(VIDEOS: SNYDER, PETERS & CERRETA) NORTH CANTON COUNCIL PRESIDENT JON SNYDER SAYS HE IS NOT FOR CENSORING "SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE" (SWAP) CONSIDERATION OF "FRACKING"/"STREET SWEEPINGS" AND THE LIKE WHEN NORTH CANTON DRINKING WATER SAFETY IS AT STAKE.

On January 17th of this year at a meeting of the North Canton City Council, a controversy erupted that probably has its origin out of the larger Stark County community.

Chris Borello of the Concerned Citzens of Stark County (CCSC) has been in dialogue for some time via email with former Canton Health Director Bob Pattison about protecting the quality of drinking water in North Canton.

Why Bob Pattison?  Because he (a North Canton resident) is the chairman of the North Canton Source Water Assessment & Protection Committee (SWAP).

Borello (a Plain Township resident and former Lake Township resident) has been concerned about the integrity of Stark County drinking water supplies since she first got active as a concerned citizen (about 1983) with the revelation that hazardous materials were dumped by area industrial companies in a quarry about a half mile south of the center of Uniontown during the time span 1966 through 1978.

The site is now known as the Uniontown Industrial Excess Landfill (IEL - 1984) superfund site. Superfund is a designation of federal legislation designed to deal with hazardous material cleanups.

Borello's focus appears to be based on her fear of an underground migration of contamination leeching from IEL into water sources for nearby communities (for a contrary view insofar as North Canton in concerned CLICK HERE).

Borello and her supporters fears have been heightened of late because of the onset of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") in Stark County and, in particular, concerns that fracking may be in the offing on lands in Plain Township near to a city of North Canton well field which they feared might jeopardize the safety of the well field as a source of drinking water for North Cantonians.

Former North Canton councilman Jeff Davies took an interest in the Borello et al fracking concerns in the last year or so of the end of his term in office.  However, he dropped the effort for what he said in an email to Plain Township Trustee Lou Giavasis (a leading Stark County opponent of fracking) was pre-election pressure being applied to North Canton Council by the Stark Development Board:

With his defeat in the 2011 elections, one had to wonder who might pick up where Davies left off.

The answer seems to be two-fold:  first, the Source Water Assessment & Protection Committee, and, secondly, Councilman Jeff Peters (Ward 2) to the extent that he is leading the effort to protect SWAP in its "drinking water protecting" function from an recent attempt to amend Ordinance 58-07 (originally passed on 06/25/2007) to give the Superintendent of the North Canton Water Treatment Plant the authority to set the agenda and determine when the committee should meet.  See the 01/17/2012 MINUTES which elaborate on the intentions as explained by various council members in offering the amendment in the first place.

It seems that some on North Canton Council (prompted by concerns expressed by council's legal counsel that SWAP fracking and street sweepings considerations may compromise city legal positions)  were not all that thrilled that SWAP had gone off recently into a consideration of the fracking process and its byproducts and street sweepings as they might affect the quality of North Canton's drinking water. 

One area media outlet ascribed a "censor" motive to Council President Jon Snyder.  But last night he told the SCPR his position was mischaracterized and that he is not in favor of changing the role/function of SWAP, to wit:



It appears to the SCPR that Councilman Peters has been effective to stop the move to "censor?" the scope of SWAP's functioning.  And, by the way, he told The Report that he had not been approached by the oil and gas industry and pressured not to consider anti-fracking legislation pre-the-2011-council-elections.

While on the surface, council is waiting for SWAP chairman Bob Pattison to return from vacation in Florida in April to move forward on the amendment, Councilman Peters tells The Report that he is confident that he has the votes to defeat the attempt to amend 58-07 should its sponsor(s) persist, to wit:



Also speaking to the issue was Councilman-at-large Mark Cerreta (apparently, as chairman of  the Water, Sewer and Rubbish Committee) who appears to be the prime driving force on council pushing for the amendment, to wit.



If Peters is correct in his assessment, it appears that SWAP will maintain its original function and role and will be free to consider whatever issues surface that the committee thinks could affect the potability of North Canton's water.

So in the end, the whole thing about refashioning SWAP may well prove to have been a "tempest in the teapot!"

OXYMORON REIGNS IN NORTH CANTON CITY GOV'T? CONFUSION & CERTAINTY ON THE FUTURE OF CITY OWNED ARROWHEAD COUNTRY CLUB: BOTH AT THE SAME TIME?

 UPDATE:  09/12/2011 AT 5:50 PM

The Report received a telephone call from Jon Snyder who is the president of North Canton Council.

