Public Comment
Sue Lilley, President of the Blackbrook Conservancy, spoke first. Your faithful blogger is going to give just the high points on this. The issue is important but in my opinion not something at the center of attention of most township residents, although it is very much the center of Sue Lilley's attention, as it should be.
The issue is who has the authority to make sure that ditching, drainage, water flow, and related matters are being handled correctly. Or handled at all.
The conservancy and Mantua Center Road are, obviously, in the township; but as Vic has pointed out, it (the conservancy) is a separate subdivision and also has the right to levy taxes. He commented that the township cannot do that and also that the township is not permitted to combine funds with any other entity.
In the past, the county had been named responsible for the ditches. Now it seems [blogger] that the conservancy is responsible for them.
At present Mantua Center Road is closed at about Herman Road, so the traffic is light in both volume and vehicle weight. Sue is concerned that, with the water situation being more serious than in the past, when the bridge is replaced and full traffic volume is restored, the road is going to "go away."
Some of these issues are rooted in earlier land issues; Vic had a record/piece of paper that he offered Sue Lilley that went back to 1879 and related to this issue. Jason opined that going back into the records to see how it was all set up may be necessary.
[Blogger: That is a lengthy summary, but not as long as a transcript would have been.]
Terrie Nielsen, Wayne Road: As Vic mentioned, the bell tower project scaffolding is up and Hummel has advised me that the project will be done by mid June. I have been on some of the e-mail strings about some of the issues with the elevator's low overhead--
John Festa: That is not a problem.
My question is what else needs to be done to get this thing done before/by the end of June. [Blogger: I do not have a note about who said that.]
Vic: I left a message for Canton Elevator and want to see if he got his money from James Martin. I have talked with Kozma [Electric]. People want their money.
Terrie: My next question is is there anything I can do to help? Every Monday I send Hummel an email asking about the status.
Vic: Hopefully I will know something by tomorrow and I will send you an email.
John Festa: So we don't know whether Martin has ____?
Jason: I contacted Martin telling him his check was on the way. He said he had some small things to button up. I don't know what they are--whether even though they are small they can interfere with our inspection.
Terrie: So are you suggesting that I talk with Mr. Martin?
Jason: If you want to do that . . . .
John Festa: If the elevator guys can call us when they put in the fire stuff, we can get Martin in and we can put up the sign saying Low Overhead.
Terrie: I will keep you posted on Mr. Martin.
Amy Janca: I was thinking about the people with the clothing giveaway. Can some kind of concession be made that they could use the gymnasium portion temporarily?
Vic: They sort the clothing and putit on the racks. They would have to take it upstairs on the day of the giveaway.
John Festa: There is more to it . . . .
Terry Hronek: Terry asked about something being done by volunteers or put out to bid.
Answer: We will put it out for bid. [This was about painting.]
Terry Hronek: I can get you $98.00/gallon paint for $40.00.
Carole Pollard: Passed this evening.
Dave Pollard, S.R. 82: I have been working at cleanup day for nearly 15 years. The quantities don't change. I don't know where it all comes from. One year we filled 3 dumpsters with mattresses. I swear people tell their buddies in other counties to bring their stuff.
Some of the rubble that comes in that does not have metal in it,I will take that because I always have holes to fill. But it cannot have nails and metal trash. It is incredible how much stuff comes in.
Vic: Shalersville, I was told, went through 20 dumpsters.
Dave: I am glad to see the work has started on the bell tower because it will be a visible sign we are really working on the building. I have had it in my head that at one time the trim o the roof of it was brass.
Vic: There was a roofer there today.
Dave: The last thing--school funding. We were brought up to obey the law. We learned that if a law was ruled unconstitutional it was illegal. We were taught not to support those who engage in such activities. Twenty years ago the state supreme court called the funding model unconstitutional. Until that is fixed, I will not vote for a school funding issue. The taxes go up every year. I think the school boards in the whole state should band together and work on that. Maybe a grass roots movement will show up.
[Blogger: Jodie, you ought to be able to tell if the check [about the elevator] has cleared.
[Blogger: I didn't put this into my notes, but Dave told a story about a meeting at the school before 2000 sometime when one of our state representatives was there and was addressed specifically about what Dave mentioned above. He is still outraged about her answer: "The court told us that it was wrong and had to be fixed, but they didn't tell us how to fix it."
Dave's reaction to that is/was that she was the lawmaker: it was her job, not the court's, to figure out how to fix the problem.
End of post. Your faithful blogger is very glad that there was a 3-week interval between trustees meetings this time.
And--there is a white covering on the bell tower. I don't know whether that is the final sheathing or not, but what a nice change!
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.
