Glen Newman discusses his concerns surrounding brine water in the Mid-Ohio Valley at Thursday’s Vienna City Council meeting. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

VIENNA — Vienna City Council gathered Thursday evening for a regularly scheduled meeting centered on financial updates, a presentation on local environmental concerns and a proposed “Play Street” designation for 31st Street.

The public forum portion of the meeting had several local residents who expressed support for a proposal by Mayor Chad Emrick to designate the 700 block of 31st Street as a “Play Street.” This designation would limit vehicle traffic in order to create a safer space for children to play outdoors.

Tara McBride, a mother of three, told the council, “I just wanted to speak tonight as a resident in the 700 block of 31st Street to say that I’m one of many families that would benefit from this change. My children and their friends have found so much joy in playing basketball in the street. It has brought our neighborhood together, and it’s become a small community.”

Alan Schultz also spoke in support of the “Play Street”.

“I’m in favor of this, it would benefit the kids,” said Schultz. “The kids come together, they’re a family, and they play.”

Vienna resident Alan Schultz speaks in favor of the “Play Street” in Vienna during Thursday evening’s Vienna City Council meeting. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

Council members discussed concerns about safety, especially given that 31st Street is an active, two-way road.

“I really don’t know what this involves,” said Councilwoman Tami Rhodes. “Thirty-first Street is an active street with traffic both ways. Unless there’s some sort of blockade, I’m worried about the liability.”

However, after discussing the matter with the Vienna Police Department, it was determined that the street sees very little traffic, and a play street designation would not pose a significant risk.

“After checking with the police department, we found that traffic on this section of 31st Street is minimal,” said Emrick. “This isn’t a through street, and we’re confident that this will be safe for the children.”

Council voted unanimously to designate the 700 Block of 31st Street as a Play Street.

The council unanimously approved a bid for a new phone system for the city. The switch was prompted by the city’s decision to separate its internet and phone services. Currently, the city utilizes a secondary internet service provider, and after reviewing bids, the council selected iTech for the phone system upgrade.

“I’m happy to announce that the Budget and Finance Committee has reviewed all the proposals and is recommending the iTech bid, which includes a monthly cost of $1,852.54 and a one-time charge of $2,574.85,” said Councilman Henry Sasyn.

The city’s decision to separate phone and internet services will now allow for more specialized monitoring of both services, which will be managed separately.

Council also approved multiple budget revisions. The first revision involved transferring $49,564 from the unencumbered fund balance to the street capital outlay account to support ongoing road maintenance projects.

A second, larger budget revision involved moving $529,740 from the city’s unencumbered fund to support various departments, including the police department, contingency funds, and the local pool. This revision also included a $15,000 allocation for pool pump repairs, ensuring the facility’s timely opening despite a pump malfunction.

“Rather than delay the opening of the pool, we’re addressing the pump issue now and working through insurance for the replacement pump,” explained Sasyn.

Guest speaker Glen Newman, a longtime resident of the area and environmental advocate, delivered an in-depth presentation on groundwater safety. Newman, who has decades of experience living and working in the Mid-Ohio Valley, spoke at length about the dangers associated with deep injection wells, particularly those located across the river in Washington County, Ohio.

Newman detailed the contents of “brine water,” a byproduct of oil and gas drilling that often contains heavy metals, radioactive isotopes like radium-226, and chemical compounds such as benzene and formaldehyde. He expressed concern at what he called “lax regulations” in Ohio, combined with the geological mobility of these substances, which could lead to contamination of local groundwater systems.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.