City of Bellbrook Community Report December 2011 Volume XVII, Issue 3

A Publication of the City of Bellbrook

Volunteer Bellbrook: A Special Thank You To Our Volunteers

In the December 2010 newsletter, the city announced a new initiative called Volunteer Bellbrook. The initiative was encouraged by City Council as a way to provide help to those in need by connecting community volunteers with the elderly and disabled who need assistance.

All over the community, there are those in need of assistance with property maintenance. On the other hand, there are those who want to lend a hand to help

neighbors. The city has compiled a list of volunteers in the past year thatrange from church groups and civic organizations to individuals.

The city would like to thank the Bellbrook United Methodist Church and Mark Chancey for removing branches from two properties and cutting thegrass for several months on another property. The members of theBellbrook United Methodist Church have put in many hours volunteeringthis year.

The city would also like to thank the Bellbrook Lions Club and Gregg Sparks for removing branches from two properties and disposing of an oldrefrigerator for another resident. The members of the Bellbrook Lions Club are very versatile in what they can do and have been a big help this year.

City Auctions Surplus Equipment

For many years, volunteers from thecommunity have taken part in honoringhomeowners with properties that are well-maintained and stand out from the rest. Tenhomes and several businesses are chosen eachyear to receive the Beautification Awards. The City of Bellbrook is proud to announce the 2011award winners below. Congratulations to ourwinners!

Area A 4512 Moss Oak Trl - Karen Winters 4228 Brewsters Run – Thomas & Cynthia Wells

Area B 2148 Hillrise Cir – Brian & Diane Harris 4156 Nedra Dr – Caroll & Harold Fryman

Area C 4130 Tareyton Dr – David & Shanda Cridlin 4230 Whites Dr – Mike & Debbie Gross

Area D 32 West Maple St – Jan Meridith 143 Upper Hillside Dr – Rodger & Sharon Dohner

Area E 3935 Northfield Dr – Thomas & Carole Brady 3813 Callaway Ct – Judy & John Sara

Business Winner Bellhop Café – Mike & Heather Sabin Dots Market – Rob Bernhard, Owner Steve Laux, Manager

For more information, you can visit our website at www.cityofbellbrook.org and go to the Bellbrook Information page.

Bellbrook Beautification Awards 2011

The city would like to thank Louis Schatzberg for removing a large branch from one property after one ofour winter storms. Louis is always quick to help his community.

The above volunteers will be honored at the December 12th City Council meeting for their service.

In 2011, the city auctioned a fire truck, ambulance, two police cruisers, air compressor, welder, printers and other office supplies on the GovDeals internet auction site. For the year, the city hasreceived $17,462 for surplus equipment.

GovDeals has greatly increased the return that is received on all items. Most high dollar items, such as vehicles, are purchased by out of state bidders. If you wish to bid on city equipment for sale, go towww.govdeals.com/bellbrook .

July 2009

December 2011 City of Bellbrook Community Report

Community News

Christmas in the Park & at the Bellbrook Historical Museum: December 3rd On Saturday, December 3rd, bring the family and enjoy Christmas activities atBellbrock Park and the Bellbrook Historical Museum in downtownBellbrook.

The Museum is open 12 PM to 5 PM onSaturday and will host the Ukulelians

who will be playing Christmas songs tosing along to from 3 PM to 4 PM. TheUkulelians are a local band fromKettering who play ukuleles and other stringed instruments. From 4 PM to 5 PM, there will be an activity for children to make pine cone bird

feeders. Please bring a bag to carryyour feeder home.

In Bellbrock Park, family activities will be held from 5 PM to 7 PM. There will be carolers from the high school choir, a warm fire, hot chocolate and an appearance from Santa!

