The Village of Northfield held its regular council meeting on February 26, 2025, at the Northfield Village Hall. The meeting highlighted significant progress on the new Police Department facility project, along with discussions on municipal matters including employee pay rates and administrative code updates.
Meeting Highlights
Council reviewed and approved several key resolutions during the session:
- Resolution 2025-06: An emergency resolution amending pay rates for certain non-union employees for 2025, which passed unanimously.
- Ordinance 2025-07: An emergency ordinance amending Chapter 244 of the Administrative Code titled Police Department, modernizing the code by removing antiquated sections.
- Resolution 2025-08: An emergency resolution authorizing a change order of $132,379 to the agreement with S&S Interiors for the design and construction of Phase 1A of the new Village Police Department facility.
Police Facility Project Update
The most substantial discussion centered around the ongoing construction of the new Police Department facility. The project, which began in October 2024, is moving forward with positive expectations for completion.
Service Department Superintendent Jason Walters reported that the building is progressing well despite some obstacles. The current construction phase includes:
- Installation of insulation
- Framing of doorways
- Sewer connection work, which encountered some challenges requiring a $5,000 change order (down from an initially estimated $7,500)
“His hope is he’s adamantly believing that he’s going to be ready to move in there in May by the end of May,” Walters noted about the contractor’s timeline, adding that “things are moving [and] he’s doing a great job.”
Renell Noack reported that Police Chief Brian Zajac had received a proposal for equipment and lockers for the new building totaling $72,000. Chief Zajac was working to reduce labor costs, and with a six-week lead time for delivery and the facility potentially opening in May, council approved a motion for this purchase, not to exceed $75,000.
Infrastructure Updates
Village Engineer Dan Collins reported on utility work, including:
- Connection to the sanitary line on Northfield Road
- Upcoming permit applications for the new building
- Coordination with First Energy to install a new pole along Magnolia for underground power and a generator
- Design work commencing on Phase 1B for the police department expansion
Winter Maintenance Challenges
The Service Department reported challenges with salt supplies during the winter season. Despite starting with more salt than used in the previous two years, supplies are running low, and the department has reached its allocated amount from the ODOT consortium.
“I’ve been getting salt and then loaded with salt and I don’t have enough salt,” Walters explained, noting that they’ve used their full 600-ton allocation and are considering returning to the University of Akron consortium after experiencing issues with order cancellation from their current supplier.
Next Steps
The village is continuing to move forward with multiple phases of municipal building improvements:
- Phase 1A (current construction): New Police Department facility
- Phase 1B: Police Department expansion behind the county building
- Phase 2: New Administration building
The next regular council meeting will include reports from both the Police Chief and Fire Chief, who were not present at this meeting.
The meeting ended without an executive session being required.
