Blogger Foreword: This post contains two letters and one summary of the actual cost of the payroll. Each is clearly identified, and a brief explanation about the payroll-related figures is included.
In 2012, the Trustees decided to hire a third road crew worker. The following letter is the Fiscal Officer's assessment of and advice concerning that decision.
May 3, 2012
Mantua Township Trustees
Jason Carlton
John Festa
Victor Grimm
Dear Trustees,
I want to go on record that I have advised you that the township has budgeted for two full time and a part time employee, and I have told you that I do not think that the budget can handle three full time employees. We may be able to handle this for the remainder of 2012, but certainly not on a long term basis. You have been made aware on numerous occasions that the township's revenues are decreasing, and will continue to decrease as a result of both state and economic cutbacks. Salaries are paid from Gas Tax, which had a 7% reduction of revenues over the past year. Benefits are paid from Road & Bridge, which had a 3% reduction of revenues over the past year.
We have remained in good financial condition through careful management of funds. I would like to continue fiscal conservation, rather than fiscal irresponsibility, which has gotten so many other governments in Ohio into financial trouble. Ultimately, however, the final decision on spending is yours.
Marie Stehli
Fiscal Officer
The following letter was read to the Trustees at the January 10, 2013, triple meeting: End of Year, Beginning of Year, and first regular meeting of the year. That meeting has been posted in the blog and does not have to be hunted up; just scroll down through January's posts.
January 10, 2013
Jason Carlton
John Festa
Victor Grimm
Dear Trustees:
I am providing information on attendence [sic] records as I usually do for your use in performing employee evaluations.
I have also looked over the salary situation in conjunction with my year end fund evaluation. If you remember, in the spring when you were considering hiring a third road worker, I recommended against it due to financial constraints. I am now apprising you of the following:
Hourly wages are as follows:
Mike Richards $13.45
Brian Tayerle $15.55
Dan Wysznski $12.75
Total Hourly $41.75
Base hours for 1 year 2080
1 year pay for 3 above $86840.00
Sick hours per year 288 12 days X 8 hours X 3 people
Maximum sick payout $12024.00
TOTAL PAYROLL FOR YEAR $98864.00
BUDGET PAYROLL FOR YEAR $97400.00
SHORTFALL FOR YEAR $1464.00
PLEASE NOTE- THESE FIGURES DO NOT INCLUDE OVERTIME.
As you know, pay increases were not included in the budget. Please carefully consider how you intend to handle 3 full time road employees with a decreased budget and not enough money to make payroll.
Marie Stehli
Fiscal Officer
Blogger: The hourly pay for each person is not the total cost for an employee. Benefits add almost 20% more to the amount that has to be budgeted for each employee. Those figures follow.
100.00 payroll
14.00 pers [Public Employees Retirement System]
1.45 medicare
0.90 unemployment
1.94 workers comp
118.29
[A slight explanation, if you need it: The 100 figure can be taken as a percentage or dollars. For purposes of this little table, which Marie provided, it makes sense to see the 100 as a dollar amount. So for every $100 in salaries, a road crew worker costs the township $118.29. Further information about this issue may be presented in the next trustees meeting.]
FYI: The decision to change the status of the part time employee to full time was made in May 2012, and Marie's letter above was presented [I believe] at the meeting when the trustees voted to do so, the idea having been introduced [I believe] at the previous meeting.
Based on Marie's advice, Trustee Grimm voted no.
Trustees Carlton and Festa voted yes.
Blogger: A final note. All of this information is a matter of public record open and available to anyone either by a records request or by looking at official meeting minutes. It is also probably available on a State of Ohio website which I have never felt the need to seek out.
The first time I encountered this kind of public information about things most of us consider private--what we are paid, what benefits we get and what they cost--I was shocked. But this kind of openness is exactly what keeps our government at every level as honest as possible. That's what makes it possible to catch and jail the DeMaura's (sp? and I hardly care to do a crook the courtesy of spelling his name right) and Russo's of the world.
It is also why we are, most of us, anyway, outraged when their criminal conduct is made public. We expect the people we elect to be honest. All money used to support our government, at every level, is from taxpayers--from us. We expect and have a right to expect that they will use our money thoughtfully, carefully, and ethically.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Fiscal Officer in Action
Reading a job description may be informative, but seeing examples of the work takes it out of the theoretical.
The Fiscal Officer's job, as described by the Ohio Revised Code in the previous post, is to keep accounts according to prescribed accounting principles. It is also, as the trained person at the table on these matters (well, we can hope the voters elected someone with real qualifications--as they did and have continued to do with Marie), it is up to the Fiscal Officer to advise the trustees both generally and specifically.
This post and the next one are examples of the Fiscal Officer's work, stated in letters to the Mantua Township Trustees from Marie Stehli, CPA, Mantua Township Fiscal Officer..
The following letter was read to the Trustees at the January 10, 2013, End-of-Year meeting. It is transcribed in its entirety here.
January 10, 2013
Jason Carlton
John Festa
Victor Grimm
Mantua Township Trustees
Ref:: Year End Financial Report
The year end financial report has been completed and filed with the State Auditor. My financial report can be summarized as follows:
2012 Appropriations $1,492,359.00
2012 Encumbrances $1,183,394.15
2012 Expenditures $857,872.34
2012 Outstanding purchase orders $325,521.81
2012 Receipts $750,586.31
2012 Year End cash balance $605,607.20
The Issue 2 payment has not been posted to the 2012 books.
Please note the following year end balances:
2009 $707,165.80
2010 $832,069.89
2011 $712,893.23
2012 $605,607.20
The cash balances over the past two years have decreased by over $100,000 per year, which is not a good trend. I am particularly concerned with the Gas and Road & Bridge Funds. The Gas Tax fell short of its expected revenue by just under $8000. As a result I am having to reduce the 2013 revenue budget for the Gas Tax fund by $10000. The Road & Bridge Fund was on target for revenues, but expenditures exceeded revenues by about $80,000. This amounts to about 40% of revenues, and cannot continue. The General Fund also decreased by $10,000. On a positive note, the Road Levy increased by $4000, due to the increased Road Levy tax.
The certification has been delivered to the Portage County Auditor and we will be able to adopt a final budget at the January 17 meeting, assuming that the Budget Commission certifies my figures. Please keep the above in mind when we discuss the upcoming budget, and when we discuss upcoming personnel issues.
Marie Stehli
Fiscal Officer
The Fiscal Officer's job, as described by the Ohio Revised Code in the previous post, is to keep accounts according to prescribed accounting principles. It is also, as the trained person at the table on these matters (well, we can hope the voters elected someone with real qualifications--as they did and have continued to do with Marie), it is up to the Fiscal Officer to advise the trustees both generally and specifically.
This post and the next one are examples of the Fiscal Officer's work, stated in letters to the Mantua Township Trustees from Marie Stehli, CPA, Mantua Township Fiscal Officer..
The following letter was read to the Trustees at the January 10, 2013, End-of-Year meeting. It is transcribed in its entirety here.
January 10, 2013
Jason Carlton
John Festa
Victor Grimm
Mantua Township Trustees
Ref:: Year End Financial Report
The year end financial report has been completed and filed with the State Auditor. My financial report can be summarized as follows:
2012 Appropriations $1,492,359.00
2012 Encumbrances $1,183,394.15
2012 Expenditures $857,872.34
2012 Outstanding purchase orders $325,521.81
2012 Receipts $750,586.31
2012 Year End cash balance $605,607.20
The Issue 2 payment has not been posted to the 2012 books.
Please note the following year end balances:
2009 $707,165.80
2010 $832,069.89
2011 $712,893.23
2012 $605,607.20
The cash balances over the past two years have decreased by over $100,000 per year, which is not a good trend. I am particularly concerned with the Gas and Road & Bridge Funds. The Gas Tax fell short of its expected revenue by just under $8000. As a result I am having to reduce the 2013 revenue budget for the Gas Tax fund by $10000. The Road & Bridge Fund was on target for revenues, but expenditures exceeded revenues by about $80,000. This amounts to about 40% of revenues, and cannot continue. The General Fund also decreased by $10,000. On a positive note, the Road Levy increased by $4000, due to the increased Road Levy tax.
The certification has been delivered to the Portage County Auditor and we will be able to adopt a final budget at the January 17 meeting, assuming that the Budget Commission certifies my figures. Please keep the above in mind when we discuss the upcoming budget, and when we discuss upcoming personnel issues.
Marie Stehli
Fiscal Officer
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Fact Checker: The Fiscal Officer's Job
It has become very, very clear to me from various "inputs" that understanding of the fiscal officer's position and work is inconsistent or very thin in Mantua Township. With cell phones probably having more capacity than whatever helped launch the first space flights, and with everyone and his brother boasting a website, every one of us can move a little closer to Jefferson's ideal of an informed citizenry. Otherwise, Pogo was right: "We have met the enemy, and he [they?] is us."
The positions of Trustees, Fiscal Officer, and every other State official are defined in the Ohio Revised Code. The information in this post is set out in detail in Section 5, which deals with townships. I started with the intention of only checking information on the Fiscal Officer's position, but then looked at Trustees as well.
Very sobering. If people thinking of running for office even looked at those sections of the ORC, let alone read them, I wonder what effect that would have on the quality of local government. Fewer people would probably run. For that matter, all of the Monday morning quarterbacks that nitpick everywhere, not just here, might have something of substance to think about when they start to criticize an office holder.
* * * * * * *
The Fiscal Officer is elected for a four-year term that begins on April 1. The ORC gives a reference election year to start from, and one Trustee's term also starts from that election. The other two Trustees' reference election year is two years apart from that.
The Fiscal Officer must give bond, payable to the Trustees, in the amount determined by the Trustees (ORC). [I do not know what that amount is in our Township. Marie told me that the insurance company covers the bond, and therefore has a large interest in the competence and honesty of the Fiscal Officer. If the Fiscal Officer does not meet those criteria, the insurance company can go after that person, but the Township is protected.]
The bond must be recorded by the township Fiscal Officer, filed with the county treasurer, and carefully preserved.
Salaries are set according to the size of the budget. The Ohio Township Association website, under Publications, has a table of compensation for Fiscal Officers and Trustees. Mantua Township's budget, which Marie just certified at $1.6 million, was also certified at that figure by the county treasurer. For a budget that size, the Fiscal Officer's compensation is $19,806, an amount set in 2008 and unchanged since. The ORC states that a Fiscal Officer may elect to take less than the designated compensation.
Since salaries are the immediate topic, trustees are compensated for 200 days at $56.59 per day, which comes out to $10,318 per year. No overtime, no seniority increments. Greenhorn or old pro, trustees are all paid the same.
According to the ORC, the Fiscal Officer shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the Board of Trustees at all of its meetings, and of all its accounts and transactions, including the acceptance of the bonds of the trustees.
The Township Fiscal Officer shall personally attend at least one meeting of the board during each quarter of every year, unless prevented by the occurrence of an emergency.
[Blogger: This part about meeting attendance is puzzling: How can an accurate record be kept of all of the proceedings if only one meeting per quarter is attended? No matter. Marie attends all Trustees meetings unless she is really ill, and if she is going to be gone, the spirit of reason and cooperation have been sufficient so far that an occasional meeting will be rescheduled to accommodate a conference or another necessary event.]
The Fiscal Officer notifies the Board of Elections in writing of all vacancies that occur in the elective offices of the township; that record must be filed no later than 10 days after the vacancy occurs. The Fiscal Officer also must keep track of boundaries and notify the Board of Elections of all changes.
There are other duties as well, but this list should do.
Blogger: A couple of years or more ago, I looked at all of the township websites in Portage County. Some of them are pretty bare bones, but some are really rather interesting in that they are more than "bulletin boards" announcing events and meetings. Some of them begin by seeking to inform and educate residents about the ideas and principles underpinning what we see, which may look simple but in fact may not be. One township opens its website with an extended quote from Thomas Jefferson about the importance of transparency and of people being informed.
Brimfield has this statement, condensed for the blog: The Township Fiscal Officer is an elected official and is independent of the trustees. [Blogger's emphasis.]
The trustees have the legislative authority in the Township and the Fiscal Officer must keep an accurate record of all township accounts and transactions.
If the emphasized phrase is not clear enough, let me remove any misconceptions: The Fiscal Officer in any township is an elected official, equal to the trustees (and, in Marie's case, better educated than almost everyone else in the room on any given night).
She is not the trustees' secretary. She does not work for them, and they do not work for her. She advises them but cannot force them to make good decisions on that advice. The Fiscal Officer is required, I believe, to issue payments if the Trustees authorize them. For any township, therefore, if the township goes bankrupt and the Fiscal Officer has been advising the Trustees as to the Township's finances, the burden is on the trustees and not the Fiscal Officer.
* * * * * *
The townships are listed on the Portage County website under Portage Communities.
The Ohio Township Association website (Google that name) contains, among many other things, a list of publications. "Grassroots Clippings" is a publication for Fiscal Officers, to be distributed by them to the Trustees. Marie mentions it when she lists the correspondence.
The Ohio Revised Code is the dauntingly long set of laws--actually, only a part, I think--that we all are expected to abide by. It's interesting, in an odd way.
The positions of Trustees, Fiscal Officer, and every other State official are defined in the Ohio Revised Code. The information in this post is set out in detail in Section 5, which deals with townships. I started with the intention of only checking information on the Fiscal Officer's position, but then looked at Trustees as well.
Very sobering. If people thinking of running for office even looked at those sections of the ORC, let alone read them, I wonder what effect that would have on the quality of local government. Fewer people would probably run. For that matter, all of the Monday morning quarterbacks that nitpick everywhere, not just here, might have something of substance to think about when they start to criticize an office holder.
* * * * * * *
The Fiscal Officer is elected for a four-year term that begins on April 1. The ORC gives a reference election year to start from, and one Trustee's term also starts from that election. The other two Trustees' reference election year is two years apart from that.
The Fiscal Officer must give bond, payable to the Trustees, in the amount determined by the Trustees (ORC). [I do not know what that amount is in our Township. Marie told me that the insurance company covers the bond, and therefore has a large interest in the competence and honesty of the Fiscal Officer. If the Fiscal Officer does not meet those criteria, the insurance company can go after that person, but the Township is protected.]
The bond must be recorded by the township Fiscal Officer, filed with the county treasurer, and carefully preserved.
Salaries are set according to the size of the budget. The Ohio Township Association website, under Publications, has a table of compensation for Fiscal Officers and Trustees. Mantua Township's budget, which Marie just certified at $1.6 million, was also certified at that figure by the county treasurer. For a budget that size, the Fiscal Officer's compensation is $19,806, an amount set in 2008 and unchanged since. The ORC states that a Fiscal Officer may elect to take less than the designated compensation.
