Various routine things went on at the beginning, including a couple of exchanges in which it seemed as if Vic was telling Jodie how some things needed to be done.
Garden Club will meet in November to make home made centerpieces and floor mats using natural materials. The December meeting will be a dinner at a restaurant. The club will also decorate the township hall in December and will welcome help.
Dave Pollard announced that he and Susan Buckles will have refreshments at the Civic Center from 10 or 10:30 to about 5 or 5:30 on election day, for people to come to after they have voted. He stressed that it is for after people have voted.
John Festa announced that the fire department has approved the dispatch contract for three years with Mantua Village.
He also elaborated a bit on the inspection regarding new lighting, a recommendation for additional lighting in and around the exit and entrance areas for the fire alarms.
Terrie Nielsen asked about which building.
Answer: The school.
Under new business, Jason announced that John Dickey had been getting phone calls from residents who do not seem to access the website and who are calling for people who are no longer with the township.
Jason thought a mass mailing might be the answer, in the form of a magnetic card. He thought the cost would be about $1.50 each, with 1500 households.
[Blogger: That works out to $2250, for a township that seems to be tight on money. Furthermore, I can attest to how many addresses are no longer accurate. A dollar and a half to get something returned seems a bit steep.]
Sue Skrovan mentioned that Mantua Village puts such information in its quarterly Mantua Matters, which is distributed to banks and the post office.
John Festa continued, regarding the fire alarm for the township hall and the historical society's role in that. The best bet seems to be a DSL line.
Jason asked Dottie Summerlin if she had any information.
Dottie: We met Monday and she (Linda Ehlert) was going to look into some things. We did not make any decisions.
John Festa also raised the issue of needing a portable light for Election Day.
Vic: Brian Tayerle had some questions about it. I told him to get some pricing. He would prefer to pick it up and return it himself.
John Festa's final item was to raise the possibility, inquired about by Brian Tayerle, of having a 4th week of vacation after 10 years of service.
Vic: I checked with other communities and it is 12 years in one and 15 in another [to get 4 weeks of vacation.] Since this is a government job, the private sector gets about 6 days of vacation per year. The public sector has about twice that. They get eleven holidays and 11 sick days.
When you only have two guys working, this is an issue.
There was some discussion about fire cabinets [for the garage, I believe] and also how to handle the gravel for a culvert project on Skinner Road. The job is taking a lot of gravel; if the owner of the property paid for half of what's required, that could come to about $1500.
[This project is among the group that goes back several years and gets worked on as possible.]
Elevator Progress. John Festa to Vic: People would be there last Tuesday?
Vic: Yes. We went through with the electrical and the general contractor. We are still waiting on some paperwork from Eklund's office.
Terrie Nielsen: The paperwork has been filed.
Jason: What exactly does that mean?
Terrie: I don't have a bill.
Vic: They needed a submittal form first.
Terrie: That is what has been filed.
Vic: Now that it is filed, things can start.
To Terrie: Did you get things to Lisa Reeves?
John Festa: I was at the meeting and I was shocked to learn that we don't even have the plans submitted to the plans examiner.
Terrie: I know that they were submitted.
John Festa: The general contractor was there.
Terrie: There are plans.
John Festa: The plans examiner rejected them.
Terrie: I am unaware of that.
John Festa: They have not been revised. We don't have plans and can't start the project. We are behind on the project through no fault of our own.
[Blogger: He's just now noticing some of this? These comments sound like stagecraft to me. I asked about this well of un-knowledge and was told that the only thing that was an issue at the pre-construction meeting was the uncertainty about the money. It's there, but red tape is keeping things stalled. The impression from John Festa's comments is that things are hopelessly confused. Not quite spot on.]
Vic: I talked with Lisa Reeves from Regional Planning today. She said Terrie was coming tonight to talk with us about some of this.
John Festa: The board of trustees are not being informed about this. The GC wants to start and anything that is changed since he was approved, then all of the work we did not to get change orders--we will get change orders.
Vic: We need for the township to certify this money to show that it is coming in. I talked with Lisa today but on the one form it says to certify it, we are in line to get the money and we can certify it that way and I talked to Janet Esposito so we can get the paperwork. We want to get started before the prices change.
John Festa: I have never seen a walk through . . . . [He trailed off here.]
Terrie: Who is looking for the plans?
John Festa did not know.
Terrie: I work across from the building department and will walk across there to find out.
Vic: JohnZeit is working with Charlie Corcoran in the building department.
John Festa: Whatever you can do to help.
Terrie: I don't want to step on anyone's toes. I got the impression from Lisa that she is in the process of drafting an extension for a year. I let her know that the paperwork was filed. I will get in touch with her tomorrow. I will be happy to begin calling people and pushing on them.
Vic showed Terrie a form and asked if Lisa had it,because she seemed to need it.
Terrie: I will follow up with John Zeit and the building department because I was unaware of this.
John Festa repeated the problems.
Terrie: I understand that the lack of forward motion was lack of money.
Vic: We need to get this going so we can certify the funds. But there is a provision that we might be able to certify that the money is coming in. That she just brought up to me today.
John Festa: How do we pay them once they begin?
Terrie: I would be more than happy to send a bill to whoever is supposed to getit.
Vic: The elevator company wants $55,000 down.
There was some discussion about the tangle of conflicting requirements.
John Festa: We need to have more communication with the people out there. We have no idea what is going on.
[Well, anyone who has been paying attention can see that Vic apparently knows what's going on.]
Vic: They have been communicating with Lisa Reeves.
Jason: It might be as simple as asking to be included.
Terrie: The money is there in Columbus.
John Festa: I am just bringing it out to the trustees. We need to get our noses to the grindstone so we get the project done.
Jason: Anything else on the comprehensive plan?
Terrie: Yes. I am working with Dan Tillett, Hal Stamm, and Eric Hummel. I have sent them a draft. Hopefully, that will be ready for you by the next meeting. At the last meeting there was a lady from State Farm about grants available. Essentially we are using the same proposal that went to Eklund, without the elevator and bell tower. It is for other things like the parking lot and rood and replacing the windows with period appropriate good windows. My understanding is that the party requesting the money will go through MaRSI because it needs to be a 501 c 3.
[That was the end of the elevator/grant discussion, and it is also the end of this post.]
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Special Meeting re School as a Community Center
This is a reminder:
Tonight, October 27, Thursday, the trustees will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. in the township hall to discuss how the school can be used as a community center.
This is the only topic of the meeting.
Its format is different than usual, also: Jeff Jackson, Chad Delaney, and a designated small group of representatives of the various groups studying, advocating, and working on using the Mantua Center School building will participate in discussion with the trustees.
The meeting is open to the public, but only those seated at the table will be participants in the discussion. [The trustees at some point may, I believe, ask for additional comment, but I am not sure of that.]
This discussion should very clearly define positions regarding the use of the school. Anyone with even the slightest interest is encouraged--urged--to attend.
Tonight, October 27, Thursday, the trustees will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. in the township hall to discuss how the school can be used as a community center.
This is the only topic of the meeting.
Its format is different than usual, also: Jeff Jackson, Chad Delaney, and a designated small group of representatives of the various groups studying, advocating, and working on using the Mantua Center School building will participate in discussion with the trustees.
The meeting is open to the public, but only those seated at the table will be participants in the discussion. [The trustees at some point may, I believe, ask for additional comment, but I am not sure of that.]
This discussion should very clearly define positions regarding the use of the school. Anyone with even the slightest interest is encouraged--urged--to attend.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Trustees on 10-20-16 set meetings for 10-27 and 11-7.
First, a master plan was not presented, which I had hoped for. The key people in the Building Assessment Committee are working on it. Your faithful blogger hopes it will be at the next meeting.
