[Blogger Foreword: Between now and November 5, the blog will give meeting highlights as I see them. I will continue to do public comment. This meeting began with discussion about the financial report, the intention of which on Jason's part was to be clear that the money is being managed well. The bottom line for the last several years does not bear that out completely. That will all require a separate post.
[In addition, regarding the finances, Marie announced that she had developed a spread sheet that she thought would answer the questions about what has actually been spent on the Mantua Center school building. She passed out copies to everyone and requested that it be given to Brent Simon to be put on the township's website, mantuatownshipohio.gov. Check the website for that. Public comment, when it is posted, will also contain something about that.
[This post is going to focus on the Township Hall project.]
Town Hall Updates and Next Steps
Jason: Yesterday [Wednesday, October 16] Vic and I both went to talk with Steve Coon. Vic met first and then I met with him so as to be sure not to violate any sunshine laws.
Vic asked if Jason had gotten an e-mail about that today. Answer: Yes.
Vic: At 5:30 today we had a conversation. His offer is still good to come up and get this building painted. We have to supply the paint--talk to Linda Ehlert. Steve Coon will come up and scrape and paint it. He said he would do it for whatever the contractor would charge us. Steve will come up and do it free of charge and we can take that money and put it into the/a school fund.
Jason read the e-mail. [Blogger: I will get a copy and post it exactly as written; for now, this key statement pretty well defines Steve as I am acquainted with him.]
Steve: I am hoping to energize your community into a jump start on your building.
Jason: I did not know him going in on this. A few things I did not realize: He is the largest restoration contractor in the state of Ohio. His walls are plastered with different projects that he has done to restore buildings both inside and outside. They are beautiful works of art.
He donates $100,000 a year and supports 15 baseball teams. He has over 100 employees. He said he thinks of his community as all of Ohio. He does work all over Ohio and other states and is very well known in the restoration business.
There were some questions about his original proposal. One was about the fund, transferring money to save the school. I asked him about what he meant. Steve said that "save" is maybe not the correct terminology--he just wanted to help the community. Maybe we can take 80% and put it on the school. So, what he said is that his intent is to inspire the community to say that this is a great work after he is done. He does not want any credit for it or any one person to get recognition for his work, and he does not, either. It is just to benefit the community.
He is hard to describe, but he is a person you want to listen to. He is true in his offer, and he really does want to help. We have about 3-4 weeks and then all bets are off. He is a very nice guy. His work precedes him.
Vic: Tonight when I talked to him, they were presenting him an award for donating someting he did three years ago. [Blogger: I called Steve on Friday to thank him and learned that the award was for work he has done to revitalize downtown Canton.]
Vic, continuing--Did you see the picture of him shaking hands with George W. Bush? He owns 37 historical buildings. He is just a person that you really want to know.
Jason: Just to back up--he will supply a 60-foot snorkel and barricades and the work[ers?] to do the job. The township is to supply the paint. He will caulk the wood and before that will pressure wash to remove the loose paint. If we accept this, he will want to start ASAP.
Vic: There is a lot of family [in his business]. The receptionist that day was his daughter. I really would like to see the township go ahead with this so it can be painted and the shutters put on.
Jason: We can discuss the money at the next meeting or so. We were going to spend it anyway, so to be able to spend it somewhere else would be good.
John Festa: I was not able to go to talk to him. But I would have liked to have had the opportunity to talk to him and feel I deserve some consideration.
Jason: I can give you his cell phone number. My fear is that if we do not move on it at this meeting the building will sit like this for the whole winter.
John Festa: How long will it have to dry?
Jason: He is the expert.
Vic: The Sherwin Williams paint is Resilience. [Blogger: I believe there was some debate between John Festa and Vic about which paint John had recommended some time ago.]
John Festa: I do feel I should have had some consideration.
Vic: You had the opportunity to go to the meeting.
John Festa: You did not call me and say you were going. Did you leave me a message?
Vic: You called me at 6:10 [Blogger: I am not sure of which day this was; I know there was a phone call to Vic from John Festa on Friday, late in the day. Not sure this is the call. I will check on the details that came too thick and fast to get completely, and they will be added in italics, but just not now.]
John Festa [said something I missed. He and Vic, if I remember correctly, were talking over each other to some extent.]
Vic: On Tuesday morning Jason e-mailed down to Chris Meduri, and there was a reply.