Since salaries are the immediate topic, trustees are compensated for 200 days at $56.59 per day, which comes out to $10,318 per year. No overtime, no seniority increments. Greenhorn or old pro, trustees are all paid the same.
According to the ORC, the Fiscal Officer shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the Board of Trustees at all of its meetings, and of all its accounts and transactions, including the acceptance of the bonds of the trustees.
The Township Fiscal Officer shall personally attend at least one meeting of the board during each quarter of every year, unless prevented by the occurrence of an emergency.
[Blogger: This part about meeting attendance is puzzling: How can an accurate record be kept of all of the proceedings if only one meeting per quarter is attended? No matter. Marie attends all Trustees meetings unless she is really ill, and if she is going to be gone, the spirit of reason and cooperation have been sufficient so far that an occasional meeting will be rescheduled to accommodate a conference or another necessary event.]
The Fiscal Officer notifies the Board of Elections in writing of all vacancies that occur in the elective offices of the township; that record must be filed no later than 10 days after the vacancy occurs. The Fiscal Officer also must keep track of boundaries and notify the Board of Elections of all changes.
There are other duties as well, but this list should do.
Blogger: A couple of years or more ago, I looked at all of the township websites in Portage County. Some of them are pretty bare bones, but some are really rather interesting in that they are more than "bulletin boards" announcing events and meetings. Some of them begin by seeking to inform and educate residents about the ideas and principles underpinning what we see, which may look simple but in fact may not be. One township opens its website with an extended quote from Thomas Jefferson about the importance of transparency and of people being informed.
Brimfield has this statement, condensed for the blog: The Township Fiscal Officer is an elected official and is independent of the trustees. [Blogger's emphasis.]
The trustees have the legislative authority in the Township and the Fiscal Officer must keep an accurate record of all township accounts and transactions.
If the emphasized phrase is not clear enough, let me remove any misconceptions: The Fiscal Officer in any township is an elected official, equal to the trustees (and, in Marie's case, better educated than almost everyone else in the room on any given night).
She is not the trustees' secretary. She does not work for them, and they do not work for her. She advises them but cannot force them to make good decisions on that advice. The Fiscal Officer is required, I believe, to issue payments if the Trustees authorize them. For any township, therefore, if the township goes bankrupt and the Fiscal Officer has been advising the Trustees as to the Township's finances, the burden is on the trustees and not the Fiscal Officer.
* * * * * *
The townships are listed on the Portage County website under Portage Communities.
The Ohio Township Association website (Google that name) contains, among many other things, a list of publications. "Grassroots Clippings" is a publication for Fiscal Officers, to be distributed by them to the Trustees. Marie mentions it when she lists the correspondence.
The Ohio Revised Code is the dauntingly long set of laws--actually, only a part, I think--that we all are expected to abide by. It's interesting, in an odd way.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Toxic Anonymity
"Masks are all about hiding personalities. . . . Throughout history, they have been used to cloak the true identity of a person . . . . [M]asks enable individuals to communicate something they might not otherwise feel free to express." (Ricky Lee Timms, The Quilt Life, October 2011) For the artist, the freedom of a mask can open the door to new creativity. It would be nice if all masks were so benign.
Police protection masks identity to protect a witness; otherwise, the potential harm or murder of the witness would leave only the criminal's voice. The criminal walks free, the fabric of justice and society suffers another tear, and every moral, ethical, honest person lives more fearfully.
Protective anonymity has a noble intention. Unfortunately, anonymity has a dark side. Black, in fact. Some things shouldn't be expressed because they are lies told with the full intention of damaging or even destroying someone. In fact, they usually are not expressed because if the speaker were known, there would--should-- be consequences, some dire.
Anonymity makes it possible for liars to evade those consequences. In Mantua Township, the anonymity-masked lies began early in 2010 or late 2009 when many township residents received an unsigned letter alleging all kinds of ugliness and untruths about Mark, Vic, and Sue. Mark and Vic systematically demolished every point to a packed Township Hall. But here's the rub: if a lie is told often enough, if enough mud--or any other brown substance--is thrown at a wall enough times, eventually some of it will stick. So the lies get repeated and repeated and repeated. They go dormant only to be brushed off and pimped out again years after their first appearance.
How? One source is the public comment on what Roger Hurd brilliantly and scathingly called the "rogue website," whose real owners are--wait for it--anonymous. (See an early blog post entitled "Who Are Those Masked People?") Never mind Brent Simon's name on that site. He's not paying the bills. Another is in columns like "Sound Off!" in the Record Courier and many other newspapers. Both the website and the newspaper column are anonymous, so all kinds of viciousness can be masked (there's that word again) as "freedom of speech." Right. Let me say right here, however, that every nasty thing in either source is not a lie. Much of it is just empty opinion hurled as insult at someone the source disagrees with. Sandbox tantrums.
The great appeal of the rogue website is that, with no adult oversight, those writers can and do name the targets of their venom. (David Dix oversees the "Sound Off!" comments but missed a huge one on Friday, January 11.)
In the Record Courier the sources are pretty much anonymous. But in the Township the people inflicting the ugliness aren't nearly as anonymous as they think they are. Only a few people in the Township are vicious enough to have made the "Sound Off!" remarks or the lies and insults on the rogue website. They've lived in the Township all their lives, mostly and everybody knows what they have always been like--the "usual suspects," as it were.
But we have more to go on these days than "s/he's always been like that." Forensic linguistic analysis of a writing sample can be stunningly accurate--so accurate that three contributors to one of those letters were profiled, and their characters were clearly enough defined so that any lifelong resident could say, "Oh. That one's X, that one's Y, and that one's Z." When forensic analysis was mentioned in a trustees meeting, one person who was smirking and silently mocking the whole idea suddenly looked worried and crestfallen upon learning that identities can be determined.
Gender can be identified too, but that doesn't necessarily take a profiler. Using the term "muffin top" in a set of complaints about the appearance of the people at the front table but "signing" the post with a male name and last initial is about as effective as covering up with Saran Wrap. No man knows what "muffin top" means unless he is in the fashion industry. I haven't seen many of those at the trustees meetings.
Nope, it wasn't a man. That insult was hurled by a woman--a vain woman who had to be sitting where she could see Marie. Not many people had that kind of vantage point at that meeting. Time has a way of destroying the source of such vanity. Think about Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra or Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Now think about what they looked the last time you saw them. Did you even recognize them at first glance? Or second or third, even? Sometimes cliches are right on the mark: Time wounds all heels.
OK, if I know who they are, why not say so? Because my certainty is not legal proof. Furthermore, because what I am saying is NOT anonymous, I could be sued, but those people could not. Of course, given enough time, they may just deliver the legal certainty, too.
I have sought legal counsel on a couple of things like this, and essentially my lawyer said that these people are cowards with no conscience and no morals. He mentioned something about organic fertilizer, too, but it was such a short little word that I missed it. He also said that in my case, it was a freedom of speech issue (there had been attempts to intimidate me into shutting down the blog, plus a bogus threat of legal action). My lawyer's closing remark was, "Keep doing what you're doing."
So I have continued and intend to continue.
In some residents' view, the "Sound Off!" comment marks the beginning of the run up to the November 2013 election, which clearly is going to be just as full of lies as the one in 2011. Anyone who read the "Sound Off!" saw the most vicious one of all, an attack on Vic and Sue, of course not naming any names other than Hiram. But anyone in Mantua Township who has been paying attention knows who was attacked. It wasn't the first time, but here's the difference now: It's one thing to call me a know-it-all, an unsubstantiated opinion. So what? But "crook" is an accusation of something that can be proven or disproven. "Crook" takes it out of fun and games.
Roger Dipaolo and I talked about that. When he repeated the phrase "one of the biggest crooks in Portage County," he sounded like a man who had just come face to face with a king cobra poised to attack. That phrase is NOT a joke or an opinion.
The comments made in the column are anonymous. Or are they? The phoned-in comments create an automatic log, with the number of the caller part of it. Only the number, so callers are still hidden, right?
I don't think so. The number gives a thread that can be traced back if it absolutely has to be, and are you willing to believe that the newspaper will let itself be as unprotected as we are? I don't think so. The newspaper could learn what had to be learned and deal with it. I would not like to be the editor of "Sound Off!" right now. Not after that blunder.
Was it a blunder? The strictures referred to at the top of the "Sound Off!" column on January 12 are probably the first thing journalism majors learn about responsible writing. I bet that one of those strictures is never to publish anything that accuses a person of being a criminal without proof or a court record. So how did that stinking little pellet get in there?
Let me theorize, based on experience and observation. The hapless person with the first-level editorial responsibility placed loyalty to a "friend" above loyalty to David Dix and the newspaper.
The "Sound Off!" editor is required to "red flag" every questionable comment for Mr. Dix's decision. How could a lilfelong newspaperman miss something so blatantly unethical? I taught for my whole life. You don't miss a red mark, but if those marks are the only ones you customarily ever look at, and an item that should have been marked wasn't, then you'll miss it.
Mr. Dix took full responsibility for the mistake, which was his to head off. I just wonder if he had "help" making that mistake. End of theorizing.
None of that is going to make much difference to David Dix, no matter how appalled he was upon looking at his paper that day.
But it makes a difference to us. This is what we brought on ourselves by not getting out the vote in 2011. That made an iffy thing an awful thing, as Lynn Harvey made very clear in a letter to the editor about the dirty campaign in the Township.
I have talked with someone who understands profiling, and between a couple of key items and my experience in the Township of about eight years' worth of meetings, I have few doubts about whose doorstep the January 11 "Sound Off!" entry belongs on. And I have even fewer doubts about the company kept that helped spawn such bile.
My friend thought the comment was merely opportunistic. For those of us still revolted by the last election, however, it looks as if we can anticipate at least as bad this year.
Is this the atmosphere we want to live in?
It's our choice. Inaction is still a choice.
Police protection masks identity to protect a witness; otherwise, the potential harm or murder of the witness would leave only the criminal's voice. The criminal walks free, the fabric of justice and society suffers another tear, and every moral, ethical, honest person lives more fearfully.
Protective anonymity has a noble intention. Unfortunately, anonymity has a dark side. Black, in fact. Some things shouldn't be expressed because they are lies told with the full intention of damaging or even destroying someone. In fact, they usually are not expressed because if the speaker were known, there would--should-- be consequences, some dire.
Anonymity makes it possible for liars to evade those consequences. In Mantua Township, the anonymity-masked lies began early in 2010 or late 2009 when many township residents received an unsigned letter alleging all kinds of ugliness and untruths about Mark, Vic, and Sue. Mark and Vic systematically demolished every point to a packed Township Hall. But here's the rub: if a lie is told often enough, if enough mud--or any other brown substance--is thrown at a wall enough times, eventually some of it will stick. So the lies get repeated and repeated and repeated. They go dormant only to be brushed off and pimped out again years after their first appearance.
How? One source is the public comment on what Roger Hurd brilliantly and scathingly called the "rogue website," whose real owners are--wait for it--anonymous. (See an early blog post entitled "Who Are Those Masked People?") Never mind Brent Simon's name on that site. He's not paying the bills. Another is in columns like "Sound Off!" in the Record Courier and many other newspapers. Both the website and the newspaper column are anonymous, so all kinds of viciousness can be masked (there's that word again) as "freedom of speech." Right. Let me say right here, however, that every nasty thing in either source is not a lie. Much of it is just empty opinion hurled as insult at someone the source disagrees with. Sandbox tantrums.
The great appeal of the rogue website is that, with no adult oversight, those writers can and do name the targets of their venom. (David Dix oversees the "Sound Off!" comments but missed a huge one on Friday, January 11.)
In the Record Courier the sources are pretty much anonymous. But in the Township the people inflicting the ugliness aren't nearly as anonymous as they think they are. Only a few people in the Township are vicious enough to have made the "Sound Off!" remarks or the lies and insults on the rogue website. They've lived in the Township all their lives, mostly and everybody knows what they have always been like--the "usual suspects," as it were.
But we have more to go on these days than "s/he's always been like that." Forensic linguistic analysis of a writing sample can be stunningly accurate--so accurate that three contributors to one of those letters were profiled, and their characters were clearly enough defined so that any lifelong resident could say, "Oh. That one's X, that one's Y, and that one's Z." When forensic analysis was mentioned in a trustees meeting, one person who was smirking and silently mocking the whole idea suddenly looked worried and crestfallen upon learning that identities can be determined.
Gender can be identified too, but that doesn't necessarily take a profiler. Using the term "muffin top" in a set of complaints about the appearance of the people at the front table but "signing" the post with a male name and last initial is about as effective as covering up with Saran Wrap. No man knows what "muffin top" means unless he is in the fashion industry. I haven't seen many of those at the trustees meetings.
Nope, it wasn't a man. That insult was hurled by a woman--a vain woman who had to be sitting where she could see Marie. Not many people had that kind of vantage point at that meeting. Time has a way of destroying the source of such vanity. Think about Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra or Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Now think about what they looked the last time you saw them. Did you even recognize them at first glance? Or second or third, even? Sometimes cliches are right on the mark: Time wounds all heels.
OK, if I know who they are, why not say so? Because my certainty is not legal proof. Furthermore, because what I am saying is NOT anonymous, I could be sued, but those people could not. Of course, given enough time, they may just deliver the legal certainty, too.
I have sought legal counsel on a couple of things like this, and essentially my lawyer said that these people are cowards with no conscience and no morals. He mentioned something about organic fertilizer, too, but it was such a short little word that I missed it. He also said that in my case, it was a freedom of speech issue (there had been attempts to intimidate me into shutting down the blog, plus a bogus threat of legal action). My lawyer's closing remark was, "Keep doing what you're doing."
So I have continued and intend to continue.
In some residents' view, the "Sound Off!" comment marks the beginning of the run up to the November 2013 election, which clearly is going to be just as full of lies as the one in 2011. Anyone who read the "Sound Off!" saw the most vicious one of all, an attack on Vic and Sue, of course not naming any names other than Hiram. But anyone in Mantua Township who has been paying attention knows who was attacked. It wasn't the first time, but here's the difference now: It's one thing to call me a know-it-all, an unsubstantiated opinion. So what? But "crook" is an accusation of something that can be proven or disproven. "Crook" takes it out of fun and games.
Roger Dipaolo and I talked about that. When he repeated the phrase "one of the biggest crooks in Portage County," he sounded like a man who had just come face to face with a king cobra poised to attack. That phrase is NOT a joke or an opinion.