He pointed out the appraisal report itself says that the appraisal was for tax evaluation purposes, to wit:

A difficulty in determining whether or not the existing lease is going to have life beyond December 31, 2011 has to do with the current lessees' desire to have North Canton pick up taxes beyond $50,000 per year.  Snyder says North Canton is not willing to agree to pick up the taxes in excess of $50,000, but the city would pass on any reduction in taxes granted by the Stark County auditor's office in a North Canton request of a reappraisal from what Sndyer says is about $2.6 million currently down to the $1.9 that the appraisal pegs itself to as being the marker for the most likely market value.

Moreover, he said that when he received a copy of the report that one thing  he said to himself was that people were going to think that the reason for the appraisal was in preparation for a sale.

Snyder denies that such is the case.

Snyder says he recognizes that some will continue to think that a possible sale was an additional reason for paying the $3,800 for the appraisal but reiterated that such is not the case.

ORIGINAL BLOG

You talk about a topic that has taken many twists and turns in North Canton government and politics it is the city's purchase of Arrowhead Country Club (Arrowhead) which includes the Fairways golf course, a restaurant and a swimming facility.

Reports keep surfacing that North Canton City Council is considering putting Arrowhead up for sale, but there are also ample denials.

The sale issue first came up as having come from Council President Jon Snyder in conversations he had with Daniel and Hillary Mueller when a July 19th rain deluge inundated Arrowhead which in turn spilled over onto the Mueller property and caused them to get flooded.

The Muellers say Snyder indicated that the city could not fix the drainage problems from the golf course because the property was under lease and that a proposed $10,000 or so study of the problems would not go forward because the property was being considered for sale.  Snyder denied to the SCPR that he said to either of the Muellers that the property was up for sale.  He said he thinks they misunderstood.

As if the status of Arrowhead is not already confusing enough, Mrs. Mueller has decided to run as a "write-in" candidate against Snyder, in part, because of his handling of the flooding issue.  The Report hears that the Muellers have filed a "moral claim" with North Canton Council for damages their property suffered as a consequence of the flood.

It seems like one sure thing about Arrowhead is that it is fast becoming a place of choice for "political football" among North Canton's governing elite. 

Another certainty increasing appears to be that should North Canton sell the country club, it will sustain a huge capital loss.  Perhaps as much as $2.3 million.  The city recently commissioned an appraisal of the club facilities at a cost of $3,800.  If no sale is being contemplated as asserted by Councilman Snyder, why spend money for an appraisal?

In the latest turn, it appears that Chuck Osborne (a former councilman), who is currently running for council-at-large, is having a "I told you so" moment in light of the Valuations Services appraisal.  Osborne was the only councilperson who voted "no" on the purchase for Arrowhead for $4.2 million in 2003.


Tom Rice was mayor and said to be a leading proponent (along with Councilman Jon Snyder [4th Ward; now council president]) of the Arrowhead purchase.  Current Councilpersons Kiesling (who abstained on the Arrowhead vote), Foltz and Snyder (all of whom are running for re-election) were among North Canton's 2003 legislators: 

The SCPR is told that when Arrowhead was purchased, it was bought with the idea of controlling the development of the area and, for some city officials, to, perhaps,  turn it into a financial investment.  There was talk that North Canton might turn it into a municipal golf course.  However, that idea was quickly scrapped when it became obvious that such was not financially viable.

The Report's take is that the reality in North Canton is that city officials are wringing their hands as to what to do with Arrowhead in view of:

• the flooding issue (which go back as far as 1947), and
• what might be the end of the lease (effective:  December 31st) of Arrowhead with R&S Golf Properties, Inc.; to wit:

New Councilman Mark Cerrata (Daryl Revoldt's replacement on council who is seeking "retention" as a member of council) at last Tuesday's work session reportedly said that Arrowhead is not for sale.

Confusion (on the fate of Arrowhead)?  Certainty that if North Canton sells Arrowhead it will take a financial bath?

Indeed!!!

NORTH CANTON'S DISPOSITON OF ARROWHEAD COUNTRY CLUB SURFACES - ONCE AGAIN - AS A HUGE ISSUE IN THE DOGWOOD CITY. DID COUNCIL PRESIDENT JON SNYDER "UNWITTINGLY" MAKE IT THE "HOT POTATO" OF CITY POLITICS?

UPDATE:  09/01/2011 AT 1:00 PM - AMPLIFICATION OF LEASE TERMS

UPDATE:  10:45 AM - CLARIFICATION ON THE $10,000 STUDY

Since the publication of the original blog, the SCPR has spoken with Hillary Mueller.  She says that the $10,000 figure, more or less, was her estimate of what the city was planning to spend on drainage issue analysis. 

