City public hearing highlights flaws

Centers located in Lorain, Elyria

A Vermilion public hearing brought criticism Feb. 8 to a proposed prohibition of junkyards and modular storage units.

Mayor Jim Forthofer said before public comment that the idea behind the junkyard ordinance is to avoid more of those businesses like the one on Liberty Avenue on the east side.

“My motivation was this: the junkyard at the east end of Liberty Avenue that greets residents and visitors when you enter the city bothers me a lot,” Forthofer said. “I know it bothers a lot of people a lot.”

“It presents an image to the city that’s exactly the opposite of what we’re trying to develop, and when we work so hard developing our eastern corridor as a presentable place for new commerce.”

The ordinance proposes the prohibition of junkyards established in a list of districts in city limits, including several different residential, industrial and business zones.

Having worked with law director Kenneth Stumphauzer on the legislation, Forthofer said variance could be applied for and approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals to allow for approval of certain junkyard projects.

This may allow junkyards to be placed in more secluded and hidden parts of Vermilion, the mayor said.

If passed, the legislation only would be applicable to future junkyards.

“Sadly, the adoption of this ordinance will not solve the east end of the Liberty junkyard, as it is a pre existing situation,” Forthofer said.

The city is working with the junkyard property owner and Lorain County commissioners to find an “equitable solution” to the business in part of the city’s lakefront connectivity plan.

Some Vermilion residents found issue with how broad the definition of a junkyard is in the legislation.

Resident Homer Taft said during the hearing that the ordinance may have implications that are not intended due to other conflicting legislation.

“I have no love for the unscreened, so-called junkyard on the east end,” Taft said. “But, I think this ordinance is enormously broad beyond that and prohibits a lot of things you shouldn’t even think about prohibiting in districts where you shouldn’t even think about prohibiting it.”

Taft said repair shops and recycling centers, among other businesses, may be impacted by the ordinance if it were passed.

He also questioned if variances legally could be passed if the city prohibits a certain use in its districts.

“When you put something in a prohibited category in an ordinance, it is beyond the ability of council the mayor, the planning commission, the board of zoning appeals or anybody else to allow them in that district period by law,” Taft said.

Ward 5 Councilman Brian Holmes said the state defines a junkyard as the storage of three-yearold model vehicles or more that are deemed inoperable, meaning no tires, wheels, transmission or engine.

Forthofer said Stumphauzer informed Holmes that the definition used is in the ordinance is similar to other local communities that have defined junkyards in legislation, and the intent is to make the ordinance appealable.

Storage units

As for the modular storage units, Forthofer said the ordinance mainly is to prohibit the use of shipping containers as storage units, and was drafted after residents voiced criticism over a proposed rezoning of land for a storage unit facility project.

“This is not to prohibit them in the city when they’re used for their intended purpose, which is to ship products to the retail or commercial business,” he said. “This is to prohibit them from being used as a secondary purpose, which is storage units.”

This ordinance also would allow variances in the districts it effects, including certain residential, commercial and industrial zones.

Along with other Vermilion residents, Bill McCourt said during the hearing that the definition of these units were too broad.

“I just feel this particular ordinance is way too broad, does not hit the mark, doesn’t even come close,” McCourt said.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Barb Brady said many manufacturing businesses often order parts that come in these units and don’t use them right away, along with residents who are moving from one place to another and need something to hold their belongings.

Brady said only allowing 30 days for these units to store goods may be detrimental to businesses.

“I’m also concerned that we’re overreaching here,” she said.

Ward 3 Councilman Steve Holovacs said these units are transported to and from a contractor’s business to job sites, which could sit there for nine months up to a year as a place to store tools and materials.

Both ordinances are tabled and will be discussed Feb. 22 at the next city council meeting.

As temperatures drop in Northeast Ohio, the Neighborhood Alliance is ramping up to help the homeless in Lorain County by supplying them with warming centers.

The centers are located at Sacred Heart Chapel, 4301 Pearl Ave. in Lorain, and the Salvation Army, 716 Broad St. in Elyria, which started emergency housing over the weekend.

Gloria Olivencia, director of Shelter and Emergency Services Outreach for Neighborhood Alliance, said the warming centers will be available until April 15.

“We’re able to give members of Lorain County a safe place to sleep and avoid the harsh winter weather,” Olivencia said. “They also get snacks and meals.”

Currently, the Neighborhood Alliance is accepting donations from volunteers to help distribute meals to the warming centers, and also, two hotels where additional homeless families and single individuals are residing.

Each attendant receives bedding, hygiene supplies, breakfast, to go lunch and dinner.

With the novel coronavirus pandemic still underway, Olivencia said precautions are taken to keep everyone safe and healthy.

“The cots are six feet apart, and the men are laying on their cots head to feet so it gives them 12 feet apart from head-tohead,” she said. “We are required to wear masks, and the floors are marked with arrows for flow.

“Residents can only exit on the side of the bed that is designated to maintain the six-feet rule.”

Eating trays were placed with a chair by each bed so that the residents are not sitting together, and again, maintained six feet apart, Olivencia said.

Temperatures are taken and a screening completed every time someone returns to the building for the night, she said.

For Lorain County resident Gary Oberg, the warming centers make all the difference.

“I was living under bridges and it was cold outside,” Oberg said.

“These centers are way better than staying in the cold.”

Oberg said he’s received a lot of help from the Haven Center and Neighborhood Alliance to begin his trek back to finding a stable job.

“They don’t just do things like this,” he said. “When all of my identification was stolen from me, they helped me get it back, so now I can try to find a job.

“They’re helping me get my stuff together.”

Not only has the Neighborhood Alliance helped Oberg, but it also has assisted Lorain County resident Tyrone Baldwin.

Baldwin, who works daily, said the nonprofit has given him a place to stay when he hasn’t been able to make ends meet.

“I have a car, and before they had this warming shelter, I was sleeping in there,” he said. “It’s cold outside. It’s so cold.”

Baldwin said while the warming centers are beneficial for the homeless population, there still are some issues.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity; I have a pillow and lots of blankets,” he said. “But I’m a working man. Some of us work and need to shower.

“We’re also in a pandemic and need to stay healthy and wash our hands and bodies as much as we can to stay safe. They’re doing all they can to make sure we’re six feet away from each other and are safe and healthy though. I just wish we could clean our bodies. I want to look presentable.”

With spaces for several men at each location, plus the two hotels for single women and families, Olivencia said the Neighborhood Alliance is accepting donations, including toiletries, towels, washcloths, twin sized sheets, blankets, granola bars and bottled beverages.

“Anyone that is needing shelter will need to contact Coordinated Entry at 440240-0455, leave a detailed message and a good phone number where they can be reached,” she said. “Coordinated Entry staff will contact the individuals back within a 24-hour period.

“Men will be placed in the warming centers, and there will be a decision where the families and single women will go.”

LYRIC AQUINO — THE MORNING JOURNAL The warming center provided by the Neighborhood Alliance and partners at Sacred Heart Chapel. Residents stay from 8p.m. to 8a.m. are served two meals and are given a lunch to go.