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Council Minutes of 4/1/97 the state of the schools. If the State cannot put out minimum guidelines for education, '~` then those companies will look elsewhere. A good school system is one of the top five factors in locating a business. 3) Recently, Congressman Kucinich held a meeting regarding the Great Lakes Initiative. The GLI is a way of cleaning up the Great Lakes and is sponsored by and was written by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency using chemical standards. The problem with the Great Lakes is pollution. There is more toxicity in the Great Lakes than in most rivers and streams. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has been fighting the use of chemical standards as opposed to biological standards and toxicity standards. North Olmsted has been using the standards as set by the Ohio EPA in its treatment of wastewater. Since we have been following those standards, the portion of the Rocky River that is not toxic and is breeding fish is the portion that is downstream from our effluent. Our effluent is cleaning Rocky River based on the standards of the Ohio EPA. The GLI rallying cry is the reduction of mercury, yet there is more mercury in rainwater than what is allowed by the U. S. EPA standards. We are at a level of mercury that is undetectable. However, if we were under GLI standards, we would have been in violation of our permit. The reduction of mercury under the GLI guidelines is not making our system any cleaner or any more livable. The Ohio EPA's goal-oriented system to reduce pollution is a good idea. 4) Last fall, the Mayor requested that the Ohio EPA rescind the order issued to the city dealing with past copper and mercury violations. These orders required the city to develop and implement plans to locate and eliminate sources of mercury and copper within our sanitary sewers, which we have done. On March 21, the Mayor received a letter from the chief of surface water for the Ohio EPA who stated that the city is in compliance with both the loading and concentration limits from copper and mercury and has satisfied the requirements of both sets of orders. He went on to say that it is not the policy of the agency to revoke properly issued orders, but he did consider the matter closed and he appreciated the city's efforts to improve the environment and upgrade water quality. 5) In May, the Tower City bridges rehabilitation project will require buses using Prospect Avenue between Ontario and Superior to detour to the Public Square area. Routes using the Huron Road corridor will be affected later in the summer or in early 1998. The NOMBL and RTA routes will be affected for several months but will eventually be returned to their normal routes. 6) The State Treasurer has begun a series of educational seminars for individuals who handle government money. Law Director Gareau: 1) In 1962 as a student intern of political science at Kent State University, he wrote a report on school funding in Cuyahoga County and came to basically the same conclusion on school funding as the recent Supreme Court decision. The system was broken back in 1962, and it has taken this long for the Supreme Court to recognize that fact. 2) The record in the Biskind administrative appeal has been filed. 3) There are two lawsuits pending with regard to the Moran group home. Mr. Moran's attorney has been notified that the city has never made a final ruling with respect to the case because it went to the Board of Zoning Appeals where the variance was denied. 2 .. „_.,.~ ~ .~ _ ,T ~..__