Second, two meeting dates were set:
On Thursday, October 27, at 6 p.m. in the Township Hall the trustees and Jeff Jackson and Chad Delaney will meet to have a serious discussion about the use of the Mantua Center School building as a community center.
Jason explained on October 20 that Jeff and Chad could have additional people at the table. People at the table could speak, but no one else. The meeting is a public meeting in a public place to discuss the use of a public building. It is open to the public.
In my opinion, this meeting is very important and should be very instructive and enlightening for anyone who attends. I hope a lot of you do.
The second meeting will be on November 7 at (I believe) 7 p.m. at the Civic Center. This will be moderated/facilitated by Todd Peetz and is also completely open to the public. Again, as many people as possible should try to attend.
[My opinion is that two of the trustees will try to make this merely another go-in-circles sound-good evening of platitudes. Your attendance and voices can at least blow that out into the open, even if nothing much happens. In fact, since it is not a trustees' meeting, no decisions can be made. But the groundwork can be laid and then followup action can be demanded.]
[To me, those two meetings were the most important things to come out of an inordinately long meeting. Two of the trustees tried hard to have the special meeting after the community meeting--which would have continued the delays and inaction.]
See you Thursday, if not before, I hope.
Second, two meeting dates were set:
On Thursday, October 27, at 6 p.m. in the Township Hall the trustees and Jeff Jackson and Chad Delaney will meet to have a serious discussion about the use of the Mantua Center School building as a community center.
Jason explained on October 20 that Jeff and Chad could have additional people at the table. People at the table could speak, but no one else. The meeting is a public meeting in a public place to discuss the use of a public building. It is open to the public.
In my opinion, this meeting is very important and should be very instructive and enlightening for anyone who attends. I hope a lot of you do.
The second meeting will be on November 7 at (I believe) 7 p.m. at the Civic Center. This will be moderated/facilitated by Todd Peetz and is also completely open to the public. Again, as many people as possible should try to attend.
[My opinion is that two of the trustees will try to make this merely another go-in-circles sound-good evening of platitudes. Your attendance and voices can at least blow that out into the open, even if nothing much happens. In fact, since it is not a trustees' meeting, no decisions can be made. But the groundwork can be laid and then followup action can be demanded.]
[To me, those two meetings were the most important things to come out of an inordinately long meeting. Two of the trustees tried hard to have the special meeting after the community meeting--which would have continued the delays and inaction.]
See you Thursday, if not before, I hope.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Trustees 10-6-16, Last of Public Comment
Blogger Foreword: The as yet unposted public comment is what I said, and it came after Terri Vechery's remarks. Since it is not dependent on Terri's comments, but addresses some of what Jeff said and the situation in general, it is going here. Trying to insert it after people have begun reading these installments of the blog is unwieldy. So here goes:
Carole Pollard: I think what Jeff said was pretty eloquent. The idea of a meeting that pulls everyone together--all four of the original committees plus the task force-- with the express purpose of moving forward with the master plan [is good]. I suspect we are closer to having the master plan than it sounded for a while.
The master plan and business plan can be developed concurrently and without waiting to do one and then the other. The building can also be used while those things are being done. The building is usable now. Now with dust everywhere and holes in the walls, we will have to work around that.
What I really want to urge is an idea that I ran across years ago.
The obstacles are not something that should stop you. They are the things that show you the path to success. So the question is how do we deal with this, and how do we overcome it, and how do we gain use out of this?
The elevator was thrown up as an obstacle for a couple of years. It was an obstacle. Well, look what has happened. We are going to have an elevator one way or another, and Lisa Reeves deserves a golden something or other for the work she has put in on our behalf. The obstacles are speed bumps. They are not Berlin walls.
[Blogger: At this point, Jason shifted back to Jeff more or less conversationally and talked about getting Todd Peetz back.]
Pollard: The biggest leaps of progress we have made are the times we have leaned on Todd Peetz. He has managed to smooth things over and pull them together.
[Blogger: That will do. Between a presidential debate/insulting match and the meeting tomorrow (as I keyboard this), more is not necessary. Any gaps will get filled in. But I urge you to go back and see how many times in the past two months exactly the idea of getting Todd Peetz back has come up--with no action. You are what you do, not what you say. Jason loves to talk.]
Carole Pollard: I think what Jeff said was pretty eloquent. The idea of a meeting that pulls everyone together--all four of the original committees plus the task force-- with the express purpose of moving forward with the master plan [is good]. I suspect we are closer to having the master plan than it sounded for a while.
The master plan and business plan can be developed concurrently and without waiting to do one and then the other. The building can also be used while those things are being done. The building is usable now. Now with dust everywhere and holes in the walls, we will have to work around that.
What I really want to urge is an idea that I ran across years ago.
The obstacles are not something that should stop you. They are the things that show you the path to success. So the question is how do we deal with this, and how do we overcome it, and how do we gain use out of this?
The elevator was thrown up as an obstacle for a couple of years. It was an obstacle. Well, look what has happened. We are going to have an elevator one way or another, and Lisa Reeves deserves a golden something or other for the work she has put in on our behalf. The obstacles are speed bumps. They are not Berlin walls.
[Blogger: At this point, Jason shifted back to Jeff more or less conversationally and talked about getting Todd Peetz back.]
Pollard: The biggest leaps of progress we have made are the times we have leaned on Todd Peetz. He has managed to smooth things over and pull them together.
[Blogger: That will do. Between a presidential debate/insulting match and the meeting tomorrow (as I keyboard this), more is not necessary. Any gaps will get filled in. But I urge you to go back and see how many times in the past two months exactly the idea of getting Todd Peetz back has come up--with no action. You are what you do, not what you say. Jason loves to talk.]
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Public Comment 10-6-16: Terri Vechery, others
Terri Vechery: From a grant and funding standpoint the more people you get in there, the more money you get. If you have a senior center corner, you can apply for grants. Are you going to get the cart before the horse, or the horse before the cart? This is like the CDBG grant.
Call Todd Peetz to come in.
Jason: Agreed. We want to have a better idea of your vision. We envisioned those committees and the task force all coming together. There may be some work between [now and] then [?]. [Blogger: The faster I take notes, the harder it is to translate some of them. My pen was flying on this section, but the last sentence makes sense without changing what seemed to be the intent.]
We have been thinking about solutions and process [?] and we think we definitely need to get them all together with Todd Peetz.
[Blogger: Right. He has been saying this for at least three meetings. What's the hangup now?]
John Festa: I like the idea of a community meeting.
Vic: I think there is some work to do before then.
Jason: It may be the first of November.
[Blogger note: Terri Vechery had just won the biggest Queen of Hearts drawing in the world, and the two junior trustees treated her like wallpaper. Simple courtesy dictates at least a curt "Congratulations." Nothing. What do you think would have been said if one of their buddies or supporters had won that pot?]
Nick Ehlert: Gentlemen, I want to thank and encourage you. I am a preservationist. I can see the school be an asset for the community and an asset for children. I also want to stress preservation of what we have.
Mary Ann Weber: I just wanted to say that everyone who has had to work on the tree has been sure to park over to the side and give me access.
Dave Pollard: I am not 100% in favor of turning part of the school into a drug rehab center. That is the county's job, but they don't do their job unless they are pushed into it. Portage County never busts anyone for heroin--only marijuana. But if we got someone knowledgeable and professional in the building, it might serve as a guiding light for the county. The county has known where it [drugs/heroin] is coming from--there is a lot of money involved. I don't know why in Portage County it is a couple of pounds of marijuana and a few grams of heroin [that get the attention and the arrests]. I have reservations about having a drug rehab center, and [but?] if we can find a use as a drug rehab center, OK.
We are going to get the elevator sometime. It is October, when we were told it would start in June. We can begin using the building the way the community wants.
