Blogger Foreword: This is going to be a quick march through the rest of the meeting, concentrating, as stated, on Public Comment. The longest part will probably be what your faithful blogger said about the restoration society's recent activities. What matters is what those activities involved regarding the elevator project and next steps.
Here goes.
Club and Committee Reports:
Garden Club, Sue Skrovan: We had our Christmas dinner and a cookie exchange Tuesday evening. We had a nice dinner and will not meet again until March. Then we will start up again and make plans for the year. We were invited to Hiram on April 21, Earth Day, to put up a booth or table and to help with children and celebrating their parks.
Amy Janca, LCA: We met shortly after Thanksgiving break and elected new officers. We won't be meeting again until March.
Mantua Restoration Society, Carole Pollard: We are hoping the elevator will ber done so we can have a grand opening [in conjunction] with the art event and cookie walk [in February]. Senator Eklund is top on our list to invite. He is a pass-through for our requests, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have him see what his help got us.
At the last meeting we talked about floor covering for the elevator enclosure. I have a check here from the restoration society. It is made out to Terry Hronek, who purchased the flooring.
Vic: Terry brought some samples. We went through what was there and decided on this vinyl. [Vic had samples.] Do you want to explain [to Terry] how it locks in?
Terry: This is heavy duty commercial vinyl, 12" x 24". We have extra pieces in case some get gouged or damaged.
Jason: What were we quoted originally?
Vic: They wanted to put down 2-foot square carpet squares. [Blogger: Remnants, to boot.] It was [about] $550. I talked with Terry . . . .
C. Pollard: Do I give you the check and you give it to Terry, or do I just give it to Terry? [There was some genial laughter about that.]
Vic, I think, asked Jason if he had seen the invoice. Answer: Yes.
CP: That is what the check is for.
Vic explained the procedure, and John Festa asked the amount.
Vic: $155.00 [and change].
Jason: Did you guys get a copy of this?
CP: Lynn got a copy of it when she made out the check.
There was some joking about opening the envelop [echoes of the academy awards], and then some red tape got handled.
Vic: Thanked Terry and the restoration society.
Jodie: Do you know when the state inspection is going to be?
Vic: When we get it ready. [That was said with some wry humor.] We don't have heat in there yet. I met with the electricians Friday. There is some question about who is going to hook up the electricity on the top floor. I have picked up a couple of lights.
Jason: Anything else?
CP: I could add something about the meeting yesterday. MaRSI is getting to the point that we can begin fulfilling our mission, which is to help the trustees by raising money [for projects].
[Note: The people who met at the school to review it in various ways were Vic; Jim McCue of Coon Restoration and Sealants, accompanied by Dr. Elwin Robison, architecture faculty at Kent State; Patrick McEntee, Marvin Windows, with another employee; Ken Parker, member of the task force to develop the school building into a community center; John Zeit, architect, who has given us many, many hours pro bono; and your faithful blogger.]
Continuing: Dr. Robison was one of the people who heard our application to place the school building on the National Register of Historic Places. He got up above and saw the bell tower and had taken pictures. He came down out of there and said, "That is way cool."
This is someone with beau coup degrees. The good thing about getting him involved is that his background in historic architecture can head off some well-meaning things that could actually damage the building.
This is the chance we had talked about for quite a while, to get a plan done for less than it would have cost, which could have been thousands [or tens of thousands] of dollars. One of the things that can keep the cost down is to have a couple of students work on it. Upper classmen and graduate students know enough to help. A graduate student already has 5 years of architecture.
From our position [MaRSI] a lot of this project has been magical in spite of everything. So Happy New Year.
New Business, Trustee Reports, Announcements.
John Festa: I am putting a bid together for the roof on the Civic Center. There are two options, one for shingles and the other for a steel roof. Terry Hronek gave me some pointers that were good, and I used them in part of the bid for the shingles.
Continuing: We do need to get some heat for the upstairs [in the township hall].
Vic: I don't know how old the heater is, but it is not new.
John Festa talked a bit about having found an 80% efficient furnace which would cost between $700 and $800.
He also mentioned a letter from the Chagrin River Watershed Partners requesting a letter of support for a big government grant for the watershed, and that includes Black Brook.
[There was general agreement about signing the letter.]
New Business, Vic: At the last meeting I had printed the information about the elevator room, and John Zeit sent it to the elevator inspector. It has been approved for that room. [I believe this is for air conditioning for the elevator control equipment.]
Vic described the electrical requirements and said he had talked to the electricians.
Also, Mr. Bica came out and fixed the lock on the Civic Center door.
Salt has been ordered.
Jason reported under Old Business that we are signed on for insurance with Kasmarik
John Festa asked about advertising for zoning commission members. Vic said it should be done in January and should include both alternates and full members.
Public Comment:
Amy Janca and Vic discussed the microwave tower issue at a little length. That is all of interest mostly to those whose property borders that under consideration for the tower[s].
Jason added: The home owner can agree, but since it is residential, the issue must go before the BZA as a conditional use.
Amy concluded by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Dave Pollard: To Vic: I have been putting updates about the elevator onto the restoration society website. I I had done it every week, it would come up to about 40. Do you have any guesses about a rough time table for operating it?
Vic: Open to the public? Answer: Yes.
Vic: The floor, the AC, some finish work. There is some work on the enclosure that is not up to snuff. Everybody wants to get paid. I am hoping to have the heat up on Saturday. I hope in another 30 days it will be done.
John Festa: Asked a question about the lobby area.
Vic: I think everything is pretty well fixed, if you want to take a look at it. The only thing I touched is the light.
JF: What about the smoke detector?
Vic: I haven't heard anything. The recall system has to be dealt with also.
He asked John Festa to look at everything and make a punch list.
Dave Pollard: One other thing--I know they set the poles on Old Frost. To me it looks as if some of the ones on the west side are east of the markers for the right of way. It looks as if the polwes are almost whjere the underground wire had been.
Vic: I only noticed them working on 82.
Dave: Just at a quick look, it looked as if they were inside the right of way.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
Blogger: This is the end of my notes.
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.