The comments made in the column are anonymous. Or are they? The phoned-in comments create an automatic log, with the number of the caller part of it. Only the number, so callers are still hidden, right?
I don't think so. The number gives a thread that can be traced back if it absolutely has to be, and are you willing to believe that the newspaper will let itself be as unprotected as we are? I don't think so. The newspaper could learn what had to be learned and deal with it. I would not like to be the editor of "Sound Off!" right now. Not after that blunder.
Was it a blunder? The strictures referred to at the top of the "Sound Off!" column on January 12 are probably the first thing journalism majors learn about responsible writing. I bet that one of those strictures is never to publish anything that accuses a person of being a criminal without proof or a court record. So how did that stinking little pellet get in there?
Let me theorize, based on experience and observation. The hapless person with the first-level editorial responsibility placed loyalty to a "friend" above loyalty to David Dix and the newspaper.
The "Sound Off!" editor is required to "red flag" every questionable comment for Mr. Dix's decision. How could a lilfelong newspaperman miss something so blatantly unethical? I taught for my whole life. You don't miss a red mark, but if those marks are the only ones you customarily ever look at, and an item that should have been marked wasn't, then you'll miss it.
Mr. Dix took full responsibility for the mistake, which was his to head off. I just wonder if he had "help" making that mistake. End of theorizing.
None of that is going to make much difference to David Dix, no matter how appalled he was upon looking at his paper that day.
But it makes a difference to us. This is what we brought on ourselves by not getting out the vote in 2011. That made an iffy thing an awful thing, as Lynn Harvey made very clear in a letter to the editor about the dirty campaign in the Township.
I have talked with someone who understands profiling, and between a couple of key items and my experience in the Township of about eight years' worth of meetings, I have few doubts about whose doorstep the January 11 "Sound Off!" entry belongs on. And I have even fewer doubts about the company kept that helped spawn such bile.
My friend thought the comment was merely opportunistic. For those of us still revolted by the last election, however, it looks as if we can anticipate at least as bad this year.
Is this the atmosphere we want to live in?
It's our choice. Inaction is still a choice.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Public Comment, Mantua Township Trustees, 1-10-13; More falling on deaf ears
Public Comment was announced at 8:50.
Jason commented on the number of people (16) and cautioned us to be brief and focus our remarks on Township business.
Phil Derthick, 5182 S.R. 82: I don't know what happened but I do know that on Monday morning when I opened my driveway on Sheldon Road, I had about three feet of snow there. I pushed it back. (Jason asked if Phil had called the garage, and Phil said no. He may have said that he just took care of it and helped the trustees.) Here it was only about 1-1/2 lanes down by the field. That afternoon they got to it. The parking lot here on Sunday morning [at the green, with the Town Hall, Mantua Center Christian Church, and Civic Center) was not what we are used to having. [Blogger: I have known Phil all my life, and I have never heard the note of determination in his voice that was there when he spoke this evening.]
John Festa thought it was blowing snow. Phil said, emphatically, that it was not. He also said that they have to watch that spot on Sheldon near his field drive onto the road.
Mark Hall, 1124 Loris Drive: One other item on the plowing: On Tuesday I left going around the east cemetery which was not plowed well at all.
Also, on the land bank [the blighted properties issue]: If you go through the process, and the land bank does not carry out the demolition [on a building], what is the township liable for at that point? You can still go after the property owner to have the structure torn down. [But] It can come back to the township to tear down and the lien would apply to the township at some point in the future. But I don't know if you have to go through the process once you have pressed the start button.
Jason: Some of the properties may be approved for match dollars. That list is rather large from all townships and villages. Not all properties will match the criteria and I think many will be dropped off the list.
Mark: I wanted to make sure the township has a backup plan.
Matt Parsons: Asked for a breakdown of the health insurance. Jason gave monthly amounts of the premium costs:
Jason Carlton, $230.63
Brian Tayerle, $230.63 [Blogger: I believe that is correct.]
Victor Grimm and Mike Richards, $1,118.28
Dan, $1,140.12 (Family Plan)
Marie Stehli, $2,550.04 (Family Plan)
[Note: The cost of insurance is determined by age, but also by gender. A family plan's cost is determined by the age and gender of the primary insured as well as several other criteria. If you want to really delve into this, first check the minutes. Then ask for the information from Fiscal Officer Marie Stehli.]
Matt Parsons asked if the Township is required to provide benefits, and it is not. Each township handles this differently.
Jason stated that insurance had to be offered to everyone.
Matt: And if you decided to change to the 85/15% [split between employer/employee pickup], the numbers would go down?
Jason: The numbers would go down immediately, but we would get the same bill and Marie would deduct an amount from each check. The premium won't change unless we change the benefit.
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: This is sort of another moment to treasure--I actually agree with Larry Leitzow on one thing about the school project. I think it has taken too long. I do think he missed where the hangup has been for the last several months, because it has not been Vic.
I think we should get in there as he urged at the last meeting, and I think the way to do that is with volunteers but don't know how to do that with Littleton Kirkpatrick off the project. But the fact that there is agreement that we need to get into the building reminds me about our discussion, Jason, in May about getting together in the middle.
Jason: I think we are in the middle and we are in the school..
Carole: We are partly in there. We are not in there in any significant way at the moment. Marie's office is probably better at this point than having it all at home, but it is an interim office.
The Restoration Society has not been saying a separate thing every two weeks about the school. [Blogger: See Larry Leitzow's remarks from the previous meeting, at the end of public comment.] We have been saying the same thing--we can help you.
We are able to provide both materials and volunteer labor, which was fine when this building was done. Zip, zip, and it was done. We have been saying for months that we can do that. We have people to do that. It is a way of defraying costs--substitute your labor for someone else's money. I think we can work with the trustees and make that west classroom ready.
As far as the hallway is concerned, there was a big concern about asbestos for months, weeks, years. I can feel Larry's pain about hearing about the same thing time after time after time because we heard about the same thing a lot.
If that hallway were cleaned off completely as sort of a matching effort for our work on the west classroom, naming rights are a big thing these days. You hear about that with stadiums all the time.
Larry Leitzow's mother was a charter member and the first treasurer of the Restoration Society. If Larry Leitzow were behind removing all the stuff in the hallway, which has been a major concern of his on record [for several years], it would be nice to have a plaque in there in memory of Josephine Leitzow. Everyone would win, and that would be something quite wonderful in the last 6 or 7 years in this township.
Lynn Harvey, Mennonite Road: I don't know whether any of the contractors you spoke with are specialists in restoration. I have traveled and seen a school that has been repurposed and used as a senior center. It is similar to our building. It is fixed up but not modernized. The hardwood floors were cleaned up and polished. Several rooms have been carpeted and they said that those were going to be removed because people don't like them. They have kept their chalkboards and decorations are temporary and attractive. The place was humming with activities. They had a huge schedule of events.
The lights were on a single rod with a globe and even today, if you go to Lowe's and ask for a schoolhouse light, you can get them. It was fabulous and it would not be a huge stretch for us to do that. I think it is less money and work than has been proposed. I think I can get some pictures of that building.
Amy Janka, no comment.
Larry Parsons, Wayne Road: A tree came down and caused some issues on the road, and when I called the township guys they took care of it right away.
Bob Zulla: No comment.
Dave Pollard, 3692 S.R. 82: Basically what MaRSI [the shorthand for The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.] has been offering the trustees is a grant in kind for materials and labor to install the materials The trustees regularly take grants for road projects, and I don't think you would turn those down. We have been trying for months to convince you of our sincerity. We don't know whether the new zoning inspector will be able or want to work out of his house. I don't know how much space it would take, but there are other smaller rooms available.
Back to what the Restoration Society has been trying to do, if we can work together with the trustees, we can take care of getting the tile off the floor in the hallway. There is probably asbestos but take it up and there is hardwood under it. It will not be as treacherous in wet weather. [Blogger: In fact, the hallway floor under the tile is concrete/cement, as are all the floors in the building. However, the floors in all of the rooms are overlaid with hardwood--as is obvious in the west room, where the old carpet was removed just before the Township cleanup day.]
Dave, continuing: With the cooperation of the trustees, we can probably get the basement ready for rent. That would pay for utilities. But we have to work together on this.
Frankly, the trustees have not been forthcoming about this. You can not scrape paint off this building [the township hall] in the winter.
Jason: The second contractor was happy that there were so many volunteers. This person is very reputable and knows what they are doing and willing to work with trustees, volunteers, and their contractors if need be. [Blogger: And why was this not mentioned earlier when there was comment about contractors and walkthroughs?]
Dave: I can't mention the figure, just like you are not going to make that one [the bid] public. But we can make a good contribution towards that. I think we can get Marie Stehli's office done and depending on what the trustees are willing to do, just remember that whatever figure the contractor mentioned, we can take a chunk out of it.
Dawn Pechman: No comment. [But wait; there's more.]
Barb Herbold: It's nice to see that there is an attempt to clean up the ___. [
Steve Zielinski, S.R. 82: Happy New Year and I hope we can accomplish a lot this year.
Cal Brant, Wayne Road: I have been talking with Sherwin Williams -- Cal asked about paint and paint colors.
Jason: I would defer to Linda Ehlert. When this [the township hall interior] was done, Linda was brought in for her historical experience. So I would defer such questions to her.
Cal: So I can give her all the samples.
Continuing: Another question--This land bank: Is it all controlled by Regional Planning?
Jason: The administration is being handled by Regional Planning, with a board made up of public officials from around the county.
Cal: So they are going to take the worst ones.
Jason: The first ones are those that are dilapidated and also behind on taxes.
Dawn Pechman (who had declined to comment during her time for public comment and who did not have the floor): That is not quite right. This is very complicated. It is very structured.
Cal asked about the website.
Dawn: The minutes are being held by Vicki Kline; [contact her and] get the minutes.
[Blogger: As a further note on procedure: All guidelines for official meetings like ours state that comments will be addressed to the chair or the board, not to another attendee.]
Jason: The ones first on the list are very behind on back taxes. The process that we would go through to condemn a property is not the same as a city or village.
Cal asked about taking over such a property and rebuilding them. [Blogger: I was not sure whether Cal had in mind that he would do that or was asking whether the county would.]
Dan Cozzens: No comment.
At 9:15 the motion was made to pay the bills.
An executive session occurred after that, but I left when that session was ready to begin.
Jason commented on the number of people (16) and cautioned us to be brief and focus our remarks on Township business.
Phil Derthick, 5182 S.R. 82: I don't know what happened but I do know that on Monday morning when I opened my driveway on Sheldon Road, I had about three feet of snow there. I pushed it back. (Jason asked if Phil had called the garage, and Phil said no. He may have said that he just took care of it and helped the trustees.) Here it was only about 1-1/2 lanes down by the field. That afternoon they got to it. The parking lot here on Sunday morning [at the green, with the Town Hall, Mantua Center Christian Church, and Civic Center) was not what we are used to having. [Blogger: I have known Phil all my life, and I have never heard the note of determination in his voice that was there when he spoke this evening.]
John Festa thought it was blowing snow. Phil said, emphatically, that it was not. He also said that they have to watch that spot on Sheldon near his field drive onto the road.
Mark Hall, 1124 Loris Drive: One other item on the plowing: On Tuesday I left going around the east cemetery which was not plowed well at all.
Also, on the land bank [the blighted properties issue]: If you go through the process, and the land bank does not carry out the demolition [on a building], what is the township liable for at that point? You can still go after the property owner to have the structure torn down. [But] It can come back to the township to tear down and the lien would apply to the township at some point in the future. But I don't know if you have to go through the process once you have pressed the start button.
Jason: Some of the properties may be approved for match dollars. That list is rather large from all townships and villages. Not all properties will match the criteria and I think many will be dropped off the list.
Mark: I wanted to make sure the township has a backup plan.
Matt Parsons: Asked for a breakdown of the health insurance. Jason gave monthly amounts of the premium costs:
Jason Carlton, $230.63
Brian Tayerle, $230.63 [Blogger: I believe that is correct.]
Victor Grimm and Mike Richards, $1,118.28
Dan, $1,140.12 (Family Plan)
Marie Stehli, $2,550.04 (Family Plan)
[Note: The cost of insurance is determined by age, but also by gender. A family plan's cost is determined by the age and gender of the primary insured as well as several other criteria. If you want to really delve into this, first check the minutes. Then ask for the information from Fiscal Officer Marie Stehli.]
Matt Parsons asked if the Township is required to provide benefits, and it is not. Each township handles this differently.
Jason stated that insurance had to be offered to everyone.
Matt: And if you decided to change to the 85/15% [split between employer/employee pickup], the numbers would go down?
Jason: The numbers would go down immediately, but we would get the same bill and Marie would deduct an amount from each check. The premium won't change unless we change the benefit.
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: This is sort of another moment to treasure--I actually agree with Larry Leitzow on one thing about the school project. I think it has taken too long. I do think he missed where the hangup has been for the last several months, because it has not been Vic.
I think we should get in there as he urged at the last meeting, and I think the way to do that is with volunteers but don't know how to do that with Littleton Kirkpatrick off the project. But the fact that there is agreement that we need to get into the building reminds me about our discussion, Jason, in May about getting together in the middle.
Jason: I think we are in the middle and we are in the school..
Carole: We are partly in there. We are not in there in any significant way at the moment. Marie's office is probably better at this point than having it all at home, but it is an interim office.
The Restoration Society has not been saying a separate thing every two weeks about the school. [Blogger: See Larry Leitzow's remarks from the previous meeting, at the end of public comment.] We have been saying the same thing--we can help you.
We are able to provide both materials and volunteer labor, which was fine when this building was done. Zip, zip, and it was done. We have been saying for months that we can do that. We have people to do that. It is a way of defraying costs--substitute your labor for someone else's money. I think we can work with the trustees and make that west classroom ready.
As far as the hallway is concerned, there was a big concern about asbestos for months, weeks, years. I can feel Larry's pain about hearing about the same thing time after time after time because we heard about the same thing a lot.
If that hallway were cleaned off completely as sort of a matching effort for our work on the west classroom, naming rights are a big thing these days. You hear about that with stadiums all the time.
Larry Leitzow's mother was a charter member and the first treasurer of the Restoration Society. If Larry Leitzow were behind removing all the stuff in the hallway, which has been a major concern of his on record [for several years], it would be nice to have a plaque in there in memory of Josephine Leitzow. Everyone would win, and that would be something quite wonderful in the last 6 or 7 years in this township.