Bellbrook Lions Club

Bellbrook Sugarcreek Family Resource Center

The Bellbrook Lions have had a busycouple of months. They had the annual Lions Festival in August where theyraised the majority of the fundsnecessary to do their well knowncommunity activities. The activitiesinclude high school scholarships, boys and girls sports, special needs campsfor kids, sight and hearing programs, school programs, community improvement projects, and the annual

widow and widower basket delivery. Lion President Tad Barnes commented: “Bellbrook and Sugarcreek make up an awesome community and it is their support that enables the BellbrookLions to continue to support thecommunity in return. Even in thisdown-trodden economy, the BellbrookSugarcreek community came out andhad a great time with us during thefestival. When the dust was settled

this winter! The Wright irises behind the Bellbrook Historical Museum are thriving. Winter brings interestingeducational programs for Garden Club members. Visit their website atwww.bellbrookgardenclub.org or contact Club President, Krista Miller at (937) 823-4619 for more information.

The Bellbrook Garden Club had a busy70th anniversary year. The club thanksthe community for making the 10th

Annual Plant Sale successful. With theproceeds, they are able to supportfamily programs presented by theBellbrook-Sugarcreek Park District,provide scholarships to high school

The most recent Community Directoryis available at the Chamber officelocated at 64 West Franklin Street across from Winters Library. For more information email the Chamber at info@bellbrooksugarcreekchamber.com or call (937) 848-4930.

Bellbrook Garden Club

Chamber of Commerce

seniors and fund camperships for middle school students.

With the help of City workers andTom’s Mulch, club members filled the new concrete planters with annuals to brighten downtown Bellbrook allsummer and mulched other public gardens. Look for evergreen displays

and everything was paid, we brought in about three percent more than we did the past couple of years. Thank you!”

In the past several months, they have brought on five new Lions. Of the five new members, four of them are women. Anyone interested in community volunteerism is encouraged to contact Lion Tad Barnes at tbarnes5@woh.rr.com or (937) 554-2490.

The Bellbrook Sugarcreek Family Resource Center thanks the residents and businesses in the community who support thecenter and families in need. There have been a record number of people seeking assistance this year and a record number of residents served through the Ministerial Food Pantry. Christmas is fast approaching and some area families are struggling.Most are meeting their everyday bills but are worried about how they will be able to provide Christmas gifts for their children this year. Some are struggling due to unemployment, overwhelming health expenses, reduced hours, or low paying jobs. For them, Christmas assistance means their child will wake up to presents under the tree and a meal to share. If you would like to help a family or child this holiday, contact Susan Lopez at (937) 848-3810.

Sugar Maple Festival Citizen of the Year Do you know someone who has beenactive in making the community abetter place to live or has performed aservice considered above and beyond the call of duty? If so, you cannominate someone for the 2012 SugarMaple Citizen of the Year! Nominationforms can be downloaded from the

Sugar Maple Festival website www.sugarmaplefestival.com. Formscan also be picked up at the Bellbrook City Building, the Sugarcreek Township Building, the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Park District Community Center or Dotsmarket after January 6, 2012.

Winters Bellbrook Community Library You know the library has lots of books and movies to entertain and to inform. Did you know that the library also has many great online resources for your use? Someof the newer ones include Consumer Reports, Chilton Auto Repair, Law Depot (lawforms), Ancestry.com, and Mango language instruction. Check it out! Upcomingprograms: Holiday magic show, special December story times and crafts, and avintage quilt show in January. For more information, visit www.greenelibrary.info.

December 2011City of Bellbrook Community Report

City News

Dear Friends, Residentsof Bellbrook,

Message from the Mayor David Hamilton, my mentor; MikePuckett, who came on board when weneeded him most; and now MarkSchlagheck, a wonderful addition to our city government. Also, the people who have served on council with me havebeen outstanding, the people who workfor the City of Bellbrook are the best,and the residents are so special. I was blessed to have come to Bellbrook over43 years ago and even more blessed to be part of this caring community. Thisis home.

