Foreword, blogger: The comments from two people that were made at the beginning and close to the end of Public Comment, respectively, amount to an exchange on the same topic. They will be grouped together and may or may not be in this post.
Club and Committee Reports: For The Friends of the Center School, Terri announced that we were withdrawing our request to have a fundraiser on October 30 so that we could devote our energy to supporting the trustees in going forward with the primary functions of the building. At present, those are a League of Women Voters Candidates' Night and voting.
Terri Vechery: Asked about the League of Women Voters beginning time.
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: Vic, I have a question about what you called a complaint to the Health and Building Departments at the last meeting.
I thought we were done and clear and had passed the inspections for the annex.
What happened, and what are the consequences of the complaint? Is it going to cost time, or money, or what? [Note: Probably at this point I made added this comment: "It doesn't matter whether it was called an inquiry or a complaint. It functioned as a complaint."]
Vic: Our understanding is that we were doing repairs--the sink did not fit correctly against the wall, but needed to be recut and rewelded. I removed the sink, [repaired it], and we had Dennis [Jahn--sp?] replumb it. There were no shutoff valves so those had to be added. When I was at the shop I removed the strainer baskets and had it(?)them(?) replumbed. [Blogger: The baskets may have to have been replaced. They needed a lot of cleaning.] Vic: I removed the legs and put new ones on to hold it level.
The only thing we did was that there was a water [drinking] fountain in the hallway that we had to remove and we rehung a water cooler.
Our thought was that the rest of the stuff was simple (the trap on the garbage disposal), but we found that we had to rewire the disposal. Everything we did was repair and replace. It was reported or came back to me that it was illegal plumbing.
I believe that the Health Department contacted Mark Hall on that issue. At that point we had to pull a permit on certain items. I am not sure about the cost of the permit--over $100. The funny thing is that we had an inspection on two new hot water tanks in the kitchen and none of this was mentioned then. The inspection was completed, but now we have to have another inspection.
The price will increase. The work will be done under Don Gregory, with Dennis. I don't know [what the] difference will be.
Carole: Thank you. The new permit cost $108. I have the letter, which was signed by Dawn Pechman. Ms. Pechman, ironically enough, is or was a co-chair of the Mantua chapter of the TEA Party, which claims that it wants less government spending. Yet she is causing the township to have to spend more money on the school--despite the fact that hers has been one of the loudest voices criticizing the amount spent. [Blogger: Somewhere in here, I said, "What's wrong with this picture, folks?"]
At the last meeting, Roger Hurd suggested that the trustees consider pursuing harassment charges against a "resident" whose incessant records requests certainly look like harassment to many of us. That "resident" is also Dawn Pechman.
The only positive thing I can find in all of this is that Ms. Pechman has stopped exhorting us about being a community. Her behavior in Mantua Township for years has made it clear that she is not intent on building our community up, but in damaging it.
Larry Lietzow, 4266 S.R. 82: A couple of questions. Mark, a few meetings ago I asked you for what we have in the Center School. Have you figured that out yet.
Mark: I am almost done with that.
Larry: Another question: about the broom [owned by] the township. [Note: This is a street-sweeping mechanized broom.] How long since it has been used?
Vic: I don't know.
LL: All it needs is new brushes?
There was some back and forth about the broom. Larry said the money should just be spent to replace the brushes. Vic said that they had used it to clean up the road after doing tree work.
LL to Marie: I have a request--I would like to have an update of the expenses for the school to August 31 of this year. That is all I have.
Otto Peck, Jr., Center Road: Otto (Larry, as most people call him) asked about the water at the west side of Center Road approaching the curve between his house and Potters'. [Note: I believe that drainage and water have been problems since the hill between Center and Diagonal Roads was clear-cut several years ago.] Vic assured Larry Peck that it was not going to be left that way, and Vic explained the possible fixes for the situation.
Robert Moody, 11783 Mantua Center Road: Mr. Moody reiterated his discomfort with the noise from the aerator at the school's small sewage treatment plant.
