Council approves CJI Construction building

by Sue Serdinak

Oct. 1 village council meeting

The meeting opened with Mayor Michael Wheeler, Richfield Village Council members and Planning Director Brian Frantz going into executive session with Law Director Benjamin Chojnacki regarding economic development. Later in the meeting, council adopted a resolution to offer a $125,000 improvement grant to N and L Holdings to construct a 11,000-square-foot building on a commercial lot on Brecksville Road.

According to the agreement, the building will be occupied by CJI Construction, as an office/warehouse for a minimum of 10 years.

Chuck Wolf, chief financial officer with CJI, told council the company has about 35 employees with a $3 million payroll. He explained that the company, based in Macedonia with a satellite office in Florida, planned to construct the building a few years ago but canceled plans when construction costs increased.

“The deal was dead because material costs went up,’’ said Wolf, a resident of Richfield. “This $125,000 incentive brought [the project] back together.’’

According to the development agreement, when Summit County issues an occupancy permit for the building, Richfield Village will make a one-time payment of $125,000 to the company to offset the cost of construction.

Council President Ralph Waszak explained after the meeting that the grant will be paid from the village economic development fund, and a 30-year TIF will be created to repay the village. Revere Schools must sign off on the project, even though no taxes will be diverted from the school district.

911 system

Richfield Village operates and maintains its own 9-1-1 system, but council passed legislation to join the Summit County AT&T Vesta System. The system is supported by a state tax that is assessed on wireless calling services.

IT Director Tim Baker reported that the village annually budgets $12,500 to maintain its emergency calling system. He said the new county system will automatically update the software and mapping, and the village’s maintenance costs will go away. “It’s a great system,” he added.

According to the legislation, Richfield will continue to have two dispatch units, with the village responsible for staffing them. The village system also serves Richfield Township.

Briarwood tax reconciliation

The new section of the Briarwood development was built by Pulte Homes in conjunction with a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) program. As Pulte proceeded with the development, the company paid for water main extensions ($533,000), replacing the existing sanitary sewer pumping station ($2.7 million), lowering state Route 303 ($1.6 million), and extending the sewer line on Briarwood Road ($143,000). 

PILOT funding will also pay for the new sewer line from Brecksville Road to Briarwood and new sewer lines in the older section of the Briarwood development.

According to Frantz, through the PILOT program, the village will have about $5 million that can be used to construct a new service building at 3921 Brecksville Rd.

Safety forces

Police Chief Michael Swanson reported receiving a $6,600 grant from the Ohio Attorney General’s office to replace three expired ballistic vests.

The department is interviewing for full-time officer and dispatch positions. Kalli Spisak submitted her resignation as a full-time dispatcher to attend the police academy.

The fire department offers home safety checks and will change  smoke alarm batteries for residents who can’t.

Buildings and courts

The pickleball and tennis courts have been installed and painted.  They will be opened in October.

The Fellowship Hall project is nearing completion with the installation of fiber cement siding. A new entry and ramp were built and an LED light was installed in the peak of the building.

The stucco on the Masonic Lodge was repaired and painted.

Councilperson Rick Hudak said that red brick is under the stucco and it would be nice to eliminate the stucco.

The step railing to the Green pavilion from the parking lot was installed, and trees were planted on the lawn. More will be planted next year.

Cemetery

Service Director Scott Waldemarson reported that Perrin Asphalt was awarded the bid to construct a columbarium in Fairview Cemetery for $145,000.

Councilperson Jeff Stoppenhagen said the cemetery board wants the rules for placing objects on graves to be enforced. 

“There are many things in the cemetery that are non-conforming [to the rules],’’ he said, “They create a lot of extra maintenance. We are now announcing that we will start removing unauthorized decorations for the graves. Some of the stuff has been up there for several years. It has always been in the rules and we will start enforcing this.”

Council members complimented Stoppenhagen, the cemetery board and the service department for their work on beautifying Fairview Cemetery, located on Brecksville Road.

Pedestrian safety

Waszak reported that the public works committee has looked into the possibility of installing a sidewalk along Broadview Road, from the Apple Ridge development to the center of town. He said that deep ditches make such a project very costly and difficult.

Resident Jeff Treubig, who lives on High Street, said that for people to access Richfield Woods from the east side of Broadview Road, it is necessary to cross the road diagonally. He said this is illegal according to village ordinances. He pointed out that the berm along the west side of Broadview Road is very narrow and unsafe for walkers.

Treubig said a pedestrian has only nine seconds to cross the road after seeing a car traveling south on the road.

All of council members concurred that it is a safety issue.

Wheeler said it would cost about $20,000 to build a crosswalk with a flashing sign. “That will need to be a 2025 project,” he said.

Stoppenhagen reminded council members that they have often talked about installing sidewalks on the west side of the road, from the park to Route 303.

Sewer and water connections

At previous council meetings, a couple of residents said six homes were not connected to the municipal sewer line and continue to use septic systems. They said everyone should help pay sewer fees to help cover the cost of repairs to the system.

Wheeler said owners have been told that they must connect to the sewer system.

Waszak said that some residents on Donna, Amelia, Monica, Richlawn and Paula drives have complained about the quality of their well water. He said the village has engineering plans to install water lines in that area, but it would be very costly.

Nov. 6 meeting date

The first November meeting will be on Nov. 6 instead of Nov. 5, which is election day. At this meeting Robin Gill, astronomy education specialist and dark sky initiative coordinator from the Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio, will make a presentation about dark skies and the importance of reducing outdoor lighting that shines upward.