Mariemont council creates capital project fund to hold $30,000 for Dale Park restoration

Council voted to create a capital project fund to hold $30,000 transferred from the Mariemont Preservation Foundation to support restoration work at Dale Park, and adopted a resolution declaring the fund and the project. Committee minutes presented to council showed the Health & Recreation committee had recommended spending up to $30,000 to clean, repair and treat the Dale Park statuary pending conservator recommendations.

"That $30,000 that we're spending was actually transferred over to the village from MPF as the first installment going into the Dale Park Fund," one committee report said. Council members moved to create a capital project tonight so the funds "cannot be spent for anything other than that project," and the resolution was read for the required readings. Council suspended rules to allow second and third readings and later revoked the emergency clause after adoption; votes were recorded as unanimous.

The council also recorded the committee's recommendation that MPF's $30,000 be used specifically for cleaning, repair, treatment of limestone statuary and sealing the base pending conservator guidance. The council asked that the transfer be reflected in the minutes and that the capital project be established as restricted for that restoration work. No contract vendor was selected at the meeting; the committee had cited conservators at McKay Lodge in Oberlin, Ohio as a potential provider to be considered.

The resolution creating the capital project fund and subsequent votes were all recorded on the council floor with each member saying "Aye." The council also recorded a separate earlier committee recommendation to spend up to $30,000, and members confirmed the intended restrictions on the funds in the minutes.