Lynn Harvey, Mennonite Road: I don't know whether any of the contractors you spoke with are specialists in restoration. I have traveled and seen a school that has been repurposed and used as a senior center. It is similar to our building. It is fixed up but not modernized. The hardwood floors were cleaned up and polished. Several rooms have been carpeted and they said that those were going to be removed because people don't like them. They have kept their chalkboards and decorations are temporary and attractive. The place was humming with activities. They had a huge schedule of events.
The lights were on a single rod with a globe and even today, if you go to Lowe's and ask for a schoolhouse light, you can get them. It was fabulous and it would not be a huge stretch for us to do that. I think it is less money and work than has been proposed. I think I can get some pictures of that building.
Amy Janka, no comment.
Larry Parsons, Wayne Road: A tree came down and caused some issues on the road, and when I called the township guys they took care of it right away.
Bob Zulla: No comment.
Dave Pollard, 3692 S.R. 82: Basically what MaRSI [the shorthand for The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.] has been offering the trustees is a grant in kind for materials and labor to install the materials The trustees regularly take grants for road projects, and I don't think you would turn those down. We have been trying for months to convince you of our sincerity. We don't know whether the new zoning inspector will be able or want to work out of his house. I don't know how much space it would take, but there are other smaller rooms available.
Back to what the Restoration Society has been trying to do, if we can work together with the trustees, we can take care of getting the tile off the floor in the hallway. There is probably asbestos but take it up and there is hardwood under it. It will not be as treacherous in wet weather. [Blogger: In fact, the hallway floor under the tile is concrete/cement, as are all the floors in the building. However, the floors in all of the rooms are overlaid with hardwood--as is obvious in the west room, where the old carpet was removed just before the Township cleanup day.]
Dave, continuing: With the cooperation of the trustees, we can probably get the basement ready for rent. That would pay for utilities. But we have to work together on this.
Frankly, the trustees have not been forthcoming about this. You can not scrape paint off this building [the township hall] in the winter.
Jason: The second contractor was happy that there were so many volunteers. This person is very reputable and knows what they are doing and willing to work with trustees, volunteers, and their contractors if need be. [Blogger: And why was this not mentioned earlier when there was comment about contractors and walkthroughs?]
Dave: I can't mention the figure, just like you are not going to make that one [the bid] public. But we can make a good contribution towards that. I think we can get Marie Stehli's office done and depending on what the trustees are willing to do, just remember that whatever figure the contractor mentioned, we can take a chunk out of it.
Dawn Pechman: No comment. [But wait; there's more.]
Barb Herbold: It's nice to see that there is an attempt to clean up the ___. [
Steve Zielinski, S.R. 82: Happy New Year and I hope we can accomplish a lot this year.
Cal Brant, Wayne Road: I have been talking with Sherwin Williams -- Cal asked about paint and paint colors.
Jason: I would defer to Linda Ehlert. When this [the township hall interior] was done, Linda was brought in for her historical experience. So I would defer such questions to her.
Cal: So I can give her all the samples.
Continuing: Another question--This land bank: Is it all controlled by Regional Planning?
Jason: The administration is being handled by Regional Planning, with a board made up of public officials from around the county.
Cal: So they are going to take the worst ones.
Jason: The first ones are those that are dilapidated and also behind on taxes.
Dawn Pechman (who had declined to comment during her time for public comment and who did not have the floor): That is not quite right. This is very complicated. It is very structured.
Cal asked about the website.
Dawn: The minutes are being held by Vicki Kline; [contact her and] get the minutes.
[Blogger: As a further note on procedure: All guidelines for official meetings like ours state that comments will be addressed to the chair or the board, not to another attendee.]
Jason: The ones first on the list are very behind on back taxes. The process that we would go through to condemn a property is not the same as a city or village.
Cal asked about taking over such a property and rebuilding them. [Blogger: I was not sure whether Cal had in mind that he would do that or was asking whether the county would.]
Dan Cozzens: No comment.
At 9:15 the motion was made to pay the bills.
An executive session occurred after that, but I left when that session was ready to begin.
Name Change
Sometimes it takes a while. We have been referring to "the school" for a long time, and sometimes in meetings the term is uttered so scornfully by its loudest opponent that it sounds like a dirty word.
In fact, the building that was built in 1914 as the Mantua Township School has not been a school since 2004.
Until the trustees--two of them, anyhow--stop stalling, the blog will refer to the building at 11741 Mantua Center Road that was purchased by the Mantua Township Trustees in 2004 this way:
The Mantua Township Building
"Mantua Township" (or maybe "Mantua Twp.") is lettered on the pediment above the front door. That should do for now.
In fact, the building that was built in 1914 as the Mantua Township School has not been a school since 2004.
Until the trustees--two of them, anyhow--stop stalling, the blog will refer to the building at 11741 Mantua Center Road that was purchased by the Mantua Township Trustees in 2004 this way:
The Mantua Township Building
"Mantua Township" (or maybe "Mantua Twp.") is lettered on the pediment above the front door. That should do for now.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Mantua Twp. Trustees 1-10-13: Blighted Properties, Insurance Coverage, Other
Foreword: This issue came up several meetings ago under the bland heading of "Moving Ohio Forward." It is related to zoning and is being administered by Regional Planning.
Here is what Jason presented: There is a pot of money the commissioners have the power to dole out for properties that are dilapidated and may be subject to large sums of back taxes. He passed out photographs of the properties. Only condemned properties will be torn down, and that takes three entities: the fire department, health department, and the building department in regard to safety.
Jason listed the properties:
A house on Samuel Drive
13 lots in Robin Park
3185 Mennonite Road
11755 Mantua Center Road*. This was considered the first on the list. See below.
3967 Herman Road
4957 S.R. 82
*Vic pointed out that they are planning on moving into that house. The boiler has been fixed and the plumbing has also been fixed. That house is adjacent to the back parking lot of the Mantua Center School building, and Vic said his information had come from Ray Nebe's widow.
#2 on the list is 4957 S.R. 82, across from the bakery.
#3, at 3581 Mennonite and Frost Road, belongs to Dan Carlton.
#4 is at 3967 Herman Road, and Jason said he believed there had been multiple zoning violations on this in the past.
#5 is the old Herman Brothers store at 12530 Mantua Center Road.
Step 2 is to get a search warrant, and Step 3 is to determine if there are any liens on the property.
For a property to go through the Land Bank, it must be condemned as defined in the Ohio Revised Code, 505.86.
Once a property has been condemned and the owners notified, if buildings are torn down, a lien will be put on for the amount of demolition. Whenever the property sells, that lien must be paid to the Land Bank.
Robin Park poses a question because they are individual lots owned by a single entity--the trailer park itself--and it may not be possible to condemn them even though the trailers fall under those criteria. But if it is possible to move forward, a lien will still have to be put on the property.
Jason addressed a remark to Dawn Pechman about being the spokesperson for Robin Park; she claimed only being a resident but said that she had been at a meeting on Tuesday on this topic. She said that the organization was new and had the job of preventing blight. Her opinion was that it is a good thing for the entire county.
Jason said that at the next meeting the trustees will have to pass some resolutions, one per property. If someone is planning on improving the property and moving in, proceedings on that property would be dropped.
Vic said he would contact Trish Nebe.
Road Department
Jason pointed out that the road crew had made repairs to one of the trucks so that residents will know what the crew is doing when they are not out on the road. He listed the work that had been done on the Stirling.
The tree on Pioneer Trail will be taken down next Monday or Tuesday (1-14 or 1-15).
There was discussion about getting replacement parts for the plow blades, which the Township had been buying as separate pieces to put together the equivalent of a kit, which came to over $1,000. One company now has a kit with everything that had previously been purchased separately; the cost for three came to $2900.
John Festa asked if the plow parts were replaced every year. Jason thought so, but Vic said no, sometimes it was possible to get three years out of a set of blades. The ones the township has been using have been a good product. A year ago the kit was more expensive than the pieces.
Vic also suggested getting one for the Stirling and then at the Ohio Township Association conference seeing what was there before deciding what to get.
Jason made a motion to purchase the blade, total to be no more than $1,000. Seconded and passed.
Ladies Cemetery Association: Barb Herbold thanked everyone for the help. This year they planted 13 trees; the flower bed was finished; there were donations of time and money; shrubs were planted; and new Christmas decorations were purchased. No meeting is scheduled as yet.
Garden Club and Chamber of Commerce: Nothing from the Garden Club, and there had been no Chamber of Commerce meeting.
New Business: Insurance was the first item; Jason had done some calculations and had a proposal for the board. Our insurance premiums are about $6,000 per month Jason thought that if the township continued to pay 85% of the premium and have the employees pay 15% out of pocket, it would come out to $76.00/pay for Mike Richards, $17.30 for Brian Tayerle, and $85.51 for Dan. For Dan, that is .98 per hour.
Those savings would total $4300 in 2013.
For elected officials, the benefit can not change until the new term.
For 2014, the savings would be $6548 for the year, and $11,138 for 2016.
Jason, continuing: I wanted to mention this because health care does not seem to be going down. Our costs stayed the same, and I wanted to see about getting into line with what other townships are doing. This was not an easy conversation with the road crew. I wanted to give you a chance to think about this. I also wanted to give some money back to the employees as part of the compensation.
[Blogger: In my notes, listening to this, I wrote: "How is this a saving?"]
Marie asked about the cemetery sexton's job description. Jason wanted to review it and said he would not make many real changes, but just eliminate repetition and streamline things.
Vic: I got your message and picked this up this morning. I made a few changes, but no additions. Vic also said that a lot of what was on the list of duties is actually part of the road crew's duties. This will be considered at the next meeting.
John Festa only wanted to make an addition to the resolution passed at the last meeting on any correspondence that the trustees sign--that it should out out as a registered or certified letter, whichever is the less expensive. Registered mail is for things that must be insured. Each can have a return receipt. John Festa left that up to Marie's discretion. Jason seconded. Passed.
Vic reported that he had checked on the road signs with ODOT. The stop signs remain the jurisdiction of the State of Ohio. What falls under the township is the Stop Ahead signs. It is up to the township to replace them if anything happens. All expenses, installation, and replacement are the township's responsibility.
Old Business: Nothing new on the Township Hall; the Force Account has not been updated yet, but the State share has been paid.
Jason: Center school building updates: About 3 weeks ago a contractor went through and now has given me a price which I am not going to release. Another contractor went through subsequently. Littleton Kirkpatrick has been hard to reach, and when I did talk to him, he said that most of his contractors were in Lake County and it was not worth their coming here to do the job, and so he would be unable to bid it.
[Blogger: Mr. Kirkpatrick has excellent experience with historic buildings; this is a major disappointment for some of us and also a surprise--he had given no indication of reluctance or difficulty before and had in fact seemed quite accommodating about coming to review the project.]
Jason, continuing: We are probably going to request another walk through with this second contractor and should have figures for the meeting in February. Jason said that one of the contractors was very positive about our having volunteers available to do some of the work.
John Festa asked to be contacted for that, as did Vic. John Festa said that the only other thing he had was on the items we had for sale. The road crew does not think the truck bed [this is an old one] will be anything anyone would want and so he wanted to make a motion to scrap the unused truck bed.
Vic added that it is no longer being used by the township and is valued under $2500.
That concluded the business of the meeting. Public comment was next and will be the next post on the blog.
Here is what Jason presented: There is a pot of money the commissioners have the power to dole out for properties that are dilapidated and may be subject to large sums of back taxes. He passed out photographs of the properties. Only condemned properties will be torn down, and that takes three entities: the fire department, health department, and the building department in regard to safety.
Jason listed the properties:
A house on Samuel Drive
13 lots in Robin Park
3185 Mennonite Road
11755 Mantua Center Road*. This was considered the first on the list. See below.
3967 Herman Road
4957 S.R. 82
*Vic pointed out that they are planning on moving into that house. The boiler has been fixed and the plumbing has also been fixed. That house is adjacent to the back parking lot of the Mantua Center School building, and Vic said his information had come from Ray Nebe's widow.
#2 on the list is 4957 S.R. 82, across from the bakery.
#3, at 3581 Mennonite and Frost Road, belongs to Dan Carlton.
#4 is at 3967 Herman Road, and Jason said he believed there had been multiple zoning violations on this in the past.
#5 is the old Herman Brothers store at 12530 Mantua Center Road.
Step 2 is to get a search warrant, and Step 3 is to determine if there are any liens on the property.
For a property to go through the Land Bank, it must be condemned as defined in the Ohio Revised Code, 505.86.
Once a property has been condemned and the owners notified, if buildings are torn down, a lien will be put on for the amount of demolition. Whenever the property sells, that lien must be paid to the Land Bank.
Robin Park poses a question because they are individual lots owned by a single entity--the trailer park itself--and it may not be possible to condemn them even though the trailers fall under those criteria. But if it is possible to move forward, a lien will still have to be put on the property.
Jason addressed a remark to Dawn Pechman about being the spokesperson for Robin Park; she claimed only being a resident but said that she had been at a meeting on Tuesday on this topic. She said that the organization was new and had the job of preventing blight. Her opinion was that it is a good thing for the entire county.
Jason said that at the next meeting the trustees will have to pass some resolutions, one per property. If someone is planning on improving the property and moving in, proceedings on that property would be dropped.
Vic said he would contact Trish Nebe.
Road Department
Jason pointed out that the road crew had made repairs to one of the trucks so that residents will know what the crew is doing when they are not out on the road. He listed the work that had been done on the Stirling.
The tree on Pioneer Trail will be taken down next Monday or Tuesday (1-14 or 1-15).
There was discussion about getting replacement parts for the plow blades, which the Township had been buying as separate pieces to put together the equivalent of a kit, which came to over $1,000. One company now has a kit with everything that had previously been purchased separately; the cost for three came to $2900.
John Festa asked if the plow parts were replaced every year. Jason thought so, but Vic said no, sometimes it was possible to get three years out of a set of blades. The ones the township has been using have been a good product. A year ago the kit was more expensive than the pieces.
Vic also suggested getting one for the Stirling and then at the Ohio Township Association conference seeing what was there before deciding what to get.
Jason made a motion to purchase the blade, total to be no more than $1,000. Seconded and passed.
Ladies Cemetery Association: Barb Herbold thanked everyone for the help. This year they planted 13 trees; the flower bed was finished; there were donations of time and money; shrubs were planted; and new Christmas decorations were purchased. No meeting is scheduled as yet.
Garden Club and Chamber of Commerce: Nothing from the Garden Club, and there had been no Chamber of Commerce meeting.
New Business: Insurance was the first item; Jason had done some calculations and had a proposal for the board. Our insurance premiums are about $6,000 per month Jason thought that if the township continued to pay 85% of the premium and have the employees pay 15% out of pocket, it would come out to $76.00/pay for Mike Richards, $17.30 for Brian Tayerle, and $85.51 for Dan. For Dan, that is .98 per hour.
