City Council Meeting - October 21, 2013 from David Whittaker on Vimeo.

A rash of vehicle break-ins, the status of several construction projects and a civil service test for the fire department — those items and more in the latest weekly Mentor city manager report to City Council:

Police Department
• On Oct. 9, three vehicles had their windows broken in the parking lot of the Mentor Ice Arena; nothing was stolen. Two vehicles’ windows were broken at Melt Restaurant; purses were stolen from each vehicle. One vehicle’s window was broken at TGI Fridays; nothing was stolen.

• Another incident involving a male and female team approaching an elderly resident on Bellflower asking about completing tree trimming services. The female suspect tried to lure the resident to the backyard, but was unsuccessful. The male suspect remained in the vehicle. The suspects left after the victim told them her son was coming home soon. The suspect vehicle was a grey or cream colored SUV. This matches the suspect vehicle description from the previous burglaries involving a male and female team.

Engineering
• SR 306 Resurfacing (SR 84 to Kirtland Road) — Currently the project is approximately 40 percent complete. Placement of the asphalt surface course could be performed this week and may require daytime lane closures. Work remaining includes casting adjustments, curb work, loop detectors, guardrail and the asphalt surface course. The project remains on schedule for the Oct. 31 completion date.

• SR 306 Concrete Repairs (Bellflower to Adkins) — Work continues in the southbound curb lane. Currently the concrete work is over 35 percent complete. Once the southbound curb lane work is complete, work will continue in the second southbound lane. No work is scheduled for the northbound lanes. Traffic restrictions for northbound and southbound vehicles will continue throughout the project.

• Hoose Road Resurfacing and Culvert Replacement — Work is scheduled to begin this week. The contractor will first grind the asphalt surface to the required depth and then will perform full depth repair work at locations to be determined. Culvert work will occur while the remainder of the roadway is being resurfaced. Traffic will be maintained; however, delays are expected. Further updates will be provided as the project progresses.

• Beechwood Drive Storm Sewer — The storm sewer on the east side of the road has been installed. The contractor is working on road crossings for inlet basins on the west side of the road.

• The Munson Road Resurfacing Project — This is proceeding as scheduled. The Shelly Company is currently working on adjusting castings to grade, updating curb ramps to ADA standards and installing traffic loop detectors. The asphalt surface course is scheduled to be installed on Monday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct. 22. The project has a completion date of Oct. 26.

• Sanitary Backup Reduction Grant Program Update: 114 applications have been received to date; 81 applications have been reviewed; 53 applications have been approved; 22 applications are on hold until sufficient information from applicants is provided and 24 applicants have completed the work and have been approved for reimbursement.

Fire Department
• On Oct. 9 at 8:20 a.m., Squad 1142 was called to mutual-aid to assist Willoughby Fire with a motor vehicle accident on State Route 2 westbound. Mentor Paramedics treated and transported a male patient from the accident.

• On Oct. 9 at 10:27 p.m., the fire department responded to a rescue call where a male fell down the basement steps of a residence. He was treated and airlifted to Metro General Hospital.

• On Oct. 10 at 2:37 p.m., Mentor Fire was called to a business on Center Street to perform an elevated rescue of a person stuck in the bucket of a service truck approximately 30 ft. in the air. The worker was servicing exterior lights when the hydraulic controls failed on the truck.

• Oct. 6-12 is Fire Prevention week with this year’s safety message of “Prevent Kitchen Fires.” The department participated in several public educational visits over the past week to promote fire safety. The visits included a safety day at Home Depot and Kmart, as well as, several visits to schools and daycares where safety flyers were distributed to children to take home to their families.

• The Civil Service Commission is accepting applications through 4 p.m., Thursday for Career Firefighter/Paramedic for the upcoming candidate testing scheduled for Oct. 23.

Economic and Community Development
• Tom Thielman and Terry Botirus conducted an SBA 504 Loan closing with Parker Precision, Inc. on a $1.2 million equipment loan.

• The City, in cooperation with Lake1Stop, the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce and Laketran, sponsored a holiday job fair on Wednesday; 30 employers and approximately 170 job-seekers attended.

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

Some local impacts of the federal government shutdown are being felt in Mentor, firefighters are thinking pink, and the city is helping find a possible use for the dreaded phragmites - those items and more in the weekly Mentor city manager report to City Council:

Manager Comments
• Final preparations are being made for the Lake Health Northern Ohio Marathon scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 13. A majority of the race will be run through Mentor and currently about 900 people are signed up. Due to the current federal government shutdown, a marathon scheduled for the same day along the Cleveland towpath may not take place. Because this is used by many in the area as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, it is possible our event could see a huge influx of participants at the last minute.