[Blogger: I was startled at Dave's comment about how even using the building for drug rehab would be acceptable because it would be using the building. I know how much he despises the whole drug culture. This is a measure of how much we need to get into that building, and it is increasingly beyond comprehension that two trustees, both of them almost uninvolved in anything but the narrowest of concerns in the township, have had the sheer gall to stall as long as they have. They have spent years wasting money and resources by neglecting one of their responsibilities: to care for and maintain the township's buildings.]
Rod Summerlin: I was asked to be on the task force and attended the first meeting. I wanted to testify to the caliber of the people I saw there--different professions and stations inlife. All of them are convinced that grass roots are where we begin to address the needs of the community.
[Blogger note: I have not gotten a recording of the meeting yet, but will post my comments as soon as I get it.]
Call Todd Peetz to come in.
Jason: Agreed. We want to have a better idea of your vision. We envisioned those committees and the task force all coming together. There may be some work between [now and] then [?]. [Blogger: The faster I take notes, the harder it is to translate some of them. My pen was flying on this section, but the last sentence makes sense without changing what seemed to be the intent.]
We have been thinking about solutions and process [?] and we think we definitely need to get them all together with Todd Peetz.
[Blogger: Right. He has been saying this for at least three meetings. What's the hangup now?]
John Festa: I like the idea of a community meeting.
Vic: I think there is some work to do before then.
Jason: It may be the first of November.
[Blogger note: Terri Vechery had just won the biggest Queen of Hearts drawing in the world, and the two junior trustees treated her like wallpaper. Simple courtesy dictates at least a curt "Congratulations." Nothing. What do you think would have been said if one of their buddies or supporters had won that pot?]
Nick Ehlert: Gentlemen, I want to thank and encourage you. I am a preservationist. I can see the school be an asset for the community and an asset for children. I also want to stress preservation of what we have.
Mary Ann Weber: I just wanted to say that everyone who has had to work on the tree has been sure to park over to the side and give me access.
Dave Pollard: I am not 100% in favor of turning part of the school into a drug rehab center. That is the county's job, but they don't do their job unless they are pushed into it. Portage County never busts anyone for heroin--only marijuana. But if we got someone knowledgeable and professional in the building, it might serve as a guiding light for the county. The county has known where it [drugs/heroin] is coming from--there is a lot of money involved. I don't know why in Portage County it is a couple of pounds of marijuana and a few grams of heroin [that get the attention and the arrests]. I have reservations about having a drug rehab center, and [but?] if we can find a use as a drug rehab center, OK.
We are going to get the elevator sometime. It is October, when we were told it would start in June. We can begin using the building the way the community wants.
[Blogger: I was startled at Dave's comment about how even using the building for drug rehab would be acceptable because it would be using the building. I know how much he despises the whole drug culture. This is a measure of how much we need to get into that building, and it is increasingly beyond comprehension that two trustees, both of them almost uninvolved in anything but the narrowest of concerns in the township, have had the sheer gall to stall as long as they have. They have spent years wasting money and resources by neglecting one of their responsibilities: to care for and maintain the township's buildings.]
Rod Summerlin: I was asked to be on the task force and attended the first meeting. I wanted to testify to the caliber of the people I saw there--different professions and stations inlife. All of them are convinced that grass roots are where we begin to address the needs of the community.
[Blogger note: I have not gotten a recording of the meeting yet, but will post my comments as soon as I get it.]
Monday, October 17, 2016
Jeff Jackson re Community Center to Trustees 10-6-16
[Blogger Foreword: Unless indicated otherwise, all comments are Jeff's, regardless of paragraphing or spacing. Brackets within the text indicate insertions for clarity.
[Despite the title, this was public comment, so more people than Jeff will be represented.]
Jeff: Chad Delaney can not be here tonight. I had a chance to listen to the last trustees meeting so I think I can answer any questions you might have.
We said at the beginning that we wanted to be transparent.
We want to have tenants and a teen center and a small business incubator. At the last meeting we heard you say we couldn't do anything. Tonight you mentioned the historical society [moving to the school building].
A lot is going on with the elevator, and things are not totally stopped.
What we also wanted to talk about was that when we talked about developing a community center we want to work alongside you. We have always taken the position that this is something that everyone wants. We want to provide the energy and resources. We might focus for the time being on a community center.
With the endorsement and encouragement of the Building Utilization Committee, we have put together a task force to be talking about uses of the building. Neighbors, business people, and people who have used the building [are included]. It reminded me of a thanksgiving holiday.
We will be meeting again on October 11. We want to have three subgroups: community resources, building resources, and community wants and needs.
We want to have several small community get together ideas and use that to build up knowledge of what the community center can be.
We have the Veterans' Day dance and quilt/art auction [coming up]. One of the ideas/needs was tax help preparation and also some short programing to get the community in. That is the gist of what the task force wants to do. We have heard the phrase "Elevator to nowhere." No one wants that.
[Blogger: Partly because all correspondence with elected officials is public record; partly because Jeff is maintaining the commitment to transparency; and partly because of the restoration society's commitment to renovating and making the building usable, I am aware of e-mails that have been exchanged. Jeff did not accuse the trustees of building an elevator to nowhere. He said he had heard the phrase--implying that somebody out there is saying it. The group I have always called "the hostiles" carried on about the building being a money pit; the crack about the elevator is in the same category.]
Jeff, continuing: We have been offered a special meeting sometime and we would like that so we are all on the same page. We would like to have a special meeting so we can concentrate on getting the master plan progressing and into your hands. We would like to flesh that out and understand the township budget better. Everybody asks about the cost of rental, and we would like to be able to get that out.
The one idea we have is, what if we used the main room on the main floor for community meetings? What is we used that as a way of understanding how all the committees can work together. That is one of the ways we thought we could work out having a practical space. That is what we can talk about at that [special] meeting. I don't know whether there are any larger questions.
Jason: I wasn't saying the historical society can have space and you would not. A lot is in motion and you guys met with me and gave me a proposal. What I kind of see happening, at the meeting I was unable to attend, the master plan came back into the question.
What I see is the four committees and you guys as tenants and utilizing the building. But tonight I see you as helping with the utilization. [Blogger: Is there a problem with this??]
Jeff: We have had two different agendas. One is tenant-based and one is community based. The meeting [the proposed special meeting] can be to discuss how to build the community center. Have a practical way working on this with that one room. I think everyone agrees tghat would be a good purpose for that.
Jason: I had a discussion with Mark Frizone [sp?]; when the groups were set up we thought the community could form these groups and the trustees are kind of saying to the community what do you want.
We don't have expertise or background in this. Mark Frizone asked (1) these groups that want to go in want to go in all over the place. So how do you grow and develop stability.
Then how do we marry that with the needs of the community.
But I think a separate meeting [would be good] because there is a lot to hash out.
Jeff: We met with Mark Frizone and his program managers. [Then Jeff talked about the kind of information he got from Mark Frizone.]
Jeff: Every community center is different. It takes no expertise to have a vacant building for 12 years. [Blogger: Then he gave examples of how to move forward. How could this center enhance commuinity life in Mantua Township. When I get the recording of this meeting, I will see if some of those comments should be added.]
[Blogger: This was the second comment that raised an objection, this time from Jason. When Jason was elected in 2009, his main backer (well, one of them, anyhow) attacked Vic at every meeting about how long the building had stood unused, starting from the 2004 purchase date. Never mind that it took two years to sort out the red tape with various records and the State of Ohio. So regardless of when we could really start on the building, it is 2016 and we have been dithering around about all of the problems for seven more years.
[The answer to the "no expertise" is either to educate oneself or to get someone to do it who does have the expertise. In a previous meeting discussing the master plan, Jason commented that professionals don't do the work, they hire people to do the work. In the seven years since Jason was elected, it would seem that the "no expertise" question could have--should have--been answered so things could move forward.]