Those savings would total $4300 in 2013.
For elected officials, the benefit can not change until the new term.
For 2014, the savings would be $6548 for the year, and $11,138 for 2016.
Jason, continuing: I wanted to mention this because health care does not seem to be going down. Our costs stayed the same, and I wanted to see about getting into line with what other townships are doing. This was not an easy conversation with the road crew. I wanted to give you a chance to think about this. I also wanted to give some money back to the employees as part of the compensation.
[Blogger: In my notes, listening to this, I wrote: "How is this a saving?"]
Marie asked about the cemetery sexton's job description. Jason wanted to review it and said he would not make many real changes, but just eliminate repetition and streamline things.
Vic: I got your message and picked this up this morning. I made a few changes, but no additions. Vic also said that a lot of what was on the list of duties is actually part of the road crew's duties. This will be considered at the next meeting.
John Festa only wanted to make an addition to the resolution passed at the last meeting on any correspondence that the trustees sign--that it should out out as a registered or certified letter, whichever is the less expensive. Registered mail is for things that must be insured. Each can have a return receipt. John Festa left that up to Marie's discretion. Jason seconded. Passed.
Vic reported that he had checked on the road signs with ODOT. The stop signs remain the jurisdiction of the State of Ohio. What falls under the township is the Stop Ahead signs. It is up to the township to replace them if anything happens. All expenses, installation, and replacement are the township's responsibility.
Old Business: Nothing new on the Township Hall; the Force Account has not been updated yet, but the State share has been paid.
Jason: Center school building updates: About 3 weeks ago a contractor went through and now has given me a price which I am not going to release. Another contractor went through subsequently. Littleton Kirkpatrick has been hard to reach, and when I did talk to him, he said that most of his contractors were in Lake County and it was not worth their coming here to do the job, and so he would be unable to bid it.
[Blogger: Mr. Kirkpatrick has excellent experience with historic buildings; this is a major disappointment for some of us and also a surprise--he had given no indication of reluctance or difficulty before and had in fact seemed quite accommodating about coming to review the project.]
Jason, continuing: We are probably going to request another walk through with this second contractor and should have figures for the meeting in February. Jason said that one of the contractors was very positive about our having volunteers available to do some of the work.
John Festa asked to be contacted for that, as did Vic. John Festa said that the only other thing he had was on the items we had for sale. The road crew does not think the truck bed [this is an old one] will be anything anyone would want and so he wanted to make a motion to scrap the unused truck bed.
Vic added that it is no longer being used by the township and is valued under $2500.
That concluded the business of the meeting. Public comment was next and will be the next post on the blog.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A "3-Fer": Mantua Twp. Trustees 1-10-13
Foreword: The first meeting in January is, as the title indicates, three meetings on one night: the end-of-year for the previous year, the beginning-of-year in which the officers and representatives to various boards are designated, and the first regular meeting of the new year. The Fiscal Officer conducts the beginning-of-year meeting.
End-of-Year, 2012
Jason began by recognizing John Vechery's years of service to the township and asking for a moment of silence in respect to John.
The minutes were presented and accepted with no changes.
Marie Stehli has filed the financial report with the State. It is available for viewing. [It may be available for viewing on the State Auditor's site; I am not sure.]
She then reviewed the end-of-year cash balances since 2009. Beginning in 2011, the end-of-year balance has dropped by $100,000 for the past two years, which Marie pointed out is not a good trend. She said that the gas tax which is a source of revenue had dropped this year, and the 2013 budget has been reduced.
[This was all presented in a detailed letter which Marie read to the trustees. Your blogger has requested a copy which should be available within a few days; it will be presented verbatim in the blog.]
A bill from Two Ladies Express came in after Marie thought that everything had been completed; she requested approval to pay it. Jason so moved, indicating to pay it in 2012. Marie pointed out that it had to be done in 2013. That was sorted out and approval passed unanimously. (It was for $41.92.)
Marie talked about how the payroll demands will exceed what is in the budget.
Jason said that if they have to move money around they will have to do that. [Two things here: Marie told the trustees almost a year ago that the township could not sustain a new hire beyond one year. Second, Marie had written a letter defining that situation; it will be posted verbatim in the blog also.] Jason thought that since contracted services were down last year, the new hire could be covered that way.
Marie announced that there will be three elections this year: May, August, and November.
A question came up about training workshops for the road crew. Those trainings have to be done or we will lose our rating. [Note: I don't know what the rating refers to but will ask.]
There was a motion to pay the bills, and that was done. At 7:30 this meeting was adjourned, and the beginning-of-year meeting was called to order. Marie conducted that.
Beginning of Year
Officers are as follows: Chairman, Jason Carlton.
Vice Chairman, John Festa
Fire Board Representative: John Festa; Alternate, Victor Grimm
Before going further, Jason said he has been sitting on both Chagrin River Watershed Partnership and Regional Planning but wanted to do only one. That will come up a little later.
Zoning Commission Members: The year before each name is the year the term expires.
2013, Lynn Harvey; 2014, Terri Vechery; 2015 and 2016: Roger Hurd and Phil Derthick, and I blinked for a minute and am not sure who has which year.
Zoning Commission meetings are regularly scheduled for the second Thursday of the month in the Township Hall.
Next, the BZA and Zoning Commission alternates were designated, and I did not keep track of those. For Zoning Commission, I believe Nick Ehlert and Dave Pollard are the alternates.
Vic asked Jason which regional board he preferred to represent the township at; answer, Regional Planning, with Sandy Engelhart the alternate. That was done.
For Chagrin River Watershed Partnership, Vic is our representative with Jason the alternate.
Payroll figures/hourly rates were listed: Brian Tayerle, $15.55/hr. plus $31.25 maintenance [and I do not know what that means or what the time frame is]; Mike Richards, $14.45/hr.; Dan, $12.75/hr. The road crew are each reimbursed $12.50/pay for cell phone use.
Part time labor is $7.40/hr. Marie said she is not sure this still meets minimum wage requirements.
Sexton: $7.00/hr.; $50.00/mo. cap.
Trustees: $11,318/yr.; Fiscal Officer: $18,000 plus a bit /yr.
Zoning Inspector: $600/mo. No benefits. This is a part time position.
Marie reviewed the holidays and vacation and sick days, and overtime was discussed. Anything over 40 hours /wk is time and a half, and working on a holiday amounts to double time and a half.
On the vote to accept these figures, Jason and Vic voted yes and John Festa abstained. Then he asked about custodians. Jason said they should probably be on this list. The pay is $150/mo. plus a certain amount that I did not catch, nor what it was for. John Festa also asked if those were hired positions. Answer: Yes.
At 7:43 Jason moved to adjourn the beginning-of-year meeting. Done.
First Regular Mantua Township Trustees Meeting, 2013
Jason Carlton called the meeting to order at 7:46.
The Fiscal Officer reported that we did get Perrine Asphalt paid on this day. Temporary appropriations and status report followed. Marie announced that we now have a totally new system for the records keeping, and she has gotten everything up and running.
Jason said that Dawn Pechman has turned in a letter about public records and meetings and that Chris Meduri wants to meet with her.
Zoning Commission, Lynn Harvey: Lynn asked if Jason had gotten a disc from Regional Planning; no. It had not been finalized yet. There was some discussion about forms and printing them out.
Lynn: If zoning issues come up that require someone to get a permit, are you handling that now until we get a new zoning inspector?
Jason said yes, that they had a permit now, and normally trustees do not handle that.
Lynn: Do we have a location that will function as a temporary office?
Jason: Yes. And we have to discuss where all those records are going to go and who will act as the interim person.
Jason also added that they had something to deal with that evening for a proposed accessory building, and the check was on hand. Vic said he would talk with Chris Meduri about some of this and that it would be a learning curve for everyone. He looked at the papers that had been submitted.
Jason then confirmed that all of the checks end up on Marie's doorstep, and Marie said that John Vechery had or should have had the receipt books; she had given all of them to him, and he has/had a mileage book.
Jason went on to another zoning issue: Chris Meduri had sent a violation notice to Elmore Christy for a property on S.R. 82. The owner did not comply. This issue goes back to September, and we could have acted on this some time ago. Our next steps, which I talked about with Chris Meduri, regard a resolution that prohibits using land basically as a junk yard. [Jason listed the things that were prohibited.] Chris Meduri said that if we pass a resolution authorizing that office to begin a lawsuit, it will proceed.
Marie asked if Chris had given Jason/the trustees a resolution so the wording would be correct, and Vic said that he thought John Vechery always had that. Marie said she could get the correct wording from Chris. The final decision after some talk was to hold off until next week, which is the regular meeting night.
Vic had another zoning issue that involves putting up a couple more towers out near the Buckeye facility just outside of the Village. The letter asks John Vechery to send a letter stating that no more permits are needed, but there was a reply from Chris Meduri.
Jason asked if Vic would be contacting the owner. The request is to put in a "cabinet," which is basically a 6'x8'x8' shed. Chris's letter was to check with the Portage County Building Department. Over a certain size, a building permit is required.
Jason looked at the agenda at this point and decided to deal with all other zoning issues. Two positions are now open--one for sexton and one for zoning inspector.
Two legal ads have been posted, with the deadline for replies to be a postmark by December 15. [Blogger: This is the date in my notes, but I am not sure that it is correct--whether I missed it or whether Jason misspoke in handling all of this. Either is possible]
There was discussion about the existing zoning phone number and having calls forwarded now. Vic volunteered to handle that; issues could be handled by the board.
Vic has talked with Terri Vechery and has had the three cemetery books since John became ill. He asked about putting the records into the civic center storage area, but Jason thought they could go into an area at the school and that the road crew could help with moving thinks like filing cabinets. [I believe that those records will be in a room separate from the records that are the Fiscal Officer's responsibility.
Vic confirmed that we want to keep the zoning number regardless of where the phone is.
[Blogger: That's enough for now; a logical unit is complete, and this is a long post.]
End-of-Year, 2012
Jason began by recognizing John Vechery's years of service to the township and asking for a moment of silence in respect to John.
The minutes were presented and accepted with no changes.
Marie Stehli has filed the financial report with the State. It is available for viewing. [It may be available for viewing on the State Auditor's site; I am not sure.]
She then reviewed the end-of-year cash balances since 2009. Beginning in 2011, the end-of-year balance has dropped by $100,000 for the past two years, which Marie pointed out is not a good trend. She said that the gas tax which is a source of revenue had dropped this year, and the 2013 budget has been reduced.
[This was all presented in a detailed letter which Marie read to the trustees. Your blogger has requested a copy which should be available within a few days; it will be presented verbatim in the blog.]
A bill from Two Ladies Express came in after Marie thought that everything had been completed; she requested approval to pay it. Jason so moved, indicating to pay it in 2012. Marie pointed out that it had to be done in 2013. That was sorted out and approval passed unanimously. (It was for $41.92.)
Marie talked about how the payroll demands will exceed what is in the budget.
Jason said that if they have to move money around they will have to do that. [Two things here: Marie told the trustees almost a year ago that the township could not sustain a new hire beyond one year. Second, Marie had written a letter defining that situation; it will be posted verbatim in the blog also.] Jason thought that since contracted services were down last year, the new hire could be covered that way.
Marie announced that there will be three elections this year: May, August, and November.
A question came up about training workshops for the road crew. Those trainings have to be done or we will lose our rating. [Note: I don't know what the rating refers to but will ask.]
There was a motion to pay the bills, and that was done. At 7:30 this meeting was adjourned, and the beginning-of-year meeting was called to order. Marie conducted that.
Beginning of Year
Officers are as follows: Chairman, Jason Carlton.
Vice Chairman, John Festa
Fire Board Representative: John Festa; Alternate, Victor Grimm
Before going further, Jason said he has been sitting on both Chagrin River Watershed Partnership and Regional Planning but wanted to do only one. That will come up a little later.
Zoning Commission Members: The year before each name is the year the term expires.
2013, Lynn Harvey; 2014, Terri Vechery; 2015 and 2016: Roger Hurd and Phil Derthick, and I blinked for a minute and am not sure who has which year.
Zoning Commission meetings are regularly scheduled for the second Thursday of the month in the Township Hall.
Next, the BZA and Zoning Commission alternates were designated, and I did not keep track of those. For Zoning Commission, I believe Nick Ehlert and Dave Pollard are the alternates.
Vic asked Jason which regional board he preferred to represent the township at; answer, Regional Planning, with Sandy Engelhart the alternate. That was done.
For Chagrin River Watershed Partnership, Vic is our representative with Jason the alternate.
Payroll figures/hourly rates were listed: Brian Tayerle, $15.55/hr. plus $31.25 maintenance [and I do not know what that means or what the time frame is]; Mike Richards, $14.45/hr.; Dan, $12.75/hr. The road crew are each reimbursed $12.50/pay for cell phone use.
Part time labor is $7.40/hr. Marie said she is not sure this still meets minimum wage requirements.
Sexton: $7.00/hr.; $50.00/mo. cap.
Trustees: $11,318/yr.; Fiscal Officer: $18,000 plus a bit /yr.
Zoning Inspector: $600/mo. No benefits. This is a part time position.
Marie reviewed the holidays and vacation and sick days, and overtime was discussed. Anything over 40 hours /wk is time and a half, and working on a holiday amounts to double time and a half.
On the vote to accept these figures, Jason and Vic voted yes and John Festa abstained. Then he asked about custodians. Jason said they should probably be on this list. The pay is $150/mo. plus a certain amount that I did not catch, nor what it was for. John Festa also asked if those were hired positions. Answer: Yes.
At 7:43 Jason moved to adjourn the beginning-of-year meeting. Done.
First Regular Mantua Township Trustees Meeting, 2013
Jason Carlton called the meeting to order at 7:46.
The Fiscal Officer reported that we did get Perrine Asphalt paid on this day. Temporary appropriations and status report followed. Marie announced that we now have a totally new system for the records keeping, and she has gotten everything up and running.
Jason said that Dawn Pechman has turned in a letter about public records and meetings and that Chris Meduri wants to meet with her.
Zoning Commission, Lynn Harvey: Lynn asked if Jason had gotten a disc from Regional Planning; no. It had not been finalized yet. There was some discussion about forms and printing them out.
Lynn: If zoning issues come up that require someone to get a permit, are you handling that now until we get a new zoning inspector?
Jason said yes, that they had a permit now, and normally trustees do not handle that.
Lynn: Do we have a location that will function as a temporary office?