Vic and Mark both addressed his comments. Vic explained that they have the material to build a 3-sided enclosure, which they want to make sturdy enough to take a roof if necessary to help mitigate the noise. [Note: The noise level varies, but it has been checked with a decibel meter and when properly adjusted operates within EPA guidelines.]
Vic has replaced some of the parts, but the noise level has something to do with the amount of rainfall. Storms affect it, requiring it to be checked after a storm.
Frank Horack inserted a comment to the trustees here, and then turned and addressed Mr. Moody directly--a breach of order.
Barbara Herbold, 12477 Sheldon: Do you have any plans to replace the tree that came down in front of the cemetery? The Ladies Cemetery Association (LCA) will have to discuss it at our meeting. We would like to have a tree in memory of one of our deceased members.
About This Blog
The purpose of this blog is to give an accurate account of what is said during Public Comment at Mantua Township Trustees meetings.
Trustees' decisions are in the official minutes, available on request from the Mantua Township Fiscal Officer, Jodi Thompson, at 330-274-8443. The Township charges 10 cents per page. FAX, 330-274-8447. E-mail, fiscalofficer@mantuatownshipohio.gov. The minutes are also posted on the website after they have been approved. That means that there is usually a two-week lag between a given meeting and the minutes being available to read on the website.
Since meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, there is a three-week wait during months with five Thursdays.
Other items of interest or the writer's opinions will be included from time to time, clearly identified.
This is not a forum or chat room, but a source of information, so it is closed to outside input.
During the time I have been doing the blog, the posts have expanded to become very detailed accounts of the meetings. Doing that is time consuming, to say the least, and I am going to try to return to the public comment focus, with background and perspective (and the occasional pointed editorial comment). Such additions are usually enclosed in brackets. However, since some extended accounts of the meetings reveal significant things--and character--better than I could by commenting, there will probably still be a fair amount of semi-transcript. (Sigh.)
My thanks to the readers who have found the blog, and to the ones who from time to time tell me that they value it. You have encouraged me when the tedious work of keyboarding has made me wonder why I am doing this. Then you have reminded me, and I am grateful.
Trustees' decisions are in the official minutes, available on request from the Mantua Township Fiscal Officer, Jodi Thompson, at 330-274-8443. The Township charges 10 cents per page. FAX, 330-274-8447. E-mail, fiscalofficer@mantuatownshipohio.gov. The minutes are also posted on the website after they have been approved. That means that there is usually a two-week lag between a given meeting and the minutes being available to read on the website.
Since meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, there is a three-week wait during months with five Thursdays.
Other items of interest or the writer's opinions will be included from time to time, clearly identified.
This is not a forum or chat room, but a source of information, so it is closed to outside input.
During the time I have been doing the blog, the posts have expanded to become very detailed accounts of the meetings. Doing that is time consuming, to say the least, and I am going to try to return to the public comment focus, with background and perspective (and the occasional pointed editorial comment). Such additions are usually enclosed in brackets. However, since some extended accounts of the meetings reveal significant things--and character--better than I could by commenting, there will probably still be a fair amount of semi-transcript. (Sigh.)
My thanks to the readers who have found the blog, and to the ones who from time to time tell me that they value it. You have encouraged me when the tedious work of keyboarding has made me wonder why I am doing this. Then you have reminded me, and I am grateful.
Principles
Two ideas guide and support me:
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
______Attributed to Edmund Burke
GOOD PREVAILS.
Those ideas are also the reason I have been doing the blog since late February 2011.
I have discovered that a transcript is almost impossible to do and that verbatim accounts are usually not absolutely necessary. When in doubt, I check against a recording.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
______Attributed to Edmund Burke
GOOD PREVAILS.
Those ideas are also the reason I have been doing the blog since late February 2011.
I have discovered that a transcript is almost impossible to do and that verbatim accounts are usually not absolutely necessary. When in doubt, I check against a recording.