These are the types of people that I have worked with over these many years and it has been a pleasure, to say the least. Remember that in a small city such as ours, there is no way to spend funds in a frivolous manner, every cent is accounted for and we have always tried to get "the best bang for our buck." Lastly, your opinion doescount; feel free to attend council meetings or call a member of council orthe city manager to ask a question. This is your city and your home.

This is my last letter as mayor. I will miss notbeing able to communicate with youin the coming years bynewsletter. Please know that you may

always get in touch with me if you havea question and I will be glad to directyou to the correct person to handleyour concern.

Thus, in my farewell letter, I only askthat when you vote for people to leadyour city, choose those who do nothave an agenda, but who only want todo the best they can for Bellbrook.

May you all have a happy, healthy Holiday Season and a great 2012.

Sincerely,

Mary C. Graves, Mayor

The past 18 years on the Bellbrook CityCouncil, 16 as Mayor, have been awonderful experience. I have metmany wonderful people, including thethree city managers I have served with:

Waste Collection Fee Reduction City Council recently approved a reduction in monthly fees for waste collection. Thefees were reduced by $1 per month from $17 to $16. This fee reduction was made possible following several years of no costincrease from the City’s trash collector, Allied Waste.

Wilmington-Dayton Road In early 2012, the City of Bellbrook was awarded a grant through the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission to resurface Wilmington-Dayton Road from State Route 725 to Centerville Station Road. The City hasentered into an agreement with M-E Companies for the design of the improvements. Construction is expected to beginsometime after July 1, 2012. The total project cost is expected to be $311,000 and the grant will cover 74% of this cost.

Stormwater Improvements The City has also received a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission for stormwaterimprovements between Ryder Court and Washington Mill Road. Construction of the improvements will start around July 1,2012. The grant will cover 84% of the $223,000 project.

City Council Updates

Waste Collection Normal Schedule Please note that trash collection will not be delayed due to the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. Trash collection will take place on Friday, December 30th, and Friday, January 6th, for those weeks.

City Recycling Program The City has a bi-weekly recycling program. Special items such as hazardous waste, electronics, metal appliances and scrap metal are recycled by Greene County Environmental Services who can be contacted at (937) 562-5925. For more information on the recycling program, call the Utilities Office at (937) 848-4638. See below for the Recycling Program 2012 Schedule.

For more information, visit the Utilities page on our website at www.cityofbellbrook.org .

Waste & Recycling Collection

City of Bellbrook Recycling Program

2012 Schedule

_____2011_____ December 2 December 16 December 30

* Saturday pick up due to observed holiday

_____2012_____ January 13 January 27

February 10 February 24

March 9 March 23

April 6 April 20

May 4 May 18

June 2* June 15 June 29

July 13 July 27

August 10 August 24

September 8* September 21

October 5 October 19

November 2 November 16 November 30

December 14 December 29*

December 2011 City of Bellbrook Community Report

Municipal & Zoning Code Highlights In an effort to keep residents informed,certain provisions of the Municipal &Zoning Codes have been highlightedbelow.

Property owners responsible for maintaining sidewalksSection 660.05 of the Municipal Codedescribes how property owners areresponsible to maintain sidewalks ontheir land. This maintenance includesrepair but also the removal of snow

and ice. If the snow and ice can not be completely removed, salt or sandshould be applied to help with the safepassage of pedestrians.

Gutters The winter brings snow and ice which can damage gutters. Pleaseremember that gutters need to bemaintained so that they are not fallingoff of the structure. This is a common property maintenance and nuisanceissue.

Open Burning Winter is a good time to remove yard debris and leaves. Open burning is restricted in the city for safety purposes. The Fire Department is responsible for monitoring open burning. For moreinformation on what you need to do before lighting the match, call the Fire Department at (937) 848-3272 or visit their page on the website at www.cityofbellbrook.org .

The Service Department has been busy maintaining city properties, streets and the water system.

The water plant project is almost complete with some minor finishing touches.The improvements provide for more efficient distribution to the water system.During the week of October 24th, the department flushed hydrants throughout the city. This provides an opportunity to inspect each hydrant and make sure it workscorrectly. Many hydrants have also been repainted.

