London Council Weighs Old Police Station Lease, Grapples With Development Complaints

LONDON, Ohio – The London City Council on May 7 heard a request from a local nonprofit to lease or purchase the former police station, fielded resident complaints about construction at a major housing development, and advanced resolutions tied to infrastructure financing.

Anita Lyens, representing LifePoint Family Center, asked council to consider the organization as a tenant or buyer for the city-owned property at 10 East First Street. Lyens said the center, which provides education and resources for families with children up to age four, has outgrown its current rented facility and faces the possibility of losing that space. The center operates on a roughly $90,000 annual budget supported by donations and in-kind gifts, she said.

Mayor Patrick Closman confirmed he had scheduled a meeting with Lyens for the following Monday to discuss the matter further. No vote was taken.

Resident Matt Daly voiced frustration over conditions at the Madison Reserve development, citing early morning construction noise, dust, debris and a lack of mowing. Daly questioned the city’s oversight of large-scale projects.

“There’s no enforcement,” Daly told council.

Safety Service Director Josh Sturgill said police had already responded to a noise complaint at the site. He noted that dust mitigation would be discussed at the upcoming Public Service Committee meeting. Council members acknowledged the concerns but took no immediate action.

In other business, council held a second reading of Resolution 133-26, which would add Madison Reserve parcels to the existing London Gateway Community Authority. The authority is used to finance infrastructure improvements. A public hearing on the measure is scheduled for May 21.

Council also introduced Resolution 134-26, authorizing the city to advertise for qualifications to hire advisors to manage the 19 taxing districts within the city’s tax increment financing agreement. Sturgill said the cost would be paid from TIF funds and that the advisors would help manage the districts, benefiting both the city and the county auditor.

During the public comment period, resident Donna Martin asked about the timeline for new trash pickup services and whether residents could opt out without penalty. Sturgill said details would be provided in the coming weeks.

Council also discussed residency requirements for certain city positions. Sturgill argued that requiring a commercial driver’s license for the street superintendent position should be preferred, not mandatory, a point that drew questions from some council members.

The meeting adjourned after about 90 minutes.

Key moments

Public interest Part 1 · 10:28

Construction noise and dust complaints

Matt Daly: '5:45 in the morning, I'm getting woke up by the beep of construction equipment. That's ridiculous.'

Significant

LifePoint Family Center lease request

Anita Lyens: 'We would love to be considered to lease that property and or buy that property as time moves on.'

Significant

Police building cost overrun

Safety Service Director: 'Police building underground issues are going to cost us about $92,000.'

Contentious

Residency requirement debate

Safety Service Director: 'We think that both the current code, the state code, and our current codified allow us to require residency of certain people.'

Significant

Towing fee regulation update

Safety Service Director: 'We can't regulate what their costs are, but we can definitely not put them on our tow list if it's well outside those numbers.'

Full analysis

Show structured analysis

Meeting Analysis

City of London City Council — 2026-05-07

Meeting Information

Title: London City Council

Parish: City of London City Council

Date: 2026-05-07

Video: Recording

Transcript segments: 2025

Item	Description	Action	Vote Status
LifePoint Family Center lease interest	Anita Lyens, representing LifePoint Family Center, requested consideration for leasing or purchasing the old police station at 10 East First Street, as their current facility is outgrown.	Council acknowledged the request; Mayor scheduled a meeting with Lyens for the following Monday.	No vote taken
Trash service concerns	Donna Martin asked about the timeline for new trash pickup services and whether residents could opt out without penalty.	Safety Service Director responded that details would be forthcoming; no immediate decision.	No vote taken
Madison Reserve construction complaints	Matt Daly complained about early morning construction noise, dust, debris, and lack of mowing at the Madison Reserve development.	Council and Safety Service Director noted the issues; police had already responded to the noise complaint; dust mitigation to be discussed at Public Service Committee.	No vote taken
Resolution 133-26: Adding parcels to London Gateway Community Authority	Resolution to add Madison Reserve parcels to the existing New Community Authority for infrastructure financing.	Public hearing scheduled for May 21; second reading held.	Motion to read by title carried; no final vote
Resolution 134-26: RFQ for NCA and TIF advisors	Authorized advertising for qualifications to hire advisors to manage the 19 taxing districts within the TIF.	Resolution introduced; no final vote taken.	Motion to read by title carried

Police building underground issues cost $92,000; funds transferred from utilities contingency, no additional funds needed.
Street evaluation may be short of funds; some paving projects pushed to next year.

Desire for affordable community space for family services (LifePoint).
Frustration with construction noise, dust, and debris from Madison Reserve development.
Concerns about sidewalk damage from fiber optic projects and lack of repair.
Questions about mandatory trash service and ability to opt out.
Safety hazard from unsecured fire-damaged property at 87 East Lincoln.

Resident Matt Daly expressed frustration over lack of city oversight on large developments, including dust, debris, and sidewalk damage.
Councilmember questioned whether street superintendent should be required to have a CDL; Safety Service Director argued it should be preferred, not required.

Safety Service Director

Police building underground issues cost $92,000; funds transferred from utilities.
Sanitation pre-bid meeting held with three companies; bid opening May 21.
Street evaluation underway; results expected in 1-2 weeks.
Mowing ordinance changes being drafted to shorten enforcement timeline.
Sidewalk plan to be developed after May 13 training.
Working on forcing Omni to repair sidewalk damage; considering maintenance bonds.

Safety Service Director to send email to railroad company about rough tracks.
Councilmember to send email about 87 East Lincoln fire-damaged property to Safety Service Director.
Safety Service Director to bring mowing ordinance changes to committee.
Street evaluation results to be presented within a week or two.
Sidewalk plan to be developed after May 13 training.
Residency requirement changes to be brought to Finance Committee on May 11.