BUCYRUS— During the Bucyrus City Council live-streamed meeting Tuesday evening, a letter dated April 6, from Jill A. Schiefer, an environmental specialist with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, was read by council clerk Todd Hill.

The letter highlighted three outstanding violations city officials have not yet remedied at the water treatment plant. The violations include:

Letter citation #1 and OAC Rule 3745-83-01(H)(1), “The owner and operator shall ensure that all facilities and equipment necessary for the treatment and distribution of water shall be maintained, at a minimum so as to function as intended.”

  1. a) On March 16, 2020, Ohio EPA-NWDO received the 2017 and 2019 leak detection reports. The 2019 leak detection report shows the unaccounted water loss for the city to be at 23%. The unaccounted water loss needs to be below 15%. Therefore, this violation has not be resolved.
  2. b) Provide a copy of the cites plan to lower the unaccounted water loss to less than 15%.
  3. Letter citation #2 and OAC Rule 3745-87-02, “In order to ensure the long-term viability of public water systems, all public water systems shall demonstrate the managerial, technical, and financial capability of the public water system to comply with this chapter and rules adopted thereunder. Demonstration of capability shall be made through a written description of an asset management program that is acceptable to the director.”
  4. a) On March 30, 2020, the city asked for an extension to respond to this violation. Therefore, this violation is not resolved.
  5. b) Complete the Written Description Checklist of an Asset Management Program and provide a copy of the checklist by email to Ohio EPA-NWDO.

. Letter citation #3 and OAC Rule 3745-87-03(B)(9), “Capital improvement plan (CIP).”

  1. a) On March 30, 2020, the city asked for an extension to respond to this violation. Therefore, this violation is not resolved.
  2. b) Provide a copy by email of the three to five-year CIP and five to twenty-year CIP to Ohio EPANWDO.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city now has until Oct. 30 to remedy the issues and Mayor Jeff Reser said he and his staff are working with Schiefer.

During his report to council, Reser thanked Bucyrus citizens for the great job they are doing in following the governor’s orders under the current state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hang in there, be tough and thank you for all you are doing,” Reser said.

He also reminded small business owners to apply for loans that are now available to assist them in paying their employees and stay afloat throughout the current crisis.

Reser said masks are available for citizens that are being sewn by people throughout the area and to call the mayor’s office if one is needed and he can assist in obtaining one.

He said even though public swimming pools are closed under Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton’s order, the city is taking applications for lifeguards and concession stand workers to be ready if the Aumiller Park pool can open at some point this summer.

Reser said he and city service safety director Jeff Wagner are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bring the Aumiller Park concession stand into compliance since it is in a flood zone.

“It was built in 2006 by volunteers with volunteer funds and the city signed off on it then. ODNR did an audit a little while ago and said the city has to fix it,” Reser said.

He said the stand only floods once in a while and the city will not be making a claim on it anytime in the future and that it is a waste of taxpayer dollars to have to make changes to it.

“The water flows in, flows out of it, we mop it and open it back up,” Reser said. “That wasn’t good enough, so we are at the point right now where Makeever and Associates are working on a plan. We have to waterproof it, move everything up, the electrical and everything, or tear it down.”

He said the other option is to raise it up three feet from the ground.

“I guess we are going to be doing it because FEMA says we are going to be doing it,” Reser said. “I fought it for a while because I felt it was a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

He said when a plan is created the issue will come before council for a vote and that the stand may still be used in the interim.

Council voted to send a proposed resolution back to the service committee for an itemized list of supplies to be added before taking a final vote since the legislation was on its third reading.

Also during the meeting, Bucyrus resident Vicky Dishon spoke about a letter regarding the rules of council she sent to be read at the March 3 council meeting was not read during the regular council meeting.

In a text message with Dishon, Council President Kurt Fankhauser said the Ad Hoc Committee did read the letter during its meeting and approved all of her suggestions.

Dishon agreed but said her letter still should have been read during the regular council meeting or that she should have been given more than the allotted five minutes at the March 17 meeting to read the letter herself since she had been out of town March 3.

Resolutions for an easement for Finley Hill near Arby’s, airport repairs and an authorization for the city to sell equipment no longer needed on Govdeals.com were kept to second readings.

The joint council committee meeting is Thursday in an online setting at 6 p.m. and the next regular council meeting is April 21 at 7 p.m.