Jason: I don't think anyone gets it right 100% of the time right off the bat.
Jeff: I don't know how to ask for a special meeting, and what has to be done. It has to be public and announced.
Jason: After public comment we can discuss it. [This was not done.]
It would not be the week of a trustee meeting. Probably toward the end of the onth.
Jeff: That would be good--so people are still excited about it and things can progress. I think that would be perfect. Do you think beginning with one room would be practical?
Jason: Starting small is probably always good practice. [That's a response. Did it answer Jeff's question?]
Jeff: Some of the questions are big, but if we had a chance to work on a smaller project together that would benefit everyone . . . .
[There was nothing from either of the other trustees. Jeff's comments and Jason's remarks deserve to stand alone in order to be properly reflected upon.]
[Blogger: Here is my view of this exchange: There is nothing to take issue about with what Jason said. But did he do anything, or even propose to do anything? He uttered a lot of agreeable sounding platitudes that no one can argue with. But: What moved forward as a result of this exchange? If you find anything, I would like to know about it.]
[Despite the title, this was public comment, so more people than Jeff will be represented.]
Jeff: Chad Delaney can not be here tonight. I had a chance to listen to the last trustees meeting so I think I can answer any questions you might have.
We said at the beginning that we wanted to be transparent.
We want to have tenants and a teen center and a small business incubator. At the last meeting we heard you say we couldn't do anything. Tonight you mentioned the historical society [moving to the school building].
A lot is going on with the elevator, and things are not totally stopped.
What we also wanted to talk about was that when we talked about developing a community center we want to work alongside you. We have always taken the position that this is something that everyone wants. We want to provide the energy and resources. We might focus for the time being on a community center.
With the endorsement and encouragement of the Building Utilization Committee, we have put together a task force to be talking about uses of the building. Neighbors, business people, and people who have used the building [are included]. It reminded me of a thanksgiving holiday.
We will be meeting again on October 11. We want to have three subgroups: community resources, building resources, and community wants and needs.
We want to have several small community get together ideas and use that to build up knowledge of what the community center can be.
We have the Veterans' Day dance and quilt/art auction [coming up]. One of the ideas/needs was tax help preparation and also some short programing to get the community in. That is the gist of what the task force wants to do. We have heard the phrase "Elevator to nowhere." No one wants that.
[Blogger: Partly because all correspondence with elected officials is public record; partly because Jeff is maintaining the commitment to transparency; and partly because of the restoration society's commitment to renovating and making the building usable, I am aware of e-mails that have been exchanged. Jeff did not accuse the trustees of building an elevator to nowhere. He said he had heard the phrase--implying that somebody out there is saying it. The group I have always called "the hostiles" carried on about the building being a money pit; the crack about the elevator is in the same category.]
Jeff, continuing: We have been offered a special meeting sometime and we would like that so we are all on the same page. We would like to have a special meeting so we can concentrate on getting the master plan progressing and into your hands. We would like to flesh that out and understand the township budget better. Everybody asks about the cost of rental, and we would like to be able to get that out.
The one idea we have is, what if we used the main room on the main floor for community meetings? What is we used that as a way of understanding how all the committees can work together. That is one of the ways we thought we could work out having a practical space. That is what we can talk about at that [special] meeting. I don't know whether there are any larger questions.
Jason: I wasn't saying the historical society can have space and you would not. A lot is in motion and you guys met with me and gave me a proposal. What I kind of see happening, at the meeting I was unable to attend, the master plan came back into the question.
What I see is the four committees and you guys as tenants and utilizing the building. But tonight I see you as helping with the utilization. [Blogger: Is there a problem with this??]
Jeff: We have had two different agendas. One is tenant-based and one is community based. The meeting [the proposed special meeting] can be to discuss how to build the community center. Have a practical way working on this with that one room. I think everyone agrees tghat would be a good purpose for that.
Jason: I had a discussion with Mark Frizone [sp?]; when the groups were set up we thought the community could form these groups and the trustees are kind of saying to the community what do you want.
We don't have expertise or background in this. Mark Frizone asked (1) these groups that want to go in want to go in all over the place. So how do you grow and develop stability.
Then how do we marry that with the needs of the community.
But I think a separate meeting [would be good] because there is a lot to hash out.
Jeff: We met with Mark Frizone and his program managers. [Then Jeff talked about the kind of information he got from Mark Frizone.]
Jeff: Every community center is different. It takes no expertise to have a vacant building for 12 years. [Blogger: Then he gave examples of how to move forward. How could this center enhance commuinity life in Mantua Township. When I get the recording of this meeting, I will see if some of those comments should be added.]
[Blogger: This was the second comment that raised an objection, this time from Jason. When Jason was elected in 2009, his main backer (well, one of them, anyhow) attacked Vic at every meeting about how long the building had stood unused, starting from the 2004 purchase date. Never mind that it took two years to sort out the red tape with various records and the State of Ohio. So regardless of when we could really start on the building, it is 2016 and we have been dithering around about all of the problems for seven more years.
[The answer to the "no expertise" is either to educate oneself or to get someone to do it who does have the expertise. In a previous meeting discussing the master plan, Jason commented that professionals don't do the work, they hire people to do the work. In the seven years since Jason was elected, it would seem that the "no expertise" question could have--should have--been answered so things could move forward.]
Jason: I don't think anyone gets it right 100% of the time right off the bat.
Jeff: I don't know how to ask for a special meeting, and what has to be done. It has to be public and announced.
Jason: After public comment we can discuss it. [This was not done.]
It would not be the week of a trustee meeting. Probably toward the end of the onth.
Jeff: That would be good--so people are still excited about it and things can progress. I think that would be perfect. Do you think beginning with one room would be practical?
Jason: Starting small is probably always good practice. [That's a response. Did it answer Jeff's question?]
Jeff: Some of the questions are big, but if we had a chance to work on a smaller project together that would benefit everyone . . . .
[There was nothing from either of the other trustees. Jeff's comments and Jason's remarks deserve to stand alone in order to be properly reflected upon.]
[Blogger: Here is my view of this exchange: There is nothing to take issue about with what Jason said. But did he do anything, or even propose to do anything? He uttered a lot of agreeable sounding platitudes that no one can argue with. But: What moved forward as a result of this exchange? If you find anything, I would like to know about it.]
Friday, October 14, 2016
Trustees l0-6-16
[Blogger Foreword: This post is not going to make any attempt to cover the whole meeting. There was discussion between Linda Ehlert and Jason about the Historical Society. That will be included.
[Also included will be some discussion about the elevator project, but this post will concentrate on Jeff Jackson's presentation and discussion about the Community Center project at the school building.
[Nearly 40 people attended this meeting, some from the task force and some residents who are interested in the project and who have been committed to the school being saved, renovated, and used.
[Public comment will be included, although what I said will have to wait until I get the recording.]
The Mantua Shalersville Fire Department will stop monitoring the township's fire alarms at the end of December. This is of concern to the Historical Society because of their collection of artifacts, information, and archives on the upper floor. Jason gave Linda Ehlert, Historical Society president. the opportunity to comment.
Linda: Jason and I talked about this and Tim Benner delivered the letter to us. My understanding is that the monitoring had been getting done free. We do pay gas for the little bit of heat we have upstairs.
The township is thinking that maybe the historical society should pay a little more.
She commented that doing the monitoring via the internet sounded good.
Continuing: Our final meeting of the year will be the third Monday. If you can get me prices, let's have a discussion about it.
John Festa: Of course any new upgrades, we have to decide how much it will cost.
Jason: Just so everyone is aware, Linda and I have had some discussions about this. Getting upstairs in this building is very difficult. With the elevator going into the school, it is my idea that the historical society would be much better served in the school. I have had many discussions with people in the community. The elevator would help with accessibility.
