Moreland Hills At a Glance June 2011

Message from Mayor Susan Renda

Dear Resident,

Because of the unfortunate consequences of the rainy weather this spring, the May 7^th Greening the Hills and Service Facility Grand opening were postponed. THE NEW DATE FOR GREENING THE HILLS AND THE SERVICE FACILITY GRAND OPENING IS SATURDAY, JULY 23, FROM 9:00 A.M. TO NOON.

Good advice, bad information: In our last newsletter a resident suggested that when you are doing your vacation newspaper and mail hold orders online you also let the Police Department know you will be out of town so they can give your property special attention. Unfortunately we gave you the wrong email address. The correct address is: POLICEDEPT@MORELANDHILLS.COM.

You may fondly remember the white street signs that used to hang at every corner in the Village. The state required that we replace them with larger, reflective signs that are more visible, especially at night. Several people have asked about purchasing the old signs so we have decided to sell them at the July 23^rd Greening the Hills event. We will hold a silent auction for all the signs. If not all of them are sold this July, we will continue to hold silent auctions at future Greening the Hills events.

The funds raised from the sale of the street signs will go into a separate account which will be used to purchase new American flags to hang along the main roads in the Village. Each year the Village spends an average of $1500 to replace flags that are tattered. This fund will help defray those expenses.

You will find a flyer enclosed in the newsletter regarding an informative meeting at Village Hall sponsored by our Green Commission. Kyle Drefuss-Wells from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and Village Engineer Jeff Filarski will talk to us about the changes coming to Moreland Hills regarding new sewers and the new stormwater management program. The sewer issue will affect only those residents currently on public sewers. The stormwater issue, however, will affect everyone in the Village. Join us on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. at Village Hall to learn about the programs, fees, and how to reduce those fees.

If you have not done so, please check out our new website at www.morelandhills.com. I am still recruiting people to sign up for the “House of the Month” feature. Thank you to those who have volunteered. If you would like your home photographed later in the year we can certainly accommodate that request.

We recently held a Health Fair in our new Service Facility as a part of our Wellness Program. Dr. Kevin Cooper of University Hospitals volunteered to do skin cancer screenings for us. We sincerely appreciate his time, talents and service to his community. The fair was partially sponsored by Chapman and Chapman with support from Aaron Marinelli, another resident. We are truly grateful for all our residents who take an interest in what we do.

Finally, we continue with THE BIGGEST LOSER program. The losers/winners this month were: Ross Fowler (-6.6%) Tricia Ingrassia (-1.8%) Scott Bennett (-1.6%), Mike Bode (-1.3%) Stan Sirk (-0.9%) Mark Volpe (-0.8%) Ted DeWater (-0.8%) Kevin Wyant (-0.5%) and Greg Potts (-0.2%). Congratulations!
Green Tips

Natural spaces are a great treasure and we need to do all we can to protect them while enjoying what they have to offer. Moreland Hills Parks and Green Commissions recently hosted an invasive species removal event at our 124-acre preserve, Forest Ridge. An invasive species is defined as a species that is non-native to the ecosystem and whose introduction causes environmental harm. Although we specifically focused on garlic mustard removal, there are many invasive species of concern in northeast Ohio. You can help stop the introduction and spread of invasive species and, thus, help protect native plants and animals by following some easy guidelines.

• Verify that the plants you are buying for your yard or garden are not invasive. Replace invasive plants in your garden with non-invasive alternatives. Ask your local nursery staff for help in identifying invasive plants or get a list from Village Hall.
• Clean your boots before you hike in a new area to get rid of hitchhiking weed seeds and pathogens.
• Don’t “pack a pest” when traveling. Fruits and vegetables, plants, insects and animals can carry pests or become invasive themselves. Don’t move firewood (it can harbor forest pests), clean your bags and boots after each hike, and throw out food before you travel from place to place.
• Don’t release aquarium fish and plants, live bait or other exotic animals into the wild. If you plan to own an exotic pet, do your research and plan ahead to make sure you can commit to looking after it.
• Volunteer at your local park, refuge or other wildlife area to help remove invasive species. Help educate others about the threat.