Many downtown streets have been resurfaced along with Little Sugarcreek Roadand Portage Path. With street improvements complete, the department ispreparing for upcoming winter weather.

The Policeman’s Badge Christmas treesmay be disposed of for free withnormal trashcollection during the month ofJanuary.

Please cut the tree in sections nolonger than four feet in length.

Christmas Tree Disposal DARE The Bellbrook PoliceDepartment is active in the community and the classroom! Officer Brian Meade taught the Drug AbuseResistance Education (DARE) programto 5th Graders at Bellcreek Intermediate School from Augustthrough October.

For more information on the Police Department, visit our website at www.cityofbellbrook.org and go to our Police page.

Halloween Safety In October, Bellbrook Police Officers discussed Halloween Safety with Pre-K through 2nd Graders at Stephen Bell ElementarySchool.

The Works: Service Department Activity

If you wish to opt out of receiving the newsletter through the mail, you may receive it by email. If you wish to sign up for the email list, please email Don Buczek at don.buczek@cityofbellbrook.org and identify your residential address and include the email address where you wish to receive the newsletter.

As always, the city publishes the newsletter in PDF format on the website at www.cityofbellbrook.org

Electronic Newsletter

Hundreds of community members turned out on Tuesday, October 11th, for some serious fun at the Bellbrook Fire Department Open House. Those attending had theopportunity to participate in health screenings from local hospitals, numeroussafety booths and hands-on demonstrations of fire and emergency medical safety.The event sponsored by the Bellbrook Firefighter’s Association, the City ofBellbrook and a host of local community partners, is designed to provide thecommunity with a fun and free way to learn more about simple safety tips andprecautions.

Bellbrook Fire Chief Scott Hall, stated, "We want to thank everyone in ourcommunity for visiting us each year and supporting our annual Open House. It'salways a great opportunity for us to protect our most valuable asset, our children,and actively take a role in displaying how our fire department will respond in theevent of an emergency. We are happy to have the opportunity to give back to ourcitizens and partner with so many businesses to ensure our children and ourcommunity becomes a safer place to work and live.”

. The Fire Escape: Annual Open House A Success!

Pay Utility Bill Online Coming soon! The city will offer the option to pay your Bellbrook utility bill online with a credit card. A smallconvenience fee will be assessed by the processing company. This new payment option will be available in early 2012.

City of Bellbrook Community Report December 2011

The Fire Escape: Holiday Fire Safety

We think of the holidays as happy times, a chance tocelebrate with family and friends. The Bellbrook Fire Department would like to wish you and your family a safe andhappy holiday season. The Department offers the followingsuggestions to keep your holidays safe:

When purchasing a live tree, look for the following signsof freshness. A fresh tree is green. Needles will be hard to pull from the branches when bent between yourfingers. Fresh needles don’t break or easily fall from thetree when it is bounced on the ground, only a smallnumber of needles should fall off the tree.

To keep your tree fresh, cut off about two inches of the trunk to expose fresh wood for better absorption ofwater. Keep the tree outside your home in water untilyou are ready to decorate and enjoy.

When placing the tree in your home, make sure it is keptaway from sources of heat, such as fireplaces and heat vents. Also, keep the tree away from home exits to allowfor escape in the event of fire.

sets should be connected to one power source. Take care when using candles. Keep them away from

other decorative materials and never leave them unattended. Candles have been an increasing cause of home fires in the past few years.

Make sure that all smoke detectors in the home areworking properly. Batteries should be changed annuallyand detectors more than 10 to 15 years old should bereplaced with a new photoelectric style detector.

Remember, fires don’t take a holiday. By taking some precautions, you and your family can celebrate a fire-safe

City non-emergency services will be closed December 23rd in observance of Christmas Eve, December 26th in observance of Christmas Day,January 2nd in observance of New Years Day, January 16th in observance of Martin Luther KingJr. Day and February 20th in observance of President’s Day.