Linda: We need $500/year for liability insurance.
Jason: I don't think we are ready right now to place people in there or rent out large areas.
[Blogger: A couple of meetings ago, Amy Janca proposed the same thing, with the added idea that the historical society holdings would be better protected in a climate controlled building. At the moment and for the foreseeable future, the school is hardly better climate controlled than the township hall. It will not be climate controlled until the upgrades, some time in the future, cover modern HVAC or the equivalent. Jason's idea may have come from that source, but I would bet on it being a new brainstorm from John Festa's patron.]
John Festa reported on the fire inspection and said that one recommendation was a CO detector because of the type of heater used upstairs in the township hall. The garage came out mostly OK in the inspection.
[That was no surprise to your faithful blogger. John Festa focuses on the trucks and equipment, and Jason lavishes his attention on the roads. The buildings, except for the garage, fend for themselves. My point of view is not against the garage; it is about the lack of balance in attention to our historic buildings.]
Vic mentioned a safety grant through OTARMA of $500 that could be applied to the lighting required as part of safety upgrades.
John Festa commented on the status of medical marijuana: The trustees can regulate the number of cultivators, processors, and dispensaries or prohibit them. A zoning resolution would be necessary, and Chris Meduri recommended both a zoning resolution and a resolution by the trustees.
Another option is to consider a moratorium.
Vic: I would like to see some of the other resolutions.
Vic's trustee report was next.
Vic: I have been working with Lisa Reeves, Regional Planning, on the elevator grant. There is still a lot of paperwork from Senator Eklund's office because there is still a 30-60 day lag after they receive the paperwork.
There is a walk through on Tuesday at the school at 9:30 for the electrical work.
Continuing: There were four quotes. The highest was $53,000, which was over the estimate. The lowest was $26,500 and there were two around $35,000.
Jason: Any idea about when construction might commence?
Vic: No. The holdup is that we have to certify the funds. We need the funds from Senator Eklund's office. Jodie Thompson has to certify $90,000 that we don't have. We can't even finish signing the bid for the elevator. We probably have enough.
I don't know if the electrical is tied into that. It was a separate bid but still part of the master contract.
John Festa: Does this all go through the commissioners?
Vic: Lisa Reeves is the contact. She has put a lot of time into this.
JF: I am concerned--it is getting close to winter time. [Right, he's concerned. This from the man whose employer bid on the project and cost us over a month to sort things out and re-bid.]
Vic: Lisa has been applying for extensions, but she can't do that forever.
Nancy Taffel's lease for the clothing giveaway rooms was extended.
There was some discussion about the logo and the website, with nothing definitive about either.
Public comment was next, and it will be its own post.
[Also included will be some discussion about the elevator project, but this post will concentrate on Jeff Jackson's presentation and discussion about the Community Center project at the school building.
[Nearly 40 people attended this meeting, some from the task force and some residents who are interested in the project and who have been committed to the school being saved, renovated, and used.
[Public comment will be included, although what I said will have to wait until I get the recording.]
The Mantua Shalersville Fire Department will stop monitoring the township's fire alarms at the end of December. This is of concern to the Historical Society because of their collection of artifacts, information, and archives on the upper floor. Jason gave Linda Ehlert, Historical Society president. the opportunity to comment.
Linda: Jason and I talked about this and Tim Benner delivered the letter to us. My understanding is that the monitoring had been getting done free. We do pay gas for the little bit of heat we have upstairs.
The township is thinking that maybe the historical society should pay a little more.
She commented that doing the monitoring via the internet sounded good.
Continuing: Our final meeting of the year will be the third Monday. If you can get me prices, let's have a discussion about it.
John Festa: Of course any new upgrades, we have to decide how much it will cost.
Jason: Just so everyone is aware, Linda and I have had some discussions about this. Getting upstairs in this building is very difficult. With the elevator going into the school, it is my idea that the historical society would be much better served in the school. I have had many discussions with people in the community. The elevator would help with accessibility.
Linda: We need $500/year for liability insurance.
Jason: I don't think we are ready right now to place people in there or rent out large areas.
[Blogger: A couple of meetings ago, Amy Janca proposed the same thing, with the added idea that the historical society holdings would be better protected in a climate controlled building. At the moment and for the foreseeable future, the school is hardly better climate controlled than the township hall. It will not be climate controlled until the upgrades, some time in the future, cover modern HVAC or the equivalent. Jason's idea may have come from that source, but I would bet on it being a new brainstorm from John Festa's patron.]
John Festa reported on the fire inspection and said that one recommendation was a CO detector because of the type of heater used upstairs in the township hall. The garage came out mostly OK in the inspection.
[That was no surprise to your faithful blogger. John Festa focuses on the trucks and equipment, and Jason lavishes his attention on the roads. The buildings, except for the garage, fend for themselves. My point of view is not against the garage; it is about the lack of balance in attention to our historic buildings.]
Vic mentioned a safety grant through OTARMA of $500 that could be applied to the lighting required as part of safety upgrades.
John Festa commented on the status of medical marijuana: The trustees can regulate the number of cultivators, processors, and dispensaries or prohibit them. A zoning resolution would be necessary, and Chris Meduri recommended both a zoning resolution and a resolution by the trustees.
Another option is to consider a moratorium.
Vic: I would like to see some of the other resolutions.
Vic's trustee report was next.
Vic: I have been working with Lisa Reeves, Regional Planning, on the elevator grant. There is still a lot of paperwork from Senator Eklund's office because there is still a 30-60 day lag after they receive the paperwork.
There is a walk through on Tuesday at the school at 9:30 for the electrical work.
Continuing: There were four quotes. The highest was $53,000, which was over the estimate. The lowest was $26,500 and there were two around $35,000.
Jason: Any idea about when construction might commence?
Vic: No. The holdup is that we have to certify the funds. We need the funds from Senator Eklund's office. Jodie Thompson has to certify $90,000 that we don't have. We can't even finish signing the bid for the elevator. We probably have enough.
I don't know if the electrical is tied into that. It was a separate bid but still part of the master contract.
John Festa: Does this all go through the commissioners?
Vic: Lisa Reeves is the contact. She has put a lot of time into this.
JF: I am concerned--it is getting close to winter time. [Right, he's concerned. This from the man whose employer bid on the project and cost us over a month to sort things out and re-bid.]
Vic: Lisa has been applying for extensions, but she can't do that forever.
Nancy Taffel's lease for the clothing giveaway rooms was extended.
There was some discussion about the logo and the website, with nothing definitive about either.
Public comment was next, and it will be its own post.
A "Double Tap"
The "double tap" refers to the articles in the Wednesday Record Courier and this week's edition of The Weekly Villager. Both were about the school, the elevator, and the inexplicable delays and apparent stalling. The Record Courier article identified the conflict of interest because of Gable Elevator's bid, Gable being John Festa's employer.
/rhe articles lay out to a larger audience the amount of time that has passed with almost no action on this project, despite Jason's comment that a lot of wheels are in motion. Saying it doesn't make it so. If all those wheels are in motion, are they mired to the axles so that we are at a standstill? Or are they in motion in the same direction?
The articles are worth reading, and they are independent of your faithful blogger. Those who come to every meeting and ask why things aren't moving aren't the only ones who have noticed and are frustrated with the inertia.
/rhe articles lay out to a larger audience the amount of time that has passed with almost no action on this project, despite Jason's comment that a lot of wheels are in motion. Saying it doesn't make it so. If all those wheels are in motion, are they mired to the axles so that we are at a standstill? Or are they in motion in the same direction?
The articles are worth reading, and they are independent of your faithful blogger. Those who come to every meeting and ask why things aren't moving aren't the only ones who have noticed and are frustrated with the inertia.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Electrical Contract Bids, Elevator
As Frank Horack pointed out, his company was the only one bidding on the first round.