Jason: Yes. And we have to discuss where all those records are going to go and who will act as the interim person.
Jason also added that they had something to deal with that evening for a proposed accessory building, and the check was on hand. Vic said he would talk with Chris Meduri about some of this and that it would be a learning curve for everyone. He looked at the papers that had been submitted.
Jason then confirmed that all of the checks end up on Marie's doorstep, and Marie said that John Vechery had or should have had the receipt books; she had given all of them to him, and he has/had a mileage book.
Jason went on to another zoning issue: Chris Meduri had sent a violation notice to Elmore Christy for a property on S.R. 82. The owner did not comply. This issue goes back to September, and we could have acted on this some time ago. Our next steps, which I talked about with Chris Meduri, regard a resolution that prohibits using land basically as a junk yard. [Jason listed the things that were prohibited.] Chris Meduri said that if we pass a resolution authorizing that office to begin a lawsuit, it will proceed.
Marie asked if Chris had given Jason/the trustees a resolution so the wording would be correct, and Vic said that he thought John Vechery always had that. Marie said she could get the correct wording from Chris. The final decision after some talk was to hold off until next week, which is the regular meeting night.
Vic had another zoning issue that involves putting up a couple more towers out near the Buckeye facility just outside of the Village. The letter asks John Vechery to send a letter stating that no more permits are needed, but there was a reply from Chris Meduri.
Jason asked if Vic would be contacting the owner. The request is to put in a "cabinet," which is basically a 6'x8'x8' shed. Chris's letter was to check with the Portage County Building Department. Over a certain size, a building permit is required.
Jason looked at the agenda at this point and decided to deal with all other zoning issues. Two positions are now open--one for sexton and one for zoning inspector.
Two legal ads have been posted, with the deadline for replies to be a postmark by December 15. [Blogger: This is the date in my notes, but I am not sure that it is correct--whether I missed it or whether Jason misspoke in handling all of this. Either is possible]
There was discussion about the existing zoning phone number and having calls forwarded now. Vic volunteered to handle that; issues could be handled by the board.
Vic has talked with Terri Vechery and has had the three cemetery books since John became ill. He asked about putting the records into the civic center storage area, but Jason thought they could go into an area at the school and that the road crew could help with moving thinks like filing cabinets. [I believe that those records will be in a room separate from the records that are the Fiscal Officer's responsibility.
Vic confirmed that we want to keep the zoning number regardless of where the phone is.
[Blogger: That's enough for now; a logical unit is complete, and this is a long post.]
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Public Comment, 12-20-12: Furor and a Few Lucid Moments
Public Comment began at 8:40.
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: Jason, I thought a lot after the last meeting when you said you had to consider everybody in the township and I remembered something I had heard about. I wanted to read it to you. When people discovered this country, the Native Americans ---
Jason: Does this have anything to do with Township business?
Carole: Yes it does. This is about history and history does help [in understanding and perspective.]
Continuing: The Native Americans were a stone age culture but they had a very sophisticated form of government. We based much of our government on the Iroquois system, and this what is in their philosophy:
"In all of your deliberations. . . .[and] official acts, self-interest shall be cast into oblivion. . . . . Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground--the unborn of the future Nation."
Carole, continuing: This is the idea of thinking for seven generations into the future and I wanted to--basically I am not arguing with you. Treasure this moment--I am not arguing about your thinking for the whole township and to consider the township as an entity that needs to be cared for and it will outlast all of us. It was not a criticism.
The other thing is that I gave each of you a packet with some things in it. When you begin to get into historic stuff, you learn how much you don't know. I lifted some things that seem most relevant to what we have been talking about: HVAC and remodeling things. There are excerpts from each of three different preservation bulletins. I have identified each of them, and the Ohio Historical Society has a store that you can order them from. I see what you bring in here every meeting, and I got a stack an inch high, and you do not have time to read all of that.
[But there is a lot of good information in the bulletins.] First, do no harm, and a lot is listed in Do's and Don'ts that we do not have to do. The things listed save time and money.
The other thing is that it is not enough for a contractor to have worked on a old buildings, and I am glad you mentioned Littleton Kirkpatrick again because someone like him has done preservation that is beyond old buildings. The things in the little packet are intended to be helpful. They deal not just with the school, but apply to all the buildings, the New England style buildings, that the township owns and that is why I gave [the packet] to you.
Dave Pollard, 3692 S.R. 82: I am not arguing with you about your line of reasoning. There is a lot of controversy and hesitation on spending things at the school. It does seem that even though Littleton Kirkpatrick recommended doing a room at a time, but when you get the bill for the whole thing that is too much money. You are doing this [the Township Hall] one piece at a time. This building will not be done until next summer.
I don't see any reason not to do the school the same way. Jason, when you are looking for money, you talk about saving money here or there [and this means that the money saved can be spent on something else]. When you decided to let me get the trailers out, you saved $2800 on that. I think you are honest enough to admit that that money is available. Also, when you sold the trailers, you picked up about $350. The grass seed is not much.
You have enough to begin moving ahead. Getting into the Fiscal Officer's room does not require removing any tile or asbestos. You have heard that the restoration society is willing to help. We are ready to donate labor and help.
Jason: We know what the project for this building will cost.
[Blogger: This is open to challenge, because historic preservation guidelines specifically prohibit some of the paint removal methods that were mentioned on the estimates--which are now several months old and were not the result of a closed bid process. Also, to the best of my knowledge, work on the cupola on the Township Hall as well as the cost of doing it may not have been determined.]
Jason, continuing: With the school, if we keep pasting [Blogger: I think that's the right word] things together, we do not have a picture of what things will cost. We just don't know what the big picture will cost. I think you need to have the big picture before you start peeling the onion.
I do not have a problem spending the money but if we don't know what it will cost, we can end up down a path which will be money after money after money.
[Blogger: Well, that sounds like owning a vehicle or a house. They cost money, and they keep costing money. Not many of us are willing to do without them, however.]
Jason, continuing: Figure out what the school will cost and then we know that we can move forward.
Dave: That was the approach that came under so much criticism, but the big picture seems to encompass more and more every time you look at it. I think there was a figure for the main floor of $15,000 to do everything. That may not have included taking up the tile and the security system. I don't see where Marie Stehli's office depends on the hallway. The way this is going, all of a sudden the top floor will need to be done before anything else can be done.
The basement can be finished with volunteer labor and the basement can be rented. As I understand it, there are two people interested in renting the basement. I can see the argument being we can't afford to do it.
Dan Cozzens: The road crew has done a good job with the roads. I commend your effortsz.
As far as the school is concerned, are the volunteers insured when they are working?
Jason: Vic followed up with the volunteers in general and the insurance company.
Vic: Most are contractors who have volunteered their time.
Dan: What about the other volunteers?
Vic: They would be in some of that that was covered. Did you have insurance here? [Blogger: Dan was among "Larry's crew" which just descended upon the Township Hall right after one of them came forward with leftover paint to redo the inside of the hall. It was announced that they had materials, people, and the will, and they got carte blanche.]
Dan: They were covered under me.
Jason: We have forms saying the Township is not liable.
Dan: Last question: If the Fiscal Officer is part of the township, when John Festa asked for keys, why did Marie Stehli refuse keys to John Festa for her office"
Jason: Township buildings and locations need to be accessible to all officials. I will have to follow up with Chris Meduri.
Maybe in the Township garage.
Marie: Not to my office.
Vic: [According to] Chris Meduri, if you want to have a key then all trustees have accessibility to it, but put it with the clerk. Marie is responsible for the records.
Dan then commented on how the trustees as elected officials were to be trusted. [Blogger: The trustees are responsible for certain aspects of township government; the clerk is responsible for a different set. There are reasons for this kind of separation. It's a variation on the adage, "Trust--but verify."]
Matt Parsons: Question on Mantua Center at Rt. 82--there are two stop signs. Who put those up?
Vic: The State.
Matt: The left [?] one is partially blocked.
Vic: I have asked them about the signs and if you are in a truck, they block your view. Vic went on to explain about how all of this is according to the Ohio Regulatory Code. He said we can ask them to come out and review the situation.
Jason: Didn't you get a call from the State about updating the signs?
Brian Tayerle: They did do an update and after that they are our responsibility. The woman I talked to said she would chedk and if they can move it they will.
Larry Leitzow, 4266 S.R. 82: I haven't said anything for a couple of months, but am just sitting back listening. But it seems as if every meeting you keep going on and on and on about the school. What good is the money you are putting in? What do the people want who are talking about renting?
[Blogger: As usual, Vic kept trying to answer, and Larry kept interrupting him and talking over him. I'm not sure even a court reporter with a transcription machine could have kept up or kept it straight, and I gave up until I could listen to a recording. What follows is as much as I could get without spending an hour noting 5 minutes' worth of outburst. It is not a transcript, but it contains the main complaints.
Here's the "but," however: Words on a page do not convey volume or tone. Not hardly, as the saying goes. So what follows will have to do.]
Note: This picks up after "about the school."
They want to stick anywhere from one to five thousand dollars in it to do something every two weeks. The money you are putting in--what good is it--you don't even know what you are going to do with it. Now you are talking about two people wanting to rent it. What good is it until you get a contractor in there. What will they need--bathrooms? [Note: There ARE bathrooms in the basement, and you don't have to have Superman vision or a genius IQ to register that they are there.] Continuing with the possible list of wants: An elevator? [That's John Festa's specialty, if not hobbyhorse.] Air conditioning? [The rooms are in the basement, half below ground. Is your own basement hot in the summertime?]
What direction are you going to go unless you get a contractor in there? It seems as if Vic, you try to sneak $1,000 to $10,000 into the budget - - -
Vic: What did you say? Larry muttered something, and Vic repeated his question.
Vic: What did you say? I think you said sneak. I am in a public meeting. How can I sneak?
Larry: You try to push it in there every meeting. Last time it was the lights. Now it's the tile. [Note: Lights are on Jason's list of things that need to be done in making the school more usable.]
Vic: Larry, you wanted an environmental test and we did that. [And something has to be done about the tile, based on that test.]
Larry: I understand that. It's constant every meeting, 1 to 9,000, maybe even 10.
Vic said something about doing it ourselves to save money, rather than hire a general contractor to do something we can do ourselves.
Larry: If we do it ourselves it will be another 8 years.
Vic: We got into the gymnasium and it was the same stuff then.
Larry: You put a $5,000 door in that school and you can't even get up to it. [A slight (add sarcasm) exaggeration.]
Vic: All of that was NOPEC.
Larry: Don't you think you should put money into the steps before you put a door in it? Fix the steps before the door.
Vic: That was part of the grant. [Blogger: In case you could use a refresher, the NOPEC grant was for energy conservation. The trustees at the time used the $50,000 for new windows in the Township Hall, a new boiler in the school, windows in the gymnasium annex, and I am not sure what else. The money could not have been used for anything else. The new door is a steel door to replace wooden double doors that had been sloppily repaired and re-faced by the previous owner and that would have been too easy to breach with a crowbar. And despite Larry's complaint about the steps--a new bone of contention--they are usable. What surrounds them is unsightly and will need to be redone, but the steps functionally are better than the old door was. I can get up them just fine, and I am older than Larry is.]
Larry: Get the front steps fixed--use the taxpayers' money.
Vic: It takes an architect.
Larry: How many architects are you going to get?
Vic: That is not our requirement--that is the building department.
Larry: Where is your ramp going? It goes to a set of windows.
Vic: No, it goes to a door.
Larry: Where does it go? Are you just going to shove people down the steps? Get a general in there and get the building done.
Vic: We have been over this I don't know how many times.
[Blogger: There was more, but you get the idea. Larry kept getting more and more carried away, meaning he got louder and louder, until Jason actually shushed him. I trust that I do not have to point out the logic or lack of it in all of that.
[Six high school students came to this meeting for extra credit in a government class, and early on, when the business meeting was just droning on, as most of these meetings actually should, I passed them a note saying, "Meetings are usually boring unless something goes wrong." They got their money's worth, and I would have loved to see what their follow-up assignments had to say about the experience.]
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: Jason, I thought a lot after the last meeting when you said you had to consider everybody in the township and I remembered something I had heard about. I wanted to read it to you. When people discovered this country, the Native Americans ---
Jason: Does this have anything to do with Township business?
Carole: Yes it does. This is about history and history does help [in understanding and perspective.]
Continuing: The Native Americans were a stone age culture but they had a very sophisticated form of government. We based much of our government on the Iroquois system, and this what is in their philosophy:
"In all of your deliberations. . . .[and] official acts, self-interest shall be cast into oblivion. . . . . Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground--the unborn of the future Nation."
Carole, continuing: This is the idea of thinking for seven generations into the future and I wanted to--basically I am not arguing with you. Treasure this moment--I am not arguing about your thinking for the whole township and to consider the township as an entity that needs to be cared for and it will outlast all of us. It was not a criticism.
The other thing is that I gave each of you a packet with some things in it. When you begin to get into historic stuff, you learn how much you don't know. I lifted some things that seem most relevant to what we have been talking about: HVAC and remodeling things. There are excerpts from each of three different preservation bulletins. I have identified each of them, and the Ohio Historical Society has a store that you can order them from. I see what you bring in here every meeting, and I got a stack an inch high, and you do not have time to read all of that.
[But there is a lot of good information in the bulletins.] First, do no harm, and a lot is listed in Do's and Don'ts that we do not have to do. The things listed save time and money.
The other thing is that it is not enough for a contractor to have worked on a old buildings, and I am glad you mentioned Littleton Kirkpatrick again because someone like him has done preservation that is beyond old buildings. The things in the little packet are intended to be helpful. They deal not just with the school, but apply to all the buildings, the New England style buildings, that the township owns and that is why I gave [the packet] to you.
Dave Pollard, 3692 S.R. 82: I am not arguing with you about your line of reasoning. There is a lot of controversy and hesitation on spending things at the school. It does seem that even though Littleton Kirkpatrick recommended doing a room at a time, but when you get the bill for the whole thing that is too much money. You are doing this [the Township Hall] one piece at a time. This building will not be done until next summer.
I don't see any reason not to do the school the same way. Jason, when you are looking for money, you talk about saving money here or there [and this means that the money saved can be spent on something else]. When you decided to let me get the trailers out, you saved $2800 on that. I think you are honest enough to admit that that money is available. Also, when you sold the trailers, you picked up about $350. The grass seed is not much.
You have enough to begin moving ahead. Getting into the Fiscal Officer's room does not require removing any tile or asbestos. You have heard that the restoration society is willing to help. We are ready to donate labor and help.
Jason: We know what the project for this building will cost.
