a portion of Wasson Ditch, which flows northerly from the railroad tracks and eventually crosses Heisley Road just south of LaMalfa.  This ditch is within a FEMA-regulated floodplain.  A hydraulic analysis was performed by the property owner and submitted to FEMA for review.  FEMA has issued a Conditional Letter of Map Revision for the proposed ditch relocation. After construction and final acceptance by FEMA, the limits of the floodplain in this field will be contained within the re-located Wasson Ditch.

Parks and Recreation Department
• April was a very busy month at Black Brook Golf Course with the warm weather. We have had 3,149 rounds compared to last April’s 1,934 rounds.
• The grand opening “planting event” for the community garden will be Wednesday, May 16 at 9 a.m. All of City Council is invited. This is a way of thanking the Lake County Health District and Kaiser Permanente for the $14,750 grant. Dr. Andrea Zets will be representing Kaiser at the event. She is one of the Physician Ambassadors and works out of the Mentor medical offices. The community garden is 100% full and people have started their planting.
• On Thursday Kathie Pohl and Paul Hegreness met with Neil Zurcher who did some filming for Channel 8 at the Lagoons. The segment will be shown on Fox 8, May 22 at 10 a.m.
• We continue to make final plans for Mentor’s Bike Day on May 19 from noon to 3:30 p.m. at Civic Center Park. The event will feature a free BMX stunt show at both noon  and 3 p.m. On Wednesday, Mentor’s Safe Route To School coordinator is hosting a bike to school event at Orchard Hollow.

Economic and Community Development
• Ron Traub met with the ownership/management team of a new restaurant.
• Tom Thielman met with representatives of Lake National Bank and the owners of two businesses interested in purchasing land in Mentor and constructing a facility to house each of their respective businesses. The SBA 504 Loan program was discussed.
• Tom Thielman and MEACO are participating in the planning and sponsorship of the 5th annual “Small Business Symposium – Road to Success” scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeland Community College. Topics covered include: marketing and sales, professional/personal development, entrepreneur toolbox, and technology. A keynote speaker will present a 2-hour seminar on “personal safety”.
• MEACO is working with Huntington Bank and a Mentor manufacturing business on a new SBA 504 loan for the purchase of a building to accommodate its continued growth.
• Tom Thielman participated in a video shoot for MEACO. The Mentor Economic Assistance Corporation is producing a series of short video snippets for use on its website and to post on YouTube. Each video explains a par-ticular program or service that MEACO provides to the business community.

Public Works Department
• The Public Works activity highlights this week were:  Crack sealing Broad-moor Road from Mentor Ave. to Rt. 84 is 90% complete; Aster Dr. – repair of 6 curb inlet basins is complete; Senior Center – prep work for landscape up-grade is ongoing; Cemetery – dig and pour 58 head stone footers; Center Street lighting inspection is complete; thirteen of the forty-seven poles re-quire preventative maintenance; Rt. 306 at Tyler Blvd – reset traffic pullbox; Sewer Camera – inspect storm sewers on Jeremy Ave, Weatherby Drive, and Farmington Meadows Allot; and replace concrete driveway aprons on Cedarwood Road and Washington Ave.

-- Betsy Scott, BScott@News-Herald.com, @ReporterBetsy