By law, a bid that is more than 10% over the estimate is rejected. Frank stated that his company's bid was not accepted. All of that is history.
On the second round, Frank's company, Aurora Mantua Electric, was one of four companies bidding to do the electrical work required for the elevator. Here are the names and amounts of their bids.
The estimate was in the neighborhood of $37,000, so all acceptable bids had to be no more than $40,700. These two figures may not be to the penny, but they are close enough for this post.
Kozma: $26,865
Rothermel: $34,500
Emery: $$35,185
Aurora Mantua Electric: $53,000
All of this is public record; you could get it yourself if you asked for it from Regional Planning. That's where I got the figures.
And let me say one more thing about public record, which perhaps has been said before but is worth repeating.
Government in the United States from top to bottom is required to make its workings and its finances available and open to all.
We can attend government meetings anywhere in the country.
When we attend Mantua Township meetings, we sign in: Name and address. If we want to speak, we sign in on a second sheet. Same information.
So we go to a public meeting in a public place, and on microphone if not on camera, we identify ourselves when we speak. It's an eminently adult activity. If we make sense, everyone can know. If we are whining and being childish, everyone knows that, too.
This blog has gotten bitter complaints because it has laid all of that out there.
Tough.
It's called participating in our government.
By law, a bid that is more than 10% over the estimate is rejected. Frank stated that his company's bid was not accepted. All of that is history.
On the second round, Frank's company, Aurora Mantua Electric, was one of four companies bidding to do the electrical work required for the elevator. Here are the names and amounts of their bids.
The estimate was in the neighborhood of $37,000, so all acceptable bids had to be no more than $40,700. These two figures may not be to the penny, but they are close enough for this post.
Kozma: $26,865
Rothermel: $34,500
Emery: $$35,185
Aurora Mantua Electric: $53,000
All of this is public record; you could get it yourself if you asked for it from Regional Planning. That's where I got the figures.
And let me say one more thing about public record, which perhaps has been said before but is worth repeating.
Government in the United States from top to bottom is required to make its workings and its finances available and open to all.
We can attend government meetings anywhere in the country.
When we attend Mantua Township meetings, we sign in: Name and address. If we want to speak, we sign in on a second sheet. Same information.
So we go to a public meeting in a public place, and on microphone if not on camera, we identify ourselves when we speak. It's an eminently adult activity. If we make sense, everyone can know. If we are whining and being childish, everyone knows that, too.
This blog has gotten bitter complaints because it has laid all of that out there.
Tough.
It's called participating in our government.
Trustees 9-15-16: Public Comment re Community Center, Bull Pen
Amy Janca: Today you discussed a lot about the use of the Center school. I understand in the very beginning [the use] was providing office space for the township officials, records storage, etc. Now you brought up about the alarm situation in this building. Upstairs we have a treasure trove of valuable documents. One of the suggestions was having the historical society have a room at the center school. It would make their records more accessible. It would also be safer and more secure with better climate control. The atmosphere up there [in the township hall] is not climate controlled.
[Blogger: There is no better climate control in the school at present than there is in the township hall, and there will not be until the building is completely air conditioned. In the great scheme of things, that will be a good while yet, since other aspects of the building renovation and upgrades are more pressing, from what I can determine.]
Jason: There is no accessibility here. Young folks are typically not interested in the historical society. It is harder for the older generation to get up and down the stairs.
Amy: This can work with the community center. Introduce young people to the genealogy and history of the community. I think it would put all of those wonderful documents in a better climate.
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: Thanks for saying that, Amy, because we thought about the same thing. Get the kids to see the real history, not the way it is taught in the books. We are all sitting here participating in our in our government, not the way it was taught in class.
About the logo: I suggest you do some checking on that. Several years ago when there was a lot of discussion about the website, I looked at all of them in the county. I know all of our trucks are green, but the websites that were the hardest to read and least appealing (and I make art) were green. I wanted to suggest that we should consider crispness and readability rather than just taking a consistent approach with the trucks.
About the master plan. This is about the master plan and the community center . Originally Doug Fuller was going to work on the master plan. The money wasn't there and that happened at the same time as the elevator. Doug was working on that and got Naylor and Wellman to get the approval from the OHPO [Ohio Historic Preservation Office] and we got a bargain on that. Many people have given us a lot on this. One of the things Dan Tillett said is that the project had shifted into a different responsibility, especially for the building assessment committee, than they had realized at first.
So perhaps we are sitting here saying "We haven't got a plan," and they are saying, "Did anybody tell us we were supposed to do the plan?" I suspect they would if they had been given that charge. There are about 5 people at the core of the Building Assessment Committee, and Todd Peetz. Those are the people with the skill and expertise and capacity for good relationships with people to be able to bring everything and put it together.
What I mentioned at the last meeting is that we have assembled a task force to work on the community center because none of us know how to do it so we lined up people ranging from a bank vice president to someone from Robin Park.
That is overgeneralizing and oversimplifying but it pretty well tells the range of people we tried to get. I think the combination of committees and task force and that we have gotten money and grants that will make more available mean that we are on our way.
The people who are supposed to do this should know they are supposed to to it.
I gave an example of the wife who says, "If you really loved me, you'd know I wanted a mink coat." How are you supposed to know that? [The implication here is this: Authorize the committees to do a master plan--don't just sit and bemoan not having one.]
Those are some of the things that I hope are in the mix and it would probably be a good time to check with Todd Peetz. That's enough for tonight. Thank you.
Jan Oros, Wayne Road: It is refreshing not to see glaring red lights about the community center. It is refreshing to see a go aheadrather then stalling.
[Blogger: "Glaring red lights" was Jan's actual statement, which I had mis-noted. "Rather than stalling" was my summary, which was not actually what Jan said.]
This is something that has been bothering me since I first heard about it. It has to do with the property about the bull pen. If somebody's well is on property, you can assume it was part of the original farmstead. At some point the township took it over. And now there is so much inconvenience, to me it would be reasonable and compassionate to deed the property back to her. Is it that important for the township to have the property?
Mary Ann Weber: I cut the grass there anyway.
Jan: Why not make it easy on everybody and deed it back to her? You reap what you sow, and by doing this, it is a good step forward.
Vic: We haven't found where that was transferred. There is some stuff that was missing. There is some surmise about who it belonged to before.
Jason added some thoughts about the history of properties.
Jan: It has become such a problem.
Jason: I don't see it as a problem.
John Festa: It isn't a problem--we are willing to give her a license.
Jan: But you can take it back at any time.
Vic gave more explanation.
Jason: It is on the tax map as the township's property. We can't just deed it to someone because it is the community's property and to sell it would have to be at auction.
Jan: How did it become yours?
Frank Horack: The owner [should] get a survey and work from the west edge of the property to see if the footage comes out right.
Mary Ann Weber: The owner is not going to pay for a survey unless we are buying the property.
Sue Skrovan, 4770 Wayne Road: Jason, earlier you mentioned a cost for the berm estimate for the county--can you give it to me again? $2287.22.
Also--when Jodie mentioned the budget commission sending you documents for insurance. In Hiram Village we have to pass a resolution accepting that. It should be a signed page by three of them, and it lists all the communities. It has amounts and rages from the budget commission.
To Vic: It has been quite a few years since we passed a resolution, but we signed off on it.
[Blogger: That is the end of my notes.]
[Blogger: There is no better climate control in the school at present than there is in the township hall, and there will not be until the building is completely air conditioned. In the great scheme of things, that will be a good while yet, since other aspects of the building renovation and upgrades are more pressing, from what I can determine.]
Jason: There is no accessibility here. Young folks are typically not interested in the historical society. It is harder for the older generation to get up and down the stairs.