[Blogger: This is open to challenge, because historic preservation guidelines specifically prohibit some of the paint removal methods that were mentioned on the estimates--which are now several months old and were not the result of a closed bid process. Also, to the best of my knowledge, work on the cupola on the Township Hall as well as the cost of doing it may not have been determined.]
Jason, continuing: With the school, if we keep pasting [Blogger: I think that's the right word] things together, we do not have a picture of what things will cost. We just don't know what the big picture will cost. I think you need to have the big picture before you start peeling the onion.
I do not have a problem spending the money but if we don't know what it will cost, we can end up down a path which will be money after money after money.
[Blogger: Well, that sounds like owning a vehicle or a house. They cost money, and they keep costing money. Not many of us are willing to do without them, however.]
Jason, continuing: Figure out what the school will cost and then we know that we can move forward.
Dave: That was the approach that came under so much criticism, but the big picture seems to encompass more and more every time you look at it. I think there was a figure for the main floor of $15,000 to do everything. That may not have included taking up the tile and the security system. I don't see where Marie Stehli's office depends on the hallway. The way this is going, all of a sudden the top floor will need to be done before anything else can be done.
The basement can be finished with volunteer labor and the basement can be rented. As I understand it, there are two people interested in renting the basement. I can see the argument being we can't afford to do it.
Dan Cozzens: The road crew has done a good job with the roads. I commend your effortsz.
As far as the school is concerned, are the volunteers insured when they are working?
Jason: Vic followed up with the volunteers in general and the insurance company.
Vic: Most are contractors who have volunteered their time.
Dan: What about the other volunteers?
Vic: They would be in some of that that was covered. Did you have insurance here? [Blogger: Dan was among "Larry's crew" which just descended upon the Township Hall right after one of them came forward with leftover paint to redo the inside of the hall. It was announced that they had materials, people, and the will, and they got carte blanche.]
Dan: They were covered under me.
Jason: We have forms saying the Township is not liable.
Dan: Last question: If the Fiscal Officer is part of the township, when John Festa asked for keys, why did Marie Stehli refuse keys to John Festa for her office"
Jason: Township buildings and locations need to be accessible to all officials. I will have to follow up with Chris Meduri.
Maybe in the Township garage.
Marie: Not to my office.
Vic: [According to] Chris Meduri, if you want to have a key then all trustees have accessibility to it, but put it with the clerk. Marie is responsible for the records.
Dan then commented on how the trustees as elected officials were to be trusted. [Blogger: The trustees are responsible for certain aspects of township government; the clerk is responsible for a different set. There are reasons for this kind of separation. It's a variation on the adage, "Trust--but verify."]
Matt Parsons: Question on Mantua Center at Rt. 82--there are two stop signs. Who put those up?
Vic: The State.
Matt: The left [?] one is partially blocked.
Vic: I have asked them about the signs and if you are in a truck, they block your view. Vic went on to explain about how all of this is according to the Ohio Regulatory Code. He said we can ask them to come out and review the situation.
Jason: Didn't you get a call from the State about updating the signs?
Brian Tayerle: They did do an update and after that they are our responsibility. The woman I talked to said she would chedk and if they can move it they will.
Larry Leitzow, 4266 S.R. 82: I haven't said anything for a couple of months, but am just sitting back listening. But it seems as if every meeting you keep going on and on and on about the school. What good is the money you are putting in? What do the people want who are talking about renting?
[Blogger: As usual, Vic kept trying to answer, and Larry kept interrupting him and talking over him. I'm not sure even a court reporter with a transcription machine could have kept up or kept it straight, and I gave up until I could listen to a recording. What follows is as much as I could get without spending an hour noting 5 minutes' worth of outburst. It is not a transcript, but it contains the main complaints.
Here's the "but," however: Words on a page do not convey volume or tone. Not hardly, as the saying goes. So what follows will have to do.]
Note: This picks up after "about the school."
They want to stick anywhere from one to five thousand dollars in it to do something every two weeks. The money you are putting in--what good is it--you don't even know what you are going to do with it. Now you are talking about two people wanting to rent it. What good is it until you get a contractor in there. What will they need--bathrooms? [Note: There ARE bathrooms in the basement, and you don't have to have Superman vision or a genius IQ to register that they are there.] Continuing with the possible list of wants: An elevator? [That's John Festa's specialty, if not hobbyhorse.] Air conditioning? [The rooms are in the basement, half below ground. Is your own basement hot in the summertime?]
What direction are you going to go unless you get a contractor in there? It seems as if Vic, you try to sneak $1,000 to $10,000 into the budget - - -
Vic: What did you say? Larry muttered something, and Vic repeated his question.
Vic: What did you say? I think you said sneak. I am in a public meeting. How can I sneak?
Larry: You try to push it in there every meeting. Last time it was the lights. Now it's the tile. [Note: Lights are on Jason's list of things that need to be done in making the school more usable.]
Vic: Larry, you wanted an environmental test and we did that. [And something has to be done about the tile, based on that test.]
Larry: I understand that. It's constant every meeting, 1 to 9,000, maybe even 10.
Vic said something about doing it ourselves to save money, rather than hire a general contractor to do something we can do ourselves.
Larry: If we do it ourselves it will be another 8 years.
Vic: We got into the gymnasium and it was the same stuff then.
Larry: You put a $5,000 door in that school and you can't even get up to it. [A slight (add sarcasm) exaggeration.]
Vic: All of that was NOPEC.
Larry: Don't you think you should put money into the steps before you put a door in it? Fix the steps before the door.
Vic: That was part of the grant. [Blogger: In case you could use a refresher, the NOPEC grant was for energy conservation. The trustees at the time used the $50,000 for new windows in the Township Hall, a new boiler in the school, windows in the gymnasium annex, and I am not sure what else. The money could not have been used for anything else. The new door is a steel door to replace wooden double doors that had been sloppily repaired and re-faced by the previous owner and that would have been too easy to breach with a crowbar. And despite Larry's complaint about the steps--a new bone of contention--they are usable. What surrounds them is unsightly and will need to be redone, but the steps functionally are better than the old door was. I can get up them just fine, and I am older than Larry is.]
Larry: Get the front steps fixed--use the taxpayers' money.
Vic: It takes an architect.
Larry: How many architects are you going to get?
Vic: That is not our requirement--that is the building department.
Larry: Where is your ramp going? It goes to a set of windows.
Vic: No, it goes to a door.
Larry: Where does it go? Are you just going to shove people down the steps? Get a general in there and get the building done.
Vic: We have been over this I don't know how many times.
[Blogger: There was more, but you get the idea. Larry kept getting more and more carried away, meaning he got louder and louder, until Jason actually shushed him. I trust that I do not have to point out the logic or lack of it in all of that.
[Six high school students came to this meeting for extra credit in a government class, and early on, when the business meeting was just droning on, as most of these meetings actually should, I passed them a note saying, "Meetings are usually boring unless something goes wrong." They got their money's worth, and I would have loved to see what their follow-up assignments had to say about the experience.]
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Mantua Twp. Trustees--More Plausible Stalling
[Blogger foreword: If you already read this post before about noon on January 10, it has been added to and proofread. For the first time ever, when I was keyboarding this and rattling right along, in the blur of flying fingers I hit a wrong key and then another one and lost the whole thing, which was almost complete. So I started over, ran out of time for that session, and simply posted what had been done--which was to the point where Jason commented that Mr. Kirkpatrick had recommended the cover coat. Some of the most significant comments of this meeting were made in that later addition.]
Jason began Old Business with a request for Town Hall updates.
Vic reported that the gutters have been installed along with some extra straps without charging us, and the work came in for less than the estimate: $1,005, total.
Marie is still waiting for a check from the Force account for the Pioneer Trail project.
Jason reported that he and Vic had gone through the first floor with a representative from Hummel Construction; they will give us a ___ book. [Bid book?]
Another gentleman received the packet and was trying to get together with his contractors to take a look. The holidays have affected that. I have followed up with him about doing the walk-through. I will contact one other contractor tomorrow and hope to have more next week.
Vic: We had talked a couple of meetings ago about security. I have talked with a couple of people recommended by local businesses and the police department. [Vic presented photos to the other trustees.] One gentleman is proposing two different systems. One has 8 channels with 6 cameras, and then the installation cost. He also proposed the same cameras with a 16-channel system. The amounts are there: $5189 and $5403. The cameras are fairly good, with about 550 [pixel?] resolution. He also recommends a 7th camera in one area for another $150.
Both companies recommend that we get our own monitor because we can probably get it cheaper. It needs the right kind of port.
The second one has been revised as I talked with the gentleman. The pictures show where he proposes to install the cameras. Vic showed Jason various items on the bid package.
Continuing: There is quite a difference in price--one is about half as high as the other. This is in spite of both probably quoting the same cameras. Installation cost and markup.
Both seemed to know what they were talking about, but the price difference is quite a bit.
Vic, going on: Another thins is that I met with some people for pricing on the asbestos pipe in the basement and the tile on the first floor. Jason asked what Vic meant by that.
Answer: What it would cost to remove it rather than filling in with the leveling compound A lot of that [tile] is going to have to be picked up and removed, and we can not do that. It is asbestos and requires a licensed contractor. As we looked at it for the floor tile, we will probably have quite a bit in it for time and leveling compound and then how well will it adhere, or come up later? It may pay us just to remove it instead of patch over it and cover it up.
Vic passed out estimates/bids for the above work and said there is a 5% discount if we pay up front.
Jason: This is not very cheap.
Vic: If you follow through the environmental report, this is why Keith recommended removing the pipe. The cost may go up later. There are filing and other fees.
Jason: I think a while ago, Littleton Kirkpatrick recommended the cover coat. Maybe he can take a look at it and tell us whether it is bad enough to be done.
Vic: It is under $3,000--$2925. There is a savings between the two of $1700.
Vic, continuing: I think in the long run it would pay us to remove it. That way if you want to put something down in the main hallway you could, we would not be just covering something up. [Blogger: I believe the amount quoted was from EnviroTech.]
Vic: I would like to see us put money away for these two items if we can, this year.
Jason: I think there is $15,000 plus or minus a few hundred in the school fund.
Vic: When you look at their website [EPA? Not sure--blogger], only two people come up. EnviroTech is very big in this and especially in New York state. There it would probably cost us five times this much.
The gentleman from Heppa (sp?) was recommended by Keith. In the basement it would be about 500+ square feet. I would like to see us do that and we would have a very clean building.
Jason: As far as the pipe is concerned, I think we should do that. [Blogger: But no motion was made.] But for the tile, when Littleton Kirkpatrick looked at it he recommended just the skim/filler coat. If he feels it would hold OK, it would save us almost $2,000.
Vic: I am not worried about the skim coat, but just how much will come up later.
John Festa: I am more interested in seeing everything put into a larger package.
Vic: Why would we want to pay someone to hire these companies like a general contractor when we can hire this for ourselves?
John Festa: I was under the impression that we were going to do this as a total package--I thought that was the whole idea. [Blogger: If I remember previous meetings correctly, the total package was John's idea, and Jason's consistent approach was not to piecemeal the project but to determine what the whole thing looks like and then to do it in stages. Well, I hope that's his approach. He did mention "stages" or "phases" in one meeting.]
Vic: Are we going to do a total package on this building [the Township Hall]? We have been doing this [one] part by part.
John Festa: I still am putting together my figures. I would like to see our whole package, not something here and something there.
Jason: I can not vote on this until I hear what contractors say about the tile removal. As far as the pipe is concerned, Keith recommended that and I am willing to go along with it. I don't know how bad it is.
The $990 to remove that is the only part I can see approving.
Vic: You have the figures.
Continuing: Do you want to do anything on the security system?
Jason: I think we should. I don't know the correct order of business on that. We can put this in the larger package and see what we come up with. $700 seems like a pretty good quote. [Blogger: I did not see any of the papers Vic gave the other two trustees, so I do not know what all the numbers are or where they came from. This number is what is in my notes.]
Vic: He would be willing to come out and talk with us.
Jason asked for other old business.
John Festa: A couple of things. Concerning the [school] building, I spoke with Windstream and they informed me there is no problem with moving the 995 [Township] phone line to that building and another agent who said the same thing.
Marie: The service guy told me flat out that they do not service the building. I wanted to keep that number at home so I can get calls at home when I am not in the office at the school.
John Festa: We can keep the old number if we so decide.
Marie: They did say they would service the building?
Answer: Yes.
Jason: I think that the preferable scenario is to have the 995 number ring at your office and set up call forwarding to another number.
Marie: I had that set up and the guy was ready to come out and he called me and said they did not service the building.
John Festa: The second thing is, Marie, you have the two offices [the ones used by the Fiscal Officer] locked. Is there any way I can get a set of keys?
Marie: Not to my office.
John Festa: I don't have a key for either of them.
Marie: I can give you a key for the copy room.
John Festa then asked Vic about having asked for a pin # for the heat control 8 weeks ago.
Vic corrected that time frame (it wasn't 8 weeks) and said he would give the number to John Festa.
At this point, it was 8:40 and Public Comment could begin. That will be a separate post--but I recommend that you read the above account of the meeting attentively. The footwork both in this post and in the one to come is telling, especially regarding the keys to the Fiscal Officer's office..
Jason began Old Business with a request for Town Hall updates.
Vic reported that the gutters have been installed along with some extra straps without charging us, and the work came in for less than the estimate: $1,005, total.
Marie is still waiting for a check from the Force account for the Pioneer Trail project.
Jason reported that he and Vic had gone through the first floor with a representative from Hummel Construction; they will give us a ___ book. [Bid book?]
Another gentleman received the packet and was trying to get together with his contractors to take a look. The holidays have affected that. I have followed up with him about doing the walk-through. I will contact one other contractor tomorrow and hope to have more next week.
Vic: We had talked a couple of meetings ago about security. I have talked with a couple of people recommended by local businesses and the police department. [Vic presented photos to the other trustees.] One gentleman is proposing two different systems. One has 8 channels with 6 cameras, and then the installation cost. He also proposed the same cameras with a 16-channel system. The amounts are there: $5189 and $5403. The cameras are fairly good, with about 550 [pixel?] resolution. He also recommends a 7th camera in one area for another $150.
Both companies recommend that we get our own monitor because we can probably get it cheaper. It needs the right kind of port.
The second one has been revised as I talked with the gentleman. The pictures show where he proposes to install the cameras. Vic showed Jason various items on the bid package.
Continuing: There is quite a difference in price--one is about half as high as the other. This is in spite of both probably quoting the same cameras. Installation cost and markup.
Both seemed to know what they were talking about, but the price difference is quite a bit.
