City council holds interviews for citymanager

Franklin City Council met for five hours in executive session Monday night to interview the two finalists for the city manager position.

Therewere 36 candidateswho applied for the position that willbe vacated on Dec. 31when the current city manager, Sonny Lewis, retires.

A council committee reviewed the applications and resumes and narrowed the field to eight semifinalists, whowere interviewed last week. Fromthat round, the committee cameup with two finalists, Franklin Fire Chief JonathanWestendorf and Nathan Cahall, village administrator of Plain City, who were interviewed by the entire council Monday.

Franklin Mayor Brent Centers said that the new city manager would be announced at council’s Dec. 21 meeting.

Feasibility study with Montgomery County

Franklin council approved an agreement with Montgomery County for a joint feasibility study torepairorreplacea791-footretainingwall that is inboth jurisdictions along North Dixie Highway in the city and Dayton-Cincinnati Road in Miami Twp. The Great Miami RiverRecreationalTrail runs along the bank of the Great Miami River between the river and wall.

CityEngineerBarryConwaysaid there are safety hazards along the bike trail and that 53% of thewall is inside the city limits.

Conwaysaidthecity’scostforthe feasibility study will be $100,000.

He said the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office estimates the cost of the project at $1.6 million.

He said the feasibility study should be completed in 2021, with design work to be completed in 2022, and construction should begin in 2023.

Lift station replacement project

Council also approved a contract to replace the Third Street lift station thatwas constructed in 1937. This will extend the sanitary sewer alongSouthRiver Streetand installing a force main from the lift station to the sanitary sewer.

Ford Development Corp. submitted the lowest and best bid of $648,000 in a field of three bidders. Conway said the city has already budgeted the cost of the project in the IssueTwo fund. He said this is an Ohio PublicWorks Commission project and the city will be reimbursed for 47% of the project up to $300,000.