Councilman Snyder tells The Report that he has not discussed a proposed North Canton study with the Muellers and that they would have any such discussions with Mayor Held or one his administration official.  Moreover, he says that he never moved to scrap the study and that it is still on the table and should be forthcoming about the end of September.

ORIGINAL BLOG

Fourth Ward (North Canton) Councilman and, in fact, Council President Jon Snyder may have unintentionally put the city owned Arrowhead Country Club back into headlines this week.  Headlines that may not be all that good (politically, that is) for the 14-year North Canton councilman.

July 19, 2011, the day of the rainfall deluge and manifold flooding in North Canton, may have an additional consequence of being a turning point in possible political leadership changes occurring in North Canton come the November election.

THE BACKGROUND 

In a storm of controversy which involved the then Councilman Chuck Osborne (not currently a councilman, but who is running this time around for councilman-at-large), North Canton in April, 2003 purchased the 105 acre Arrowhead complex for $4.2 million.

Osborne was so opposed to the acquisition that not being content in simply voting "no" as the lone dissenter to the buy, he started a petition drive to put the question to North Canton voters via a referendum initiative.

As Osborne tells it, Councilman Snyder and the then Mayor Rice were the leading proponents of the transaction.

In researching the matter, the SCPR was surprised to see The Repository editorial board entered into the fray "hot and heavy" in coming down hard on Osborne, to wit: the following excerpts:

"Ordinarily, we would not so quickly oppose a referendum that gives people a chance to become directly involved in the decisions of governance.

Wow!

A newspaper that participates in "Sunshine Week" every spring of the year selectively chooses when citizens should have the right to weigh in on government decisions?

And brings the full weight of being the only newspaper in a "one newspaper town" and Stark County's "only countywide newspaper" down on a citizen activist?

THE PRESENT

As a consequence of being flooded out because of runoff from the North Canton owned Arrowhead Country Club, Daniel and Hillary Mueller contacted their councilman, who happens to be Jon Snyder, seeking a resolution of the runoff problem.

In the course of conversation, Councilman Snyder is said to have let it out that North Canton had been planning to spend $10,000 to do a study on ways to fix the problem.

What happened next is in dispute:

The Report is told that Snyder then indicated that funding the study would not be a wise course of action since North Canton was in negotiations to sell the property.

Here is where reports of the Mueller/Snyder exchange get dicey.

Daniel Mueller (from his email response to SCPR questions):

Jon Snyder did mention the sale of Fairways golf course and the loss the city would have [been] in excess of 1M.  He denied officially when confronted at the  meeting last night during new business session, and unofficially acknowledged the lease [North Canton leases Arrowhead out for $150,000 per year, but pays the property tax except for newly added taxes which amounts to about $53,000 per year] was ending Dec 31st [lessee does has option to renew for two three year terms] and the sale of the property could occur at that time.

Jon Snyder (in a telephone conversation) made the following points to the SCPR:

• Arrowhead Country Club generated draining problems (existent since 1946/1947) will only get fixed if and when the complex is sold because a new owner would have to comply with city enforced subdivision regulations,
• North Canton cannot fix the problems because the property is under lease and therefore the city cannot impose a drainage solution,
• That the Mueller take on the property being up for sale was due, perhaps, to a misunderstanding.  He says he was talking about the city being approached to renegotiate lease terms and conditions; not about negotiations concerning an imminent sale.  "At this particular time there is nothing on the table [concerning a sale]," he said.
• On the Mueller flooding problem he said that he thinks he has been attentive to them, the discussions have been firm and not hostile and that Hillary Mueller said to him:  "Not addressing her flooding problem is not acceptable."

On the heels of this controversy as to who said what with respect to the sale/lease of Arrowhead, word came down from the Stark County Board of Elections that Hillary Mueller has filed as a write-in candidate to oppose Snyder on November 8th.

Snyder speculates that she has filed because of what he terms "her moral claim," presumably not having the flooding problem fixed which Snyder says is beyond his power to deliver.

The SCPR is in the process of setting up an interview with Hillary Mueller and plans on doing a follow-up blog (or an update of this blog) on the reasons she gives (as opposed to Snyder's conjecture) as to why she is running for the 4th Ward seat.

While it is clearly an uphill if not a virtually impossible task to win on a write-in basis, for Snyder (who came out "unopposed" for "on the ballot" candidates which had an August 10th filing deadline) the mere possibility that Mueller could parlay his and the city's failure to solve long standing flooding problems has to be somewhat discomforting.

In any event, no matter who one believes as to whether or not Snyder spoke to the Muellers about an imminent sale, it is clear that the fate of Arrowhead Country Club has emerged (because of Snyder bringing up Arrowhead's status) as "one hot - political potato" for the North Canton City Council and the Held administration and 4th Ward Councilman Jon Snyder, in particular.