OK, to be clearer than the heading: This post contains some brief information about plans for our roads; a question about the driveway on Skinner; questions about insurance for the veterans' memorial; the bridge replacement on S.R. 44 south of the Village; and Vic"s report concerning recycling and involving the Ohio EPA.
Road Department: Vic had nothing for the department but wanted to clear up something about a couple of pieces of equipment for the website.
Jason raised a question about how to handle holiday pay during the period when the road crew is working four 10-hour days. Finally, he made a motion to follow the county's lead on this issue. Seconded and passed.
Jason also mentioned ditching and a culvert on Winchell Road.
John Festa had taken photographs showing the water problem to send to Chagrin River Watershed Partnership.
Continuing: Then he asked Vic if he had talked to Todd Lamb about Maynard's driveway.
Vic: We approved that at the last meeting.
John Festa: Do you know if it has been done?
[Blogger: Two things here. First, this looks like a fairly harmless set of inquiries, doesn't it? But it is also an inquiry about whether Vic has been doing his job. Second, if John Festa wants to know if anything has been done, why not drive past and look at the driveway? But he wouldn't be able to question Vic if he did that.]
Frank Horack, veterans' memorial: The committee is still working on flagpole donations and help putting them up.
John Festa: Have we ever discussed the amount of insurance to have on that?
Frank: I came up with a cost of about $130,000.
Here, I did not note who was speaking to whom, but I will give the words.
Why is the township going to have insurance on that?
Someone to Vic: That was covered under our last policy. Ha it been dedicated to the township?
Frank: Not yet.
Vic: Have you asked ____ about that?
Frank: Not yet.
Vic: I don't know why the township would be paying that at this time. I think some kind of approval needs to be done.
John Festa: The one in Garrettsville cost about $95,000. [Note: I am not sure whether this is insurance value or the cost to build.]
[There was some more discussion about the memorial and insurance. I remember something to the effect that things on township land become the responsibility of the township.
I also distinctly remember all of the assurances that the memorial would be at no cost to the township. Is the veterans' memorial committee paying the bill for the electricity to light the flag? And is the committee going to pay the additional cost of the insurance?
Finally, if you haven't seen Garrettsville's memorial, you probably should. Turn left at the traffic light and then right onto the next street. The memorial is on the left side of that street.]
There was more about roads and crack seal and a couple of cracks clear across the part of Frost Road between Diagonal and Mennonite Roads.
John Festa reported on the bridge replacement project on S.R. 44 south of the Village. He gave Marie a list of the contractors. He said that there is a lot more involved than just having a machine come in. The work will probably begin mid July. S.R. 44 will be paved from S.R. 303 north to the bridge over the river side channel. Once the work gets to the bridge, it will be demolished and the road will be closed for about 75 days.
The main detour southbound on S.R. 44 will begin at Mantua Corners: east on S.R. 82 to 700; south to 303 and west to S.R. 44.
The local detour will be East Main Street to Peck to Canada Road and Canada Road to S.R. 44. The problem John Festa quoted for Canada Road is that the bridge there has a 7 ton load limit. [If you have not driven on Canada Road, be prepared to go at a walking pace. Well, that's what it would have to be if the road is as it was some months ago when I tried it just to see.]
Betsy Woolf intervened to tell John Festa that Main Street goes north and south. The east-west street is High Street.
John Festa continued: There will be interceptor pipes of various kinds. The OHEPA is involved with debris falling into the channel. Chief Stoneberger would like to see additional signage for those not accustomed to driving those roads.
S.R. 44 south of the Village will be closed during the Potato Festival. The project engineer will have a trailer in Mantua.
Vic: I attended the EPA meeting for the recycling center. They can meet with us and will be in the area around July 10.
Parts of the meeting became very heated. Two commissioners and a number of haulers were there. The recycling center has just spent a lot of money [$100,000?] fixing up the facility. If the plant is shut down, 31 people will lose their jobs but it seems as if the commissioners are intent on keeping the plant open, keeping the jobs, and keeping the operation in Portage County.
We can schedule a meeting with them at the Civic Center or the gymnasium.
The plan was supposed to be done by June 30, but that did not happen. They need to get a plan that will fit Portage County. Everybody is going to a single pickup that puts everything into one chamber. Sometimes with the divided chambers, one is full and the truck has to go back to the center. Portage County is interested in selling the sorting to someone else. The fee schedule shows a deficit for the first year or two, but the recycling center has a $1.8 million [profit?]
[Blogger: I don't know the word Vic used after the amount of money, but it was to the good, whether "profit," "income," or "surplus.." Or something else? Not sure.]
Vic: Setting it up is in the EPA's hands and that is why they want to have the meeting. There are communities that want to be able to go out on their own and try to make the recycling cheaper. If we want to schedule a meeting, we can. We can pick a date.
Some discussion followed; Vic will handle that.
Marie asked about weight tickets for the spring cleanup. Apparently we still have received nothing final for that event.
Blogger: This is a logical stopping place. What's coming up next is about the door for the township hall and some things about the proposed newsletter.
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.