Safety Corner: 21 Credit Card Fraud Prevention Tips

1. Try not to let your credit card out of your sight whenever possible, and make sure you get it back as quickly as possible. (You do not want anyone writing down your account number)
2. Be very careful to whom you give your credit card. Don’t give out your account number over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know the company is reputable. Never give your credit card information out when you receive a phone call. (For example, if you’re told there has been a computer problem and the caller needs you to verify information.) Legitimate companies don’t call you to ask for credit card numbers over the phone.
3. Never respond to emails that request you provide your credit card information via email – and don’t ever respond to emails that ask you to go to a website to verify personal (and credit card) information. These are called “phishing” scams.
4. Never provide your credit card information on a website that is not a secure site.
5. Sign your credit cards as soon as you receive them.
6. Shred all credit card applications you receive.
7. Don’t write your PIN number on your credit card – or have it anywhere near your credit card (in the event that your wallet gets stolen)
8. Never leave your credit cards or receipts lying around.
9. Shield your credit card number so that others around you can’t copy it or capture it on a cell phone or other camera.
10. Keep a list in a secure place with all of your account numbers and expiration dates, as well as the phone number and address of each bank that has issued you a credit card. Keep this list updated each time you get a new credit card.
11. Only carry around credit cards that you absolutely need. If you carry extra credit cards that you rarely use, you may increase your chance of losing one and may not realize it is missing until much later.
12. Open credit card bills promptly and make sure there are no bogus charges. Treat your credit card bill like your checking account – reconcile it monthly. Save your receipts so you can compare them with your monthly bills.
13. If you find any charges that you don’t have a receipt for – or that you don’t recognize – report these charges promptly (and in writing) to the credit card issuer.
14. Always void and destroy incorrect receipts.
15. Shred anything with your credit card information on it.
16. Never sign a blank credit card receipt. Carefully draw a line through blank portions of the receipt where additional charges could be fraudulently added.
17. Carbon paper is rarely used these days, but if there is a carbon that is used in a credit card transaction, destroy it immediately.
18. Never write your credit card account number in a public place (such as on a postcard or so that it shows through the envelope payment window)
19. Ideally, it’s a good idea to carry your credit cards separately from your wallet – perhaps in a zippered compartment or a small pouch.
20. Never lend a credit card to anyone else.
21. If you move, notify your credit card issuers in advance of your change of address.

At Your Service: Chipping Program Guidelines

Chipping of woody materials is offered on the third week of each month, starting in April and running through October. The first 15 minutes are provided at no charge. Any additional time needed for the chipping will be charged at a rate of $30.00 for each 15 minutes over the allotted time. Place the materials on your driveway apron three days prior to the week of chipping. (Dates are noted on your Village calendar)

Do not place any materials in ditches or cul-de-sacs. Branches must be cut to 4 foot lengths, stacked in one direction and tied with string. This procedure will allow the Service Department to chip each stack in a most efficient and timely manner. The procedure is also safest in protecting our workers from any injuries. Material that is not neatly bundled will be tagged and cannot be chipped until requirements are met.

Ordinances and Resolutions Passed 5/11/2011

Ordinance 2011-5 : An Ordinance for the payment of the bills in the month of March in the amount of $297,704.65

Ordinance 2011-29: An Ordinance enacting a new section 153.21 “Village Campus-Wide Smoke Free Policy” of Chapter 153 of Title One Administrative Code of the Village of Moreland Hills.

Ordinance 2011-35: An Ordinance providing additional appropriations, transferring items already appropriated. A monthly housekeeping item.

Ordinance 2011-36: An Ordinance amending existing Section 705.05, alarm user responsibility; false alarm, to provide for the issuance of a notice of false alarm determination and to provide for false alarm fees.

Ordinance 2011-37: An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to purchase a full-size Ford F-350 Pickup, through the State of Ohio Department of Administrative Services Cooperative Purchasing Program at a cost not to exceed $25,307.41.

Ordinance 2011-38: An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to purchase a minimum of 80 percent up to a maximum of 120 percent of the estimated salt tonnage requirements of the Village for 2011-2012 through the State of Ohio Department of Transportation’s contract for sodium chloride.

Ordinance 2011-39: An Ordinance amending Chapter 1355, Comprehensive Storm Water Management, repealing existing Chapter 1355 of the Codified Ordinances.

Ordinance 2011-40: An Ordinance amending Chapter 1349, Erosion and Sediment Control of the Codified Ordinances, repealing existing Chapter 1349.

Ordinance 2011-41: A Resolution establishing the Powering Our Communities Grant Fund.

Ordinance 2011-42 : An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with Specialized Construction, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $167,462.00 for the 2011 Asphalt Pavement Maintenance Program.