Amy: This can work with the community center. Introduce young people to the genealogy and history of the community. I think it would put all of those wonderful documents in a better climate.
Carole Pollard, 5359 Allyn Road: Thanks for saying that, Amy, because we thought about the same thing. Get the kids to see the real history, not the way it is taught in the books. We are all sitting here participating in our in our government, not the way it was taught in class.
About the logo: I suggest you do some checking on that. Several years ago when there was a lot of discussion about the website, I looked at all of them in the county. I know all of our trucks are green, but the websites that were the hardest to read and least appealing (and I make art) were green. I wanted to suggest that we should consider crispness and readability rather than just taking a consistent approach with the trucks.
About the master plan. This is about the master plan and the community center . Originally Doug Fuller was going to work on the master plan. The money wasn't there and that happened at the same time as the elevator. Doug was working on that and got Naylor and Wellman to get the approval from the OHPO [Ohio Historic Preservation Office] and we got a bargain on that. Many people have given us a lot on this. One of the things Dan Tillett said is that the project had shifted into a different responsibility, especially for the building assessment committee, than they had realized at first.
So perhaps we are sitting here saying "We haven't got a plan," and they are saying, "Did anybody tell us we were supposed to do the plan?" I suspect they would if they had been given that charge. There are about 5 people at the core of the Building Assessment Committee, and Todd Peetz. Those are the people with the skill and expertise and capacity for good relationships with people to be able to bring everything and put it together.
What I mentioned at the last meeting is that we have assembled a task force to work on the community center because none of us know how to do it so we lined up people ranging from a bank vice president to someone from Robin Park.
That is overgeneralizing and oversimplifying but it pretty well tells the range of people we tried to get. I think the combination of committees and task force and that we have gotten money and grants that will make more available mean that we are on our way.
The people who are supposed to do this should know they are supposed to to it.
I gave an example of the wife who says, "If you really loved me, you'd know I wanted a mink coat." How are you supposed to know that? [The implication here is this: Authorize the committees to do a master plan--don't just sit and bemoan not having one.]
Those are some of the things that I hope are in the mix and it would probably be a good time to check with Todd Peetz. That's enough for tonight. Thank you.
Jan Oros, Wayne Road: It is refreshing not to see glaring red lights about the community center. It is refreshing to see a go ahead
[Blogger: "Glaring red lights" was Jan's actual statement, which I had mis-noted. "Rather than stalling" was my summary, which was not actually what Jan said.]
This is something that has been bothering me since I first heard about it. It has to do with the property about the bull pen. If somebody's well is on property, you can assume it was part of the original farmstead. At some point the township took it over. And now there is so much inconvenience, to me it would be reasonable and compassionate to deed the property back to her. Is it that important for the township to have the property?
Mary Ann Weber: I cut the grass there anyway.
Jan: Why not make it easy on everybody and deed it back to her? You reap what you sow, and by doing this, it is a good step forward.
Vic: We haven't found where that was transferred. There is some stuff that was missing. There is some surmise about who it belonged to before.
Jason added some thoughts about the history of properties.
Jan: It has become such a problem.
Jason: I don't see it as a problem.
John Festa: It isn't a problem--we are willing to give her a license.
Jan: But you can take it back at any time.
Vic gave more explanation.
Jason: It is on the tax map as the township's property. We can't just deed it to someone because it is the community's property and to sell it would have to be at auction.
Jan: How did it become yours?
Frank Horack: The owner [should] get a survey and work from the west edge of the property to see if the footage comes out right.
Mary Ann Weber: The owner is not going to pay for a survey unless we are buying the property.
Sue Skrovan, 4770 Wayne Road: Jason, earlier you mentioned a cost for the berm estimate for the county--can you give it to me again? $2287.22.
Also--when Jodie mentioned the budget commission sending you documents for insurance. In Hiram Village we have to pass a resolution accepting that. It should be a signed page by three of them, and it lists all the communities. It has amounts and rages from the budget commission.
To Vic: It has been quite a few years since we passed a resolution, but we signed off on it.
[Blogger: That is the end of my notes.]
Monday, October 3, 2016
9-15-16: Community Center Intern and Master Plan
[Blogger Foreword: This post picks up in a discussion about the impact of the elevator project on the use of the school building during construction. After some discussion about taping/screening off the area to prevent too much dust from permeating the building, Jodie spoke:]
Jodie Thompson: I am going to have them move the copier over here. [Note: There will be a lot of dust, and the copier is a $10,000 machine. Not something you want clogged and ruined.]
Vic: Benton needs room to work. I thought we could clear out this desk and fire up the hot spot.
[Then there was some discussion about the hot spot and wi-fi.] Vic also mentioned that in the Township Hall Benton would have a refrigerator and some amenities.
Some of what follows was prompted by Jason's asking the other trustees' thoughts about the proposal from Jeff and Chad.
John Festa: A lot of things need to be discussed. I brought up that we are still waiting to get our master plan. How can we change directions? I want to see everybody have an opportunity. We had an end game in mind, but now we have detours. I don't want to discourage anybody, but not give false confidence.
Jason: I agree. The master plan is going to take quite some time to get going, calendar wise.
John Festa, to Benton: What is your--how do you fit in?
Benton: I am working for MaRSI for 9-1/2 months in whatever capacity to get things lined up for the community center.
JF: As a consultant?
Benton: As an intern.
[Blogger: At this point, I intervened because John Festa was asking or beginning to ask questions that Benton could not answer yet.]
Carole Pollard: This has to be a joint discussion. He has just gotten here. Jeff and Chad have been working on this for a while. It might not be a bad idea to wait until all of us can be here to discuss it. We will have a better balanced and more rational discussion. This is for the over-arching project with the Disciples of Christ churches. I want to emphasize that the churches have prompted this, but it is not, not, not a church program. The National Benevolent Association is picking up half of Benton's stipend and MaRSI is picking up the other half.
The goal is to have a good structure for a community center which would cover not just the things the ministers talked about, but also a full range of the community. This is a little bit like building the plane while you are flying it because every community center is different. We saw one last week in Columbus which is very exciting. It is one in which the school building is being used and is not losing money. It has a bunch of non profits but they are paying rent.
We have just started. A lot of the questions can't be answered yet because we have just gotten started. This may be the only thing like it in the county.
John Festa: Who is "we"?
CP: The restoration society; the two churches in the area because they have the connections to the whole county. Jason, you've been in a couple of meetings about the opioid issue.
[Blogger: This is an addition the morning after making this post: The school district is also involved in the discussions regarding how a community center could help high school and probably middle school students.]
Jason: One. [Opioid meeting.]
CP, continuing: This is a big concern, a county-wide thing and we talk about this [school] being a place for this because the county doesn't stop at SR 303.
John Festa: So my question is not going to be answered tonight.
CP: I think it will be better answered in three weeks. . . . What you are going to get [tonight] is not a definitive answer. It will be where we are at the moment. Sorry if that disappoints you.
JF: You just didn't answer my question. I didn't direct the question at you.
CP: He is the new kid on the block. [Benton just arrived on August 28.]
JF: The utilization committee was to define how to use the building and the building assessment committee would put a price tag on it. We are waiting for a master plan to see how to use the building.
Jan Oros: What about the master plan--I thought you had a beginning.
Benton: I was at the last meeting so I heard about that but I have just been listening.
Vic: Part of your internship is to help on this and work with the committees.
Jason [to Benton]: listed the four committees and continued: That was the foundation for a master plan to use the facility. None of the trustees submitted [?] those committees. They have not been really reporting to the trustees because that sounds as if we are their boss.
