New fire chief, new tourism commishes, and a plea for help from the Berea Dolphins
Council Briefs
New fire chief
Charlie Russell has been promoted from the ranks to become Berea’s newest fire chief. The vacancy was created when former fire chief, Shawn Sandlin, left the department to become city administrator. Russell served as the interim fire chief before officially being named to the position.
Russell’s promotion was decided in an executive closed session of Council that followed the regularly scheduled Council meeting.
New Tourism appointments
Mayor Bruce Fraley also announced during his comments section of the meeting that the names of his recent appointments to the Tourism Commission. Former Councilmember Jim Davis, who lost his bid for re-election in last November’s election, and former Berea police chief, David Gregory, are replacing former commissioners Bill West and Alex Sipple, whose terms on the board ended last month.
Fraley thanked West and Sipple, and praised West for having seen the potential of bringing events to Berea to increase tourism.
“Nobody has done more to bring in people for events than Bill and Mary Ann West,” Fraley said. The Wests own Churchill’s, a venue in town.
The Tourism Commission appointments do not need Council approval.
Blue Dolphins
During the public comment section near the top of the agenda, Council heard from Dolphins Swim Team parent, Naomi Sellards, who read a letter composed by fellow swim parent Leah Adams.
In sum, the letter was a plea to the City to acknowledge officials’ poor communication to the team about the readiness of the swimming pool. How could it have been so bad? The letter claimed that just days before Sandlin’s announcement during April’s second regularly scheduled Council meeting, that the community swimming pool — and home pool for the team — would remain closed for the summer for ongoing repairs, the team was told the opposite by City officials. Namely, the Dolphins were told that the pool was set to open on schedule, according to the letter.
And with the confirmed expectation that things were moving ahead as planned, the letter continued, the Dolphins had entered into various agreements with other teams to host a swim meet, among other commitments.
Plus, now they were $3,000 in the hole as they would have to buy time at another pool facility. Because it is a 59-year-old nonprofit, volunteer organization that provides healthy and fun activity for children in a town where such activities are in short supply, the letter read, the Dolphins do not have $3,000 laying around, and instead might have to apply a recently won grant intended for a new supply shed, to buying pool time instead.
The Edge can report that the Dolphins previously approached the City privately in hopes that some of the money recouped by the City from the contractors for being off-schedule could be used to fund the rental of a new swimming location, but that answer was no, as indicated in the letter Sellards read aloud.
And so, if anyone in the public can help the Dolphins raise $3,000, the swim team members will go from blue to happy as their summer swim season will be assured. Here is the Venmo account the Dolphins have set up. Here is their Facebook page for more information about the team.
Public service people proclamation
Fraley proclaimed this month to be Public Service Employees month in Berea, and thanked all the City’s dedicated public service workers. Activities will be held all week in celebration of their dedication, wrapping up with a party at the utilities building across from Tillie’s Dog Park at noon on Friday, May 9.
Interlocal emergency management services
Council unanimously agreed, excepting the absent Katie Startzman, to participate in an interlocal agreement (Resolution 09-2025) with the City of Richmond and Madison County, to provide countywide emergency management services.
Berea’s costs for the agreement has been set at 17% of the total budget annually.
The agreement is set to take place on July 1, but the actual date for implementation is dependent on the end of Department of Defense Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program monies currently paid to the region as a precaution during the decommissioning of chemical weapons at Blue Grass Army Depot. That date is still undetermined.
Other appointments
As for appointments needing Council’s okay, Fraley asked members to re-confirm James Anderson to the Codes Enforcement Board, and to appoint former Councilmember Tom Shultz to the Board as well. Fraley’s request received a unanimous voice vote from seven of the eight councilmembers, as Startzman was absent.
Department head reports
IT
Daniel Brindley, head of IT for the City, told Council that his department of two is currently focused on upgrading storage and has requested proposals from contractors to work with engineers from Dell Computers to outfit the City with the right amount of space, equipment, and network capacity.
IT has also been working with Utilities to install a new server at the Oak Street substation. The department is also working on its budget for next fiscal year, as well as installing new lines to the Tole Building, and cold cloud storage which will help provide backup to the servers at a fraction of the cost of live storage.
An upcoming Microsoft audit will determine if the City is keeping its agreement with the software company to assign only so many users to each license.
Utilities
Kevin Howard, head of utilities also addressed the Council to ask permission to go over budget to replace a 2017 Ford model F-350 that was totaled in an accident this past February. Council agreed unanimously in a voice vote (except the absent Startzman), to allow Utilities to purchase a Dodge Supercab for $58,940, putting the department over the FY24-25 budget by about $57,000.
Howard remarked that the truck had been scheduled for replacement in next year’s budget anyway, so that budget will be adjusted accordingly. A $36,000 insurance claim on the wrecked vehicle was paid out to the City, but went to a different revenue stream, and so could not be applied to the purchase of the replacement truck.
Police
Assistant Chief of Police Aaron Boycan told Council that because utility costs for the drug task force building are now quarterly, his department needs $2, 412.11 right now to keep the lights on. As $7,000 was already budgeted, this means the line item for this expense is now $9,412.11. Council unanimously agreed in a voice vote to disburse the money.
City administrator’s report
Sandlin radvised citizens to check the City’s Facebook page for updates on street resurfacing. The above screenshot shows which streets are currently impacted.
Also, the splash pad is scheduled to open on May 24.
Comments section
Teresa Scenters said the Tole Building restoration is lovely, and expressed her relief that the police officers involved in an incident in WalMart’s parking lot last week are safe (an alleged car thief backed an unnamed officer into another car and pinned him there before attempting to flee; perp was apprehended, cop sustained injuries but was released from the hospital that same day).
John Payne seconded Scenter’s sentiments, and reminded all that the County’s public library system will soon offer its Summer Reading Series line up of special events.
Steve Davis thanked the Dolphins for their representation to Council and encouraged citizens to support them.