09/03/2002 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 9/3/2002 .~ AUDIENCE. PARTICIPATION Janet Saringer, 23336 Stoneybrook Drive, asked the Mayor who a resident should contact in the absence of a Service Director. Mayor Musial said he was acting as the Service Director Jim Dolance, 5968 Forest Ridge Drive, said he would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank the Council, and Councilman Nashaz in particular, for considering the resolution regazding changing of the regulations for driver's licenses for elderly drivers. He felt that the changes should be started at an eazfier age; however, he does think we have to start somewhere. Mr. Dolance provided the following information from the National Safety Department: On the basis of estimated annual travel, a fatality rate for drivers 85 and over is 9 times as high as the rate for drivers 25 through 69 years of age. That statistic alone indicates that because of dementia and Alzheimer's there is a much higher percentage of incidents for people of that age who are involved in accidems. He stated that he is not against older people-he is one of them at age 65. He is trying to protect those people and people that might be involved in accidents because of their impairment. That is where he is coming from, and he thinks everyone should think of it in that manner. Alzheimer's is increasing at 10% a' yeaz. The age of people 65 and over is going up constairtly. The so-called "baby boomers" are becoming the largest percentage of the population. Those aze the people who, as they get older, aze developing dementia and Alzheimer's. It's not their fauh-it's a disease. But it must be addressed. Thank you to the Council for considering the resolution and sending it to the Ohio General Assembly. He would like to see this addressed eventually at the federal level. Alex Rychlik, 27900 North Park Drive, said he read in the newspaper a few weeks ago about the Mayor getting less money than he had before. He doesn't think the Mayor should get less money as he thinks the Mayor does a good job. Cliff Crabs, 25575 Butternut Ridge. ^ Mr. Crabs asked who has the responsibility for mowing the tree lawns along Great Northern Boulevard. The state put the road through there, and for a while those azeas were being mowed. Now suddenly they are not, and the weeds are over a foot high. Mr. Limpert asked what area he was speaking about. Mr. Crabs said south of Butternut where the state put the road through. Mr. McKay said prior to this yeaz, the city was mowing the grass. The residents have a street on both sides of their property. Actually, the front of their house is what they aze responsible for according to our ordinances. The situation is that these people have a frontage on Columbia Road and, since Great Northern Boulevard went through, they have a frontage on the rear end of their property. Mr. Crabs said he did not believe that is really frontage because it is limited access through there. Mr. McKay said he had talked with the prior Service Director, and the agreement was that the city would continue to cut that due to the extenuating circumstances. Mayor Musial said the city would take a look at that problem. ^ Mr. Crabs said he had concerns about the West Nile Virus. Everyone knew this was coming. It is primarily a disease of the older generation, but is not limited to the elderly. He noted that there are cat tails growing in the ditches along 480, and 10 ,~~,.a,,, ~~.: 4 ter,, K... ... ~_.. .... , ,_ _