In my opinion, the most important part of this meeting was that Dave Sloan, Construction Engineer, Portage County Water Resources, and a lawyer from the Prosecutor's office attended the meeting to give a status report on the Aurora Meadows project.
Blogger: I have not gone to the Meadows since the contractor's last "attention" to the roads. From all reports, things are wretched, on top of all that the residents have endured. The limestone put onto the roads was described as ranging from 4" to 6" in diameter. To me, that sounds like rocks, not gravel, and its ability to actually fill in holes sounds minimal (and does THAT sound like an understatement!)
Resident Larry Houck (sp?) asked two questions: Why had no seal coat, patch, or anything else been put into the holes instead of leaving huge craters all summer, and who authorized the huge limestone chunks to be put down onto a paved road.
There was a lot of discussion, and the short version is that the contractor, directed by either the county or PCWR to fill the holes, chose the limestone and has subsequently been asked to remove it and has refused. The contractor is now involved in negotiations over this, and if I am reading my notes correctly, the negotiations have broken down. The lawyer did not know how long the negotiations might take.
According to Dave Sloan, the contractor is not taking responsibility for what has been or needs to be done.
Larry asked about who might be responsible for the patching.
Dave's response was that the County got calls from the Township, who relayed them to the contractor, and he fixed them (the holes). [I realize that this sentence sounds as if the Township relayed calls to the contractor, but I don't think that's the way the lines of authority work here.]
Larry: He did not.
Dave: We have directed the contractor to make asphalt repairs to the streets.
Lawyer: Negotiations failed and we issued a work directive to the contractor. We may end up firing them. We are looking at the possibility of taking them to court.
There were other questions about other parts of the project, which extends clear down Rt. 82. Dave Sloan's office is the contact for these issues.
After more discussion, Jason asked about the next step between the county and the contractor.
Lawyer: It depends on whether there has been a breach in the contract. I am being deliberately vague because I do not want to influence things unduly. This is a matter of attorney/client privilege. The main priority is trying to get the roads done and repaired. It can not wait until spring--that is not acceptable.
Vic: The [asphalt] plants are going to shut down quickly.
Lawyer: We are aware of that and want to get the roads done ASAP.
Jason: Those are our Township roads and our residents, so that is our main priority, and seeing that it is moving in a positive direction.
Lawyer: The shape the roads will be in after restoration is that the contract calls for restoration [to previous condition], not a new road. I can not tell you that all new roads will be provided to Mantua Townshjip before the end of this month.
We have heard definitely that people are very upset, and we are upset. We are running against a big time crunch.
Vic--If we get a big snow and have to plow, I am concerned about doing that with that big gravel.
Vic commented further about having other contractors look at things to see what can be done to get us through the winter and mentioned that another problem is that there is a cross-cut every hundred feet, and those have been filled with asphalt. [Blogger: As I understand it, between the crosscuts is gravel, and the filled crosscuts are like dams. Plowing (or trying to plow) means that the plow will catch on the asphalt "dams." It sounds very dangerous to everyone and destructive to equipment as well.]
Mark: My question is, you are working with the contractor. It is your contract. Are you also exploring what can be done in the county? I am looking at this as still a Portage County project despite the fact that it fell through with your contractor. Is there a way to get through this without jeopardizing the residents?
Dave Sloan: I don't think it's a matter of paving.
Mark: I ask that you explore that, because things will get knotted up.
Lawyer: I don't want to give the impression that because of the issues with the contractor the residents will go by the wayside.
Mark: I don't know if there is an avenue to explore. It is your folks' project and it should stack (?) on with your negotiations. I do not believe that we should spend our money to fix your problem on this.
Dave Sloan: I think I can discuss that tomorrow with our director.
Mark: There may be something you can do to provide significant relief up there.
Lawyer: One of those avenues may be having someone from the county come out to see how much it would cost to make it right. I cannot promise that a nice new layer of asphalt constituting [I think--blogger] a new road will be done. One inch of asphalt [was specified] and is estimated to cost $50,000-$60,000.
Dave Sloan: The next step is that the bonding company will be called in.
Lawyer: I don't know how much it hurts(?) costs (?) for them to bail from a contract responsibility and have the mark against them I do want to make sure that the roads get done.
There was a question about whether the county had anyone besides the contractor doing the work make an estimate. Answer: No.
Dave Sloan: Our estimate is conservative and we have more than enough money held back to do this.
[Blogger: That comment puzzles me a little, coming at the end as it does, but maybe that also reflects the sequence of working through a situation like this.]
Dave Sloan ended with the invitation to call his office with other questions, gave out business cards, and left with the lawyer. A few residents with additional concerns went out to talk further about their concerns.
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.