John Festa: Jason did not say we were going.
Vic: I make a motion that we go ahead. Jason seconded.
We have to get it done this year. It will only get worse. The community needs to get it done as soon as possible. We have talked about it at meeting after meeting, and we have to move forward. [Blogger: I did not note who said this, but it sounds like Jason.]
Vote: John Festa: Abstained. Jason: Yes. Vic: Yes.
[Blogger: John Festa proceeded to sulk. Then, peripherally, I thought he was looking fixedly at me. So I looked back. He finally asked why I was staring at him. I think I said that I was just returning the favor, or that it seemed as if he had been staring at me. I will check the recording, but just not this minute. Since John Festa's question was the equivalent of a blink, I looked elsewhere. He continued to glare; I looked back; he said, "Payback," I half smiled, and Sue Skrovan, next to me, asked what was going on. I said, "We're being children." This is all on the video, and I have been told (have not looked at it) that this section of it defies description.]
Blogger closing note: I will listen to this section of the meeting and add anything significant in italics in this post. Also, in talking with Steve Coon on Friday, I asked him about something that Joyce Barrett, Executive Director of Heritage Ohio, had told me about how Steve got his start. That is a fascinating only-in-America story that I think all of you would really appreciate.
About This Blog
The purpose of this blog is to give an accurate account of what is said during Public Comment at Mantua Township Trustees meetings.
Trustees' decisions are in the official minutes, available on request from the Mantua Township Fiscal Officer, Jodi Thompson, at 330-274-8443. The Township charges 10 cents per page. FAX, 330-274-8447. E-mail, fiscalofficer@mantuatownshipohio.gov. The minutes are also posted on the website after they have been approved. That means that there is usually a two-week lag between a given meeting and the minutes being available to read on the website.
Since meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, there is a three-week wait during months with five Thursdays.
Other items of interest or the writer's opinions will be included from time to time, clearly identified.
This is not a forum or chat room, but a source of information, so it is closed to outside input.
During the time I have been doing the blog, the posts have expanded to become very detailed accounts of the meetings. Doing that is time consuming, to say the least, and I am going to try to return to the public comment focus, with background and perspective (and the occasional pointed editorial comment). Such additions are usually enclosed in brackets. However, since some extended accounts of the meetings reveal significant things--and character--better than I could by commenting, there will probably still be a fair amount of semi-transcript. (Sigh.)
My thanks to the readers who have found the blog, and to the ones who from time to time tell me that they value it. You have encouraged me when the tedious work of keyboarding has made me wonder why I am doing this. Then you have reminded me, and I am grateful.
Trustees' decisions are in the official minutes, available on request from the Mantua Township Fiscal Officer, Jodi Thompson, at 330-274-8443. The Township charges 10 cents per page. FAX, 330-274-8447. E-mail, fiscalofficer@mantuatownshipohio.gov. The minutes are also posted on the website after they have been approved. That means that there is usually a two-week lag between a given meeting and the minutes being available to read on the website.
Since meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, there is a three-week wait during months with five Thursdays.
Other items of interest or the writer's opinions will be included from time to time, clearly identified.
This is not a forum or chat room, but a source of information, so it is closed to outside input.
During the time I have been doing the blog, the posts have expanded to become very detailed accounts of the meetings. Doing that is time consuming, to say the least, and I am going to try to return to the public comment focus, with background and perspective (and the occasional pointed editorial comment). Such additions are usually enclosed in brackets. However, since some extended accounts of the meetings reveal significant things--and character--better than I could by commenting, there will probably still be a fair amount of semi-transcript. (Sigh.)
My thanks to the readers who have found the blog, and to the ones who from time to time tell me that they value it. You have encouraged me when the tedious work of keyboarding has made me wonder why I am doing this. Then you have reminded me, and I am grateful.
Principles
Two ideas guide and support me:
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
______Attributed to Edmund Burke
GOOD PREVAILS.
Those ideas are also the reason I have been doing the blog since late February 2011.
I have discovered that a transcript is almost impossible to do and that verbatim accounts are usually not absolutely necessary. When in doubt, I check against a recording.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
______Attributed to Edmund Burke
GOOD PREVAILS.
Those ideas are also the reason I have been doing the blog since late February 2011.
I have discovered that a transcript is almost impossible to do and that verbatim accounts are usually not absolutely necessary. When in doubt, I check against a recording.