Vic, going on: Another thins is that I met with some people for pricing on the asbestos pipe in the basement and the tile on the first floor. Jason asked what Vic meant by that.
Answer: What it would cost to remove it rather than filling in with the leveling compound A lot of that [tile] is going to have to be picked up and removed, and we can not do that. It is asbestos and requires a licensed contractor. As we looked at it for the floor tile, we will probably have quite a bit in it for time and leveling compound and then how well will it adhere, or come up later? It may pay us just to remove it instead of patch over it and cover it up.
Vic passed out estimates/bids for the above work and said there is a 5% discount if we pay up front.
Jason: This is not very cheap.
Vic: If you follow through the environmental report, this is why Keith recommended removing the pipe. The cost may go up later. There are filing and other fees.
Jason: I think a while ago, Littleton Kirkpatrick recommended the cover coat. Maybe he can take a look at it and tell us whether it is bad enough to be done.
Vic: It is under $3,000--$2925. There is a savings between the two of $1700.
Vic, continuing: I think in the long run it would pay us to remove it. That way if you want to put something down in the main hallway you could, we would not be just covering something up. [Blogger: I believe the amount quoted was from EnviroTech.]
Vic: I would like to see us put money away for these two items if we can, this year.
Jason: I think there is $15,000 plus or minus a few hundred in the school fund.
Vic: When you look at their website [EPA? Not sure--blogger], only two people come up. EnviroTech is very big in this and especially in New York state. There it would probably cost us five times this much.
The gentleman from Heppa (sp?) was recommended by Keith. In the basement it would be about 500+ square feet. I would like to see us do that and we would have a very clean building.
Jason: As far as the pipe is concerned, I think we should do that. [Blogger: But no motion was made.] But for the tile, when Littleton Kirkpatrick looked at it he recommended just the skim/filler coat. If he feels it would hold OK, it would save us almost $2,000.
Vic: I am not worried about the skim coat, but just how much will come up later.
John Festa: I am more interested in seeing everything put into a larger package.
Vic: Why would we want to pay someone to hire these companies like a general contractor when we can hire this for ourselves?
John Festa: I was under the impression that we were going to do this as a total package--I thought that was the whole idea. [Blogger: If I remember previous meetings correctly, the total package was John's idea, and Jason's consistent approach was not to piecemeal the project but to determine what the whole thing looks like and then to do it in stages. Well, I hope that's his approach. He did mention "stages" or "phases" in one meeting.]
Vic: Are we going to do a total package on this building [the Township Hall]? We have been doing this [one] part by part.
John Festa: I still am putting together my figures. I would like to see our whole package, not something here and something there.
Jason: I can not vote on this until I hear what contractors say about the tile removal. As far as the pipe is concerned, Keith recommended that and I am willing to go along with it. I don't know how bad it is.
The $990 to remove that is the only part I can see approving.
Vic: You have the figures.
Continuing: Do you want to do anything on the security system?
Jason: I think we should. I don't know the correct order of business on that. We can put this in the larger package and see what we come up with. $700 seems like a pretty good quote. [Blogger: I did not see any of the papers Vic gave the other two trustees, so I do not know what all the numbers are or where they came from. This number is what is in my notes.]
Vic: He would be willing to come out and talk with us.
Jason asked for other old business.
John Festa: A couple of things. Concerning the [school] building, I spoke with Windstream and they informed me there is no problem with moving the 995 [Township] phone line to that building and another agent who said the same thing.
Marie: The service guy told me flat out that they do not service the building. I wanted to keep that number at home so I can get calls at home when I am not in the office at the school.
John Festa: We can keep the old number if we so decide.
Marie: They did say they would service the building?
Answer: Yes.
Jason: I think that the preferable scenario is to have the 995 number ring at your office and set up call forwarding to another number.
Marie: I had that set up and the guy was ready to come out and he called me and said they did not service the building.
John Festa: The second thing is, Marie, you have the two offices [the ones used by the Fiscal Officer] locked. Is there any way I can get a set of keys?
Marie: Not to my office.
John Festa: I don't have a key for either of them.
Marie: I can give you a key for the copy room.
John Festa then asked Vic about having asked for a pin # for the heat control 8 weeks ago.
Vic corrected that time frame (it wasn't 8 weeks) and said he would give the number to John Festa.
At this point, it was 8:40 and Public Comment could begin. That will be a separate post--but I recommend that you read the above account of the meeting attentively. The footwork both in this post and in the one to come is telling, especially regarding the keys to the Fiscal Officer's office..
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Out with the Old--12-20-12 Trustees Mtg.
Foreword: Since the next meeting is scheduled for this coming Thursday, January 10 (and remember that it will begin at 7:00 and will incorporate three meetings), I am going to abbreviate as much of this post as possible. The official record of the meeting is the meeting minutes, available on request from the Township Fiscal Officer at 330-274-8443.
After various "boilerplate" transactions, the first item was the more or less pro forma approval by motion and vote of an application by the Dollar General store for a Class C (42 proof) liquor license.
A temporary budget was passed in order to let the township business affairs roll into 2013. The permanent budget deadline is April 1. The temporary budget was set at a bit over $428,000. Marie Stehli gave each trustee a copy for examination and suggestions at a subsequent meeting.
Zoning Commission: Dave Pollard was the only member present. He reported briefly on the Chagrin River Watershed Partnership and also mentioned that the commission is beginning zoning considerations for the Roundup Lake property so that we will be proactive. So far, that business has been beneficial to the Township.
New Business:
The advertisement for applicants for the expiring terms of two members having received no response, and Joy Brunetti and Nick Ehlert both having expressed a desire to be reappointed, they were reappointed by motion, second, and unanimous approval.
Grounds Care: Jason said that our contract with Todd Monroe was for four applications of fertilizer. Three have been done and Jason said he could find nothing about doing one less. He asked for a motion to pay for the fourth application. Todd also recommended aerating to help deal with the weeds that are about 50% of the vegetation on the ball fields and in the cemetery. That would cost $175.00 for the two areas. There was some discussion about trying to find a volunteer with the right equipment. Marie pointed out that there was money in the budget, and a motion to have Todd do the aeration was passed.
John Festa described some confusion with a vendor over payment and concluded that perhaps anything the?Township sends out with the trustees' signatures should go as registered mail.
Marie Stehli asked if that included such things as congratulatory letters to the Boy Scouts, for example.
The final decision was that anything with the trustees' signatures requiring action should go out registered.
Vic reported on the culvert pipe (galvanized and aluminized) which the Township is trying to sell because we no longer have a use for it. Jason suggested moving it closer to the road with a For Sale sign on it and a 50% minimum of original cost [I think that's correct] as the standard for a bid, and let's see what we get.
The date for the bids was set for the second meeting in January.
Old Business came next, with relatively short updates about the Town Hall and longer discussion about the school. Rather than split it up, that will be the next post, considerably more lengthy than this one.
After various "boilerplate" transactions, the first item was the more or less pro forma approval by motion and vote of an application by the Dollar General store for a Class C (42 proof) liquor license.
A temporary budget was passed in order to let the township business affairs roll into 2013. The permanent budget deadline is April 1. The temporary budget was set at a bit over $428,000. Marie Stehli gave each trustee a copy for examination and suggestions at a subsequent meeting.
Zoning Commission: Dave Pollard was the only member present. He reported briefly on the Chagrin River Watershed Partnership and also mentioned that the commission is beginning zoning considerations for the Roundup Lake property so that we will be proactive. So far, that business has been beneficial to the Township.
New Business:
The advertisement for applicants for the expiring terms of two members having received no response, and Joy Brunetti and Nick Ehlert both having expressed a desire to be reappointed, they were reappointed by motion, second, and unanimous approval.
Grounds Care: Jason said that our contract with Todd Monroe was for four applications of fertilizer. Three have been done and Jason said he could find nothing about doing one less. He asked for a motion to pay for the fourth application. Todd also recommended aerating to help deal with the weeds that are about 50% of the vegetation on the ball fields and in the cemetery. That would cost $175.00 for the two areas. There was some discussion about trying to find a volunteer with the right equipment. Marie pointed out that there was money in the budget, and a motion to have Todd do the aeration was passed.
John Festa described some confusion with a vendor over payment and concluded that perhaps anything the?Township sends out with the trustees' signatures should go as registered mail.
Marie Stehli asked if that included such things as congratulatory letters to the Boy Scouts, for example.
The final decision was that anything with the trustees' signatures requiring action should go out registered.
Vic reported on the culvert pipe (galvanized and aluminized) which the Township is trying to sell because we no longer have a use for it. Jason suggested moving it closer to the road with a For Sale sign on it and a 50% minimum of original cost [I think that's correct] as the standard for a bid, and let's see what we get.
The date for the bids was set for the second meeting in January.
Old Business came next, with relatively short updates about the Town Hall and longer discussion about the school. Rather than split it up, that will be the next post, considerably more lengthy than this one.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
John Vechery
Some people are just always there--until one day they're not.
John Vechery was one of those people. He lived all his life, except for a few years during World War II,. in Mantua Township
I remember him from when I was riding the school bus and he was dating the neighbor girl, Peggy Gould. He had thick, wavy brown hair that, as I remember it, was perfect for the "D.A." cut and comb that was the thing for young guys then. (And if you are too young to know what "D.A." meant, you should ask someone who was there.) He had the high energy, harum-scarum quality that went with being a teenage boy in the 1950's: full of mischief, but not mean. Never mean. He had a car. To a sixth grader, he was glamorous.
Years passed, and in 1999, when I was getting ready to build a house and couldn't find a corner pin, I called John and came out to the lot. Arriving first, I parked on Sargiovanni's lease road, went to about where the pin should be, and waited. I will always remember seeing John, Vic Grimm, and my brother Dave walking up the road towards me, two big men and one smaller but sturdy one. The house was a long way from being built, but I had come home. I could feel it.
John had that quality of comfort about him, and he spread it around. I only got to know him (as opposed to knowing who he was) after beginning to attend trustees meetings, and eventually we talked a lot. There was no such thing as a short phone call with John. Whatever the reason for the call, I could count on two things: it would go on for a while, and I would learn an amazing amount about the Township history, the human history--the daily events, some funny, some sad, some beyond logic--of people going about their lives. I learned a lot but couldn't recall any of those stories and regret not recording them.
Let me say right here that of course John wasn't perfect, and I've heard various criticisms of him. So? Aren't any of us tap dancing across swimming pools in midsummer that I've noticed. Do you know anyone who can?
I thought not.
But one story I recently heard defines John. He drove a school bus for a number of years, and his ease with people meant that at least one kid talked and vented to him. It was safe to do--John never ratted on the kid to the parents. However, if things sounded as if they were veering toward bad decisions, John quietly spoke to the parents, and they were able to help their child without ever letting on.
That was the kind of thing that John did. He was the human glue that absolutely without fanfare helped bind the Township together in positive, decent, humane ways. He could and did acknowledge everyone, regardless of who they were or how they conducted themselves. I always marveled at that.
Just this morning I heard a radio report about the resilience in the face of disaster that communities have if the residents feel connected to and concern for their neighbors. It isn't just an airy-fairy, sentimental notion. Statistics back it up. Of two very similar communities adjacent to each other and experiencing the same stress (the very nasty Chicago heat wave of a couple of summers ago), the people in the community with those connections had far fewer deaths during the crisis and a five-year longer life expectancy overall than residents of the neighboring community.
John lived that kind of connectedness, one act of kindness and decency at a time. We probably never noticed--after all, it was just John, and that was his way. But who will do that for us now?
Maybe it's time for us to take it on, consciously and deliberately, for ourselves.
How will we know we're on the right track? Not "What would John do?" We're not John. But this question, with no exceptions and no excuses: Is the goal of what I am doing to destroy or to build something or someone?
John Vechery was one of those people. He lived all his life, except for a few years during World War II,. in Mantua Township
I remember him from when I was riding the school bus and he was dating the neighbor girl, Peggy Gould. He had thick, wavy brown hair that, as I remember it, was perfect for the "D.A." cut and comb that was the thing for young guys then. (And if you are too young to know what "D.A." meant, you should ask someone who was there.) He had the high energy, harum-scarum quality that went with being a teenage boy in the 1950's: full of mischief, but not mean. Never mean. He had a car. To a sixth grader, he was glamorous.
Years passed, and in 1999, when I was getting ready to build a house and couldn't find a corner pin, I called John and came out to the lot. Arriving first, I parked on Sargiovanni's lease road, went to about where the pin should be, and waited. I will always remember seeing John, Vic Grimm, and my brother Dave walking up the road towards me, two big men and one smaller but sturdy one. The house was a long way from being built, but I had come home. I could feel it.
John had that quality of comfort about him, and he spread it around. I only got to know him (as opposed to knowing who he was) after beginning to attend trustees meetings, and eventually we talked a lot. There was no such thing as a short phone call with John. Whatever the reason for the call, I could count on two things: it would go on for a while, and I would learn an amazing amount about the Township history, the human history--the daily events, some funny, some sad, some beyond logic--of people going about their lives. I learned a lot but couldn't recall any of those stories and regret not recording them.
Let me say right here that of course John wasn't perfect, and I've heard various criticisms of him. So? Aren't any of us tap dancing across swimming pools in midsummer that I've noticed. Do you know anyone who can?
I thought not.
But one story I recently heard defines John. He drove a school bus for a number of years, and his ease with people meant that at least one kid talked and vented to him. It was safe to do--John never ratted on the kid to the parents. However, if things sounded as if they were veering toward bad decisions, John quietly spoke to the parents, and they were able to help their child without ever letting on.
That was the kind of thing that John did. He was the human glue that absolutely without fanfare helped bind the Township together in positive, decent, humane ways. He could and did acknowledge everyone, regardless of who they were or how they conducted themselves. I always marveled at that.
Just this morning I heard a radio report about the resilience in the face of disaster that communities have if the residents feel connected to and concern for their neighbors. It isn't just an airy-fairy, sentimental notion. Statistics back it up. Of two very similar communities adjacent to each other and experiencing the same stress (the very nasty Chicago heat wave of a couple of summers ago), the people in the community with those connections had far fewer deaths during the crisis and a five-year longer life expectancy overall than residents of the neighboring community.
John lived that kind of connectedness, one act of kindness and decency at a time. We probably never noticed--after all, it was just John, and that was his way. But who will do that for us now?
Maybe it's time for us to take it on, consciously and deliberately, for ourselves.
How will we know we're on the right track? Not "What would John do?" We're not John. But this question, with no exceptions and no excuses: Is the goal of what I am doing to destroy or to build something or someone?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)