I would say work heavily (?) with the utilization committee. I have talked with Todd Peetz in the last week or so. He was the facilitator. We pay him for 40 hours per year of technical assistance. There was a cadence, and every 2-3 months we were meeting at the Civic Center. That has been stalled because of the elevator. Everyone has been putting their effort on getting the elevator installed.
Vic: I am glad you are bringing this up about Todd Peetz. To Benton: Have you met Todd Peetz?
Answer: Yes.
Jason: That would be key to sit down with Todd and review his minutes. Another person is Mark Frizone. Try to schedule some tine to meet with him. He is director of Child and Family Services in Portage County. He organized the entire building and they have teen services. A number of community services use space in his building. All these groups work together and he knows how to get things done.
I don't want to see this drop. I want to see a master plan from these committees to keep us going. I have a ton of questions but I don't think we are there yet. I have a lot of questions on sustainability and is there a business plan . Is it sustainable for money as well as function.
The opioid and addiction problem in the county. I don't want to see overlap. Can there be some synergy. More questions than answers but if you are going to solely(?) focus on this, that will be good.
Benton: Are you sending your specific requirements to the committees?
Jason: They aren't really requirements. What we have to think about is sustainability. Picture yourself as a building owner renting space. You want to see somebody who will stay. Some things are trial and error. Are the leasers experienced, or is this a pop up program? These are just top of mind questions. How do you maintain the funding? This was submitted by Jeff and Chad. Mark Frizone got a copy of this.
Can the mental health and recovery board work on this?
Benton: I am not on any of these committees yet. You do seem to have specific questions that will be included in the committees.
Jason: My opinion--if I gave specific requirements for the master plan, I feel I am taking power away from the committees. If I had my wishes for a good master plan, it should have a lot of detail on sustainability.
Vic: I will get a business card for you. There is another person for you to talk to--Ryan Shackleford. He is FEMA director in Portage County.
Benton: I was just clarifying that you didn't want me to convey anything specific.
Jason: Maybe generalizing, from the Building Utilization Committee, they want the building used for a community center. They have an issue with people paying money to do that. But we have an issue with that.
We probably should have a special meeting on this. There is a lot that needs to be covered first.
[Blogger: This was the end of the business meeting. Public comment was next, and that will be a separate post. Then after that I will, as promised, give information on the bids for the electrical component of the elevator project.]
Jodie Thompson: I am going to have them move the copier over here. [Note: There will be a lot of dust, and the copier is a $10,000 machine. Not something you want clogged and ruined.]
Vic: Benton needs room to work. I thought we could clear out this desk and fire up the hot spot.
[Then there was some discussion about the hot spot and wi-fi.] Vic also mentioned that in the Township Hall Benton would have a refrigerator and some amenities.
Some of what follows was prompted by Jason's asking the other trustees' thoughts about the proposal from Jeff and Chad.
John Festa: A lot of things need to be discussed. I brought up that we are still waiting to get our master plan. How can we change directions? I want to see everybody have an opportunity. We had an end game in mind, but now we have detours. I don't want to discourage anybody, but not give false confidence.
Jason: I agree. The master plan is going to take quite some time to get going, calendar wise.
John Festa, to Benton: What is your--how do you fit in?
Benton: I am working for MaRSI for 9-1/2 months in whatever capacity to get things lined up for the community center.
JF: As a consultant?
Benton: As an intern.
[Blogger: At this point, I intervened because John Festa was asking or beginning to ask questions that Benton could not answer yet.]
Carole Pollard: This has to be a joint discussion. He has just gotten here. Jeff and Chad have been working on this for a while. It might not be a bad idea to wait until all of us can be here to discuss it. We will have a better balanced and more rational discussion. This is for the over-arching project with the Disciples of Christ churches. I want to emphasize that the churches have prompted this, but it is not, not, not a church program. The National Benevolent Association is picking up half of Benton's stipend and MaRSI is picking up the other half.
The goal is to have a good structure for a community center which would cover not just the things the ministers talked about, but also a full range of the community. This is a little bit like building the plane while you are flying it because every community center is different. We saw one last week in Columbus which is very exciting. It is one in which the school building is being used and is not losing money. It has a bunch of non profits but they are paying rent.
We have just started. A lot of the questions can't be answered yet because we have just gotten started. This may be the only thing like it in the county.
John Festa: Who is "we"?
CP: The restoration society; the two churches in the area because they have the connections to the whole county. Jason, you've been in a couple of meetings about the opioid issue.
[Blogger: This is an addition the morning after making this post: The school district is also involved in the discussions regarding how a community center could help high school and probably middle school students.]
Jason: One. [Opioid meeting.]
CP, continuing: This is a big concern, a county-wide thing and we talk about this [school] being a place for this because the county doesn't stop at SR 303.
John Festa: So my question is not going to be answered tonight.
CP: I think it will be better answered in three weeks. . . . What you are going to get [tonight] is not a definitive answer. It will be where we are at the moment. Sorry if that disappoints you.
JF: You just didn't answer my question. I didn't direct the question at you.
CP: He is the new kid on the block. [Benton just arrived on August 28.]
JF: The utilization committee was to define how to use the building and the building assessment committee would put a price tag on it. We are waiting for a master plan to see how to use the building.
Jan Oros: What about the master plan--I thought you had a beginning.
Benton: I was at the last meeting so I heard about that but I have just been listening.
Vic: Part of your internship is to help on this and work with the committees.
Jason [to Benton]: listed the four committees and continued: That was the foundation for a master plan to use the facility. None of the trustees submitted [?] those committees. They have not been really reporting to the trustees because that sounds as if we are their boss.
I would say work heavily (?) with the utilization committee. I have talked with Todd Peetz in the last week or so. He was the facilitator. We pay him for 40 hours per year of technical assistance. There was a cadence, and every 2-3 months we were meeting at the Civic Center. That has been stalled because of the elevator. Everyone has been putting their effort on getting the elevator installed.
Vic: I am glad you are bringing this up about Todd Peetz. To Benton: Have you met Todd Peetz?
Answer: Yes.
Jason: That would be key to sit down with Todd and review his minutes. Another person is Mark Frizone. Try to schedule some tine to meet with him. He is director of Child and Family Services in Portage County. He organized the entire building and they have teen services. A number of community services use space in his building. All these groups work together and he knows how to get things done.
I don't want to see this drop. I want to see a master plan from these committees to keep us going. I have a ton of questions but I don't think we are there yet. I have a lot of questions on sustainability and is there a business plan . Is it sustainable for money as well as function.
The opioid and addiction problem in the county. I don't want to see overlap. Can there be some synergy. More questions than answers but if you are going to solely(?) focus on this, that will be good.
Benton: Are you sending your specific requirements to the committees?
Jason: They aren't really requirements. What we have to think about is sustainability. Picture yourself as a building owner renting space. You want to see somebody who will stay. Some things are trial and error. Are the leasers experienced, or is this a pop up program? These are just top of mind questions. How do you maintain the funding? This was submitted by Jeff and Chad. Mark Frizone got a copy of this.
Can the mental health and recovery board work on this?
Benton: I am not on any of these committees yet. You do seem to have specific questions that will be included in the committees.
Jason: My opinion--if I gave specific requirements for the master plan, I feel I am taking power away from the committees. If I had my wishes for a good master plan, it should have a lot of detail on sustainability.
Vic: I will get a business card for you. There is another person for you to talk to--Ryan Shackleford. He is FEMA director in Portage County.
Benton: I was just clarifying that you didn't want me to convey anything specific.
Jason: Maybe generalizing, from the Building Utilization Committee, they want the building used for a community center. They have an issue with people paying money to do that. But we have an issue with that.
We probably should have a special meeting on this. There is a lot that needs to be covered first.
[Blogger: This was the end of the business meeting. Public comment was next, and that will be a separate post. Then after that I will, as promised, give information on the bids for the electrical component of the elevator project.]
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