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Marietta City Council took a stance on mending bridges of trust Wednesday before canceling a scheduled special business meeting Thursday morning.
"I want to use this as an opportunity to point out one final thing and I want us all, all of us who are present, to keep this in mind," prefaced Councilman Geoff Schenkel, D, fourth ward, at the close of committee discussion Wednesday. "What we're experiencing today with rushing at the last minute, and the resistance that is clearly there as a result of that, underscores the importance of engaging council early on ideas."
The idea on the table Wednesday was a pitch for the city to apply for a state grant for the Historic Harmar Bridge, a move proposed not at first by the owners of the bridge, but by a third interested party.
"Council can be a very effective partner in working on projects. We are not, however, a rubber stamp," he said. "I want us all to remember that as we move forward, getting in front of council early is exceedingly important, especially when you have six, eight, 10 moving parts."
Schenkel's words were echoed by all of council.
While the issue at hand Wednesday was the rushed call for council to approve a Transportation Alternatives Program grant application for the Historic Harmar Bridge's conceptual construction work slated for no earlier than 2023/2024, the message has been echoed repeatedly in the past three years with newer faces serving on council over the past two terms.
Councilwoman Cassidi Shoaf, R, at-large, has repeatedly noted a need for exhibits provided to legislators from city departments with more time for review than minutes or hours before a scheduled vote or deliberative committee meeting.
Likewise, City Law Director Paul Bertram has equally called upon council to provide adequate time for legislation preparation by his office in order to ensure legal parameters are thoroughly written to protect the liability of the city.
Wednesday's chastisement of Mayor Josh Schlicher working with Historic Harmar Bridge Company's President Chuck Swaney and Marietta Rowing and Cycling Club's Paul Lewis and George Banziger was the latest example.
"I think if we can take away one really important lesson from this meeting is how easy it is for things to become very contentious and difficult when we do not get in front of council, early," said Schenkel.
Bridge application denial
Councilwoman Susan Boyer, D, at-large, noted early in the call she was not in support of the grant application, echoing language of her time serving as a judge for Washington County Common Pleas Court.
"I find that there's no definite plan, there's no definite design, the piers haven't been inspected, the bridge hasn't been inspected for six years and my understanding is this kind of bridge requires an inspection every two years," she listed. "There's no redundancy built into this bridge if even a small part of it fails, the bridge is in trouble."
Swaney noted which types of insurance the Historic Harmar Bridge Company currently has to date, and where the group is still unable to insure while pending its latest reinstallment effort of its 501c3 nonprofit status.
"The Harmar Bridge company currently has liability insurance for all of our assets and property on the west side, and we have Board of Directors' insurance," said Swaney, including the train cars, and post office building on Gilman Avenue. "With our limited financial resources, no company will authorize insurance for the bridge."
What's Next
Council is next scheduled to meet for a finance committee on Monday at 4 p.m. and in Lands, Buildings and Parks Committee immediately following.
The first regular business meeting of the new month is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Janelle Patterson may be reached at jpatterson@mariettatimes.com.