City Holidays

holiday season. For more information on Holiday Fire Safety, call your Bellbrook Fire Department (937) 848-3272, visit our website at www.cityofbellbrook.org or visit the Bellbrook Fire Department page on Facebook.

Check all lighting before placing it on your tree or home.Look for worn or frayed wires and broken bulbs. Alllighting used should be UL approved and be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on how many

Environmental News

Go back to basics this winter. You can help by following these easy and natural snow removal practices: Shovel snow before it turns to ice to limit the need for de-icing chemicals, like rock salt.

Storm Drain Dumping & Stream Pollution

Bellbrook is a beautiful city with many enjoyable naturalresources. We are blessed with an abundance of good water, natural rolling hills, trees and much native wildlife. Here are a few things you can do thepreserve the natural beauty of our winter season: Stabilize or cover any bare areas in your yard during the winter so dirt does not

erode or run-off. Preserve streamside vegetation. Clean up pet waste and dispose of properly. Minimize use of salt and chemicals. Do NOT dump anything in the storm sewers. Only rain goes down the storm

drain!

Shovel snow onto non-paved surfaces like landscaped flowerbeds or grass. As the snow melts, it will soak into the groundrather than flow directly into a nearby storm drain or stream.

Sand and sawdust can be used as alternatives to commonly used salt products. Cracked corn is another natural alternative to salt.

After snowmelt, sweep up residues, including sand, to prevent it from washing into storm drains and streams. Shoveling snow wisely eliminates ice and snow without harmful chemicals and adds the benefit of physical exercise!

Report a suspected illegal discharge. To report an illegal discharge, call the Bellbrook Service Department at (937) 848-8415 Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. After Hours, call (937) 848-8484. Storm drains are designed to handle stormwater runoff only and do not provide treatment to water or other substances that enter the system. The BellbrookService Department manages the storm drain system in the city. Public education and participation in reporting sightings orevidence of suspicious substances being dumped down storm drains or directly into our local creeks is an important part inpreventing water pollution. Odors, unnatural colors or dead fish are signs that something harmful has entered the water.

As part of our Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) program, we ask citizens who suspect that they have witnessedillegal dumping into a storm drain or water pollution to contact the Bellbrook Service Department at the numbers above. Ifyou are not sure whether an illegal discharge has occurred, please report it and we will determine whether action is requiredto protect the water supply and/or the environment.

KEEP CREEKS CLEAN AND STORM DRAINS CLEAR

City of Bellbrook Community Report

CITY OF BELLBROOK 15 E FRANKLIN ST BELLBROOK OH 45305

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE

PAID DAYTON OH

PERMIT NO 41

City of Bellbrook Community Report

Articles of Interest City Council Volunteer Bellbrook

First year summary of the program and special recognition of volunteers

We’re on the Web! www.cityofbellbrook.org

Community News

Information on community events happening this winter

City News

Information on what is happening at the City and services that we provide our residents

o Message from the Mayor

o City Council Updates

o The Fire Escape

o The Policeman’s Badge

o The Works

Environmental News

The Bellbrook City Council would like to invite you to attend its regular meetings on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. Meetings begin at 7 PM.

For more information about City Council, past meetings and current issues, call the Clerk of Council at (937) 848-4321 or visit the Council page onour website at www.cityofbellbrook.org

City of Bellbrook 15 E Franklin St

Bellbrook OH 45305

Departments Administration........(937) 848-4666Clerk of Council ......(937) 848-4321Zoning .................(937) 848-8477Police ..................(937) 848-8484Fire.....................(937) 848-3272Service.................(937) 848-8415Utility Billing..........(937) 848-4638

Council Members

Mary Graves, Mayor

Mike Schweller, Deputy Mayor

Bob Baird

Denny Bennett

Ralph Fussner

Jon Martin

Joe Ritzel