• The recent Federal Government shutdown has resulted in all SBA loan programs being put on hold. Limited loan servicing actions are still being processed, but no new loan approvals or closings. In all other respects, no city services to this point have been impacted.

Fire Department
• Firefighters approached the administration for approval to wear pink T-shirts in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. After receiving approval, the firefighters’ union purchased T-shirts and members will be wearing them while on-duty during the month of October.

• On Sept. 28 at 9:27 a.m., the fire department was called to a car vs. utility pole and trees on Broadmoor Road. The driver refused treatment. The pole snapped nearly-in-half and fire crews remained on scene to secure the area until CEI crews were able to secure the power.

• On Sept. 28 at 3:25 p.m., the fire department was called to a car vs. motorcycle accident. One patient was extricated from underneath the car and the other motorcycle passenger was found injured sitting on the curb. Both were treated and transported to the hospital in stable condition.

• On Sept. 29 at 9:21 a.m., the fire department was called for smoke in a restaurant. Fire crews arrived to find a haze of smoke in the building due to a problem with a rooftop HVCA unit. The unit was shutdown and the building was ventilated. There were no injuries or loss of business. The unit was repaired.

• On Sept. 29 at 8:01 p.m., the fire department was called for a cooking fire at a house. Crews arrived to find the fire contained to the stove and there was no fire extension to the house.

• On Oct. 2 at 5:18 a.m., Mentor Fire Department responded to MABAS Box 2112 for an apartment in Painesville. The fire was quickly brought under control. There were no injuries.

Police Department
• On Sept. 30, at 3:50 p.m., officers responded to a burglary report on Forest Lane. The 81-year-old resident was approached by a female claiming to be from a tree service. While she went outside with the resident, a male accomplice entered the home and stole numerous valuables. On Oct. 1, at 5:20 p.m., officers responded to a home on Broadmoor Road near Johnnycake Ridge Road for a burglary involving another elderly victim. The description of events, suspect vehicle, and suspects are similar to the burglary on Forest Lane. Both cases are under investigation by the Detective Bureau.

• On Sept. 30, at 9:45 p.m., officers responded to a reported robbery at Discount Tobacco, 7359 Lakeshore Blvd. A male made his way into the stock room as an employee was counting money just before store closing. He demanded the money she was counting, as well as money from the safe. No one was injured and the case is being investigated.

Parks
• The city of Mentor has, once again, worked with the Kalahari Resort for a special group getaway rate, which includes overnight accommodations and four admissions to America’s largest water park. The special City rate is 40 percent off the regular rate. For more information or to make reservations, call the Kalahari Resort at 877-525-2427 and request the “City of Mentor Group Rate.”

• Letters have been sent to service groups, organizations and church groups looking for volunteers for the “Teens In Action” program to help the elderly with fall clean-up. If you know of a group looking for service hours, please have them contact Recreation Superintendent Paul Hegreness at 440-974-5720.

Engineering
• The Heisley Road Bridge over SR 2 has reopened to traffic ahead of the October 15th completion date. Remaining work under the bridge, restoration work and punch list items are scheduled to be completed by the completion date. Temporary lane closures may be necessary to complete this work; however, traffic will be maintained for the remainder of the project.

• The City has been advised that daytime construction operations will be necessary Tuesday and Wednesday for roadway reconstruction and adjustment of utility castings. During this period lane closures are expected between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Traffic will be maintained by the use of flaggers. It is recommended that traffic avoid the intersection of SR 306 and SR 84 whenever possible during this work.

• Shown below is a summary of Building Division activity comparing July 2013 with August 2013:
Prior Month Month of
July 2013 August 2013
New Permits Issued 393 459
Valued at $12,874,453 $15,421,148

Building Permit Inspections 733 910
New Plan Review Cases 73 82
Engr./Bldg. Permit Plan Reviews 297 330
New Contractor Registrations 66 68

Finance
• Income tax collections for the month of September were down $36,000 when compared to September of last year. The current total year collections through September as compared to last year are up 2.3%.

Public Works Department
• Chipped Phragmites for the Natural History Museum compost experiment
• Jail renovations - complete
• Repaired gutters at Senior Center
• Removed dead trees at Civic Center Park
• Crack sealing - Acacia
• Full depth asphalt repairs - Hopkins @ Hendricks
• Tree trimming on Corduroy for signage visibility
• Harrison/Collins drainage project - underway
• Storm sewer cleaning - Lakeview, Elm, Brookside, Beechwood
• Storm sewer televising - various streets in Ward 1
• Re-profiling roadside ditch on Hendricks near Heisley

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