Sunbury stays with Ohio Plan

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Sunbury Village Council has chosen to keep its insurance plan.

During a March 16 Sunbury Village Council finance committee meeting, committee member Tim Gose, who has a day job in the insurance industry, recommended that the village’s 2016 property and casualty insurance contract remain with Reinhart, Walters & Danner, the village’s current property and casualty brokerage firm that markets the Ohio Plan.

Council members approved the Ohio Plan. The plan has a base limit of $6 million per occurrence with a $9 million aggregate, and $3 million in umbrella coverage for $9 million per occurrence and $11 million aggregate.

Members of the finance committee and Village Council have been considering both the Ohio Plan and a Huntington Insurance Public Entities Pool of Ohio (PEP) product that was offered by Burnham & Flower Insurance Group.

The village’s Ohio Plan was due to expire March 1. Both insurance brokerage firms attended the Feb. 3 and Feb. 17 council meetings. When council members failed to agree on a product following the Feb. 17 meeting, Reinhart, Walters, & Danner principal Gary Walters agreed to a month-to-month extension at the Ohio Plan’s new rate.

Council members were concerned about PEP Plan coverage that would cease if the village canceled the plan, even if an occurrence happened before cancellation. Under the Ohio Plan, coverage is written so that the village could leave the plan, but claims for occurrences while the village was in the plan would be honored.

Last week, Gose said The Ohio Plan, while the cost came in a few dollars more than the PEP Plan, is a quality product.

“Reinhart, Walters, & Danner provides good service, and they’re a known entity,” Gose said.

The Ohio Plan renewal cost is $25,508 for the first half of the year. With a credit of $1,875, the village’s first half net cost is $23,633, and $47,200 annually with the addition of the village’s new dump truck and police cruiser.

In other business, Sunbury’s consulting engineer Wes Hall reported that Pulte Homes’ Sunbury Meadows Section 8 on the east side of State Route 3 is under construction, and Sections 9 and 10 are on the April 4 planning and zoning commission agenda.

Hall said the residential Section 9 is adjacent to Section 8; Section 10 would be a senior product – smaller single-family homes maintained on a condominium basis.

“Champion Homes has submitted their plans for the Sunbury Pointe apartments,” Hall said. “The Sunbury golf course development is on hold, and we’re waiting for final construction drawings for Sunbury Christian Church.

“Romanelli will present a 100-plus unit multifamily plan on Granville Street at the April 4 zoning meeting,” Hall added. “There will be nine or 10 units per acre. They’re at the sketch plan phase. That land is currently zoned industrial.”

Village Solicitor David Brehm said Vince Romanelli and his team would present a high-end multi-family concept.

“The thought is to have a quality multi-family complex like that close to downtown Sunbury,” Brehm said.

After repeated trips to the zoning commission and council from late 2013 into 2014 — that included struggles over building color, exterior lighting and signage — Mount Vernon-based Connell’s Furniture & Mattresses store at 520 Commerce Drive is closing.

Connell’s opened on April 10, 2015. Cameron Fontana of ABC 6 Good Day Marketplace was there, along with a host of Sunbury/Big Walnut Area Chamber of Commerce members to officially welcome Connell’s president, Curt Connell, and his wife, Chrissy, to the Big Walnut business community.

During the council meeting, it was announced that the Sunbury Connell’s Furniture store was not getting the foot traffic it needed to remain open, and that display items in the store are on sale.

By Lenny C. Lepola

For The Gazette

Lenny C. Lepola can be reached at 614-266-6093. Email: [email protected].

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