Trustees' reports came next. They will be abbreviated. Remember that you can watch and listen to the meetings on the township website if you want every immortal word.
John Festa reported on the Chamber of Commerce meeting. Of most concern to the township was his report on the Fire Board, which is considering a dispatching consortium. Cost to the MSFD would be $77,000 per year. At present 8 departments are "in." If one of them withdraws, the cost must be spread over the remaining departments.
Vic reported on Spring Cleanup, thanking everyone who came to help. We filled up all of the dumpsters: 3-1/2 of tires, 2 of metal, 2 of everything else.
Under new business, Jason discussed crack seal and other work, which came to about $45,000. Vic pointed out that is below the amount that requires bidding the project.
Jason commented on the request from the Summit Free Wheelers for roads to be closed for their bicycle competition in August [I believe]. Their requests were extensive and would prevent a number of people from getting to and from their homes. Given that, the actual road closings will be less extensive than requested. A deputy will be on hand for this event.
The proposed logo: May 20 was the last day of school; it was not clear whether work on the logo had been completed. Jason sent a contribution of $60.00 to the students who had worked on it so they could have a pizza party. [Note: That was NOT township money.]
Vic commented on lighting at the school. Two poles from Ohio Edison will come to $3800.
Public Comment
Carole Pollard, Allyn Road: I am going to summarize my remarks, since I have not had a chance to get the recording. I spoke about the bullpen and driveway plans and mentioned to Jason that he usually preferred to have the backing of someone of higher authority on a number of decisions. This would be the time to do that--have the highway patrol or sheriff or engineer's office look at the proposed changes to traffic and see what their advice is. [I will be interested to see whether that happens.]
Mark Hall, Loris Drive: I am going to fumble a little on this. [Mark was speaking without any preparation other than having listened to everything; he usually prefers to be quite deliberate, rather than ad lib.]
Sitting here this evening there appears to be a park committee and the Garden Club ____ [lost a word here] and in the words that were spoken here this evening I hear no words of inclusion on either side. I think the board has an opportunity to do whatever they can to instill inclusion between parties such as the example mentioned here. So that there is better feeling among groups and better feelings about working together to open opportunities,. There were things said this evening that did not include inclusion. Think about what the board could do to foster that. I want to just leave it here despite fumbling a little.
[Blogger: This is Mark Hall at his most decent, most concerned for the township. We lost a lot when he was defeated for office in a smear campaign in 2011.]
Dave Pollard, S.R. 82: We talked about Old Taylor Woods road at the last meeting. When I was involved with zoning, I went to a workshop in Independence. It was about changingland use and I brought up the subject of drainage and the people putting in the housing developments said that that was when it was being farmed, but it is not being farmed any more, so that is not important.
I was in and out of Old Taylor Woods when the land was being farmed. Any tile that was there was destroyed and never replaced, and it is costing the township money. There is language there [in the township zoning book] that no structure shall be installed that will interfere with drainage. I hope you will keep that in mind. [That language was inserted after OTW had been developed.]
About trees--I see nothing wrong with hard maples. There is a big problem with insect invasions. Non native trees are vulnerable. Sugar maples are long lived and seldom tip over the way evergreens do. The maples will stand through a lot.
I think enough has been said about the bull pen. There were things not brought up to the Garden Club before the letter was written, so I can see how people thought things were being ignored. This would be a chance to look at the mockup.
The motion to pay the bills came next, and the mockup and aerial photos of the sight were looked at. They were inconclusive at best.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Trustees 5-19: Club and Committee, MaRSI report
Blogger: The following is verbatim what I presented in writing to the trustees and read at the meeting. I prefaced it with the comment that I had no idea when I composed it what else was going to be presented. (It all dovetails rather surprisingly.)
The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.
Impact Statement 2015-2016
May 19, 2016
When The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., renewed its charter in 2012, it also developed the following vision, mission, and purpose statements:
Vision: The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., is a volunteer group of citizens who value and seek to preserve the historic center of Mantua Township as heritage, inspiration, and focus of Township life.
Mission: The mission of The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., is to seek and develop funding to preserve historic buildings and sites in order for them to be vibrant, integral parts of Township government and civic life.
Purpose: We are working to raise funds to support the Trustees--Jason Carlton, John Festa, and Victor Grimm--in refurbishing the Township buildings,beginning with the school building.
[I added this informal comment: Actually, we started by making contributions to work on the Township Hall.]
At the restoration society's annual meeting on April 23, 2016, I summarized what we have accomplished in the last year or two.
What I want to do this evening is to report on the positive impact the restoration society has had on Mantua Township.
Everything we do gets evaluated against our vision and mission statements.
The cornerstone in fulfilling those intentions was to become a 501 c 3 organization, which was necessary to seek grants.
The effectiveness of that endeavor has been documented in the Ravenna Record Courier. The Grants and Funding Committee, six of whose seven members are also restoration society members, has sought and won the following grants:
2015: CDBG from Portage County Commissioners: $75,000
2016: Giving Well Family Foundation: 10,000
CDBG from Portage County Commissioners: 38,600
Ohio State Capital Appropriations: $140,000
$263,600
Contributions:
The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.: Pledged $ 25,000
The Mantua Historial Society: Pledged 1,000
$ 26,000
Total grants and pledges: $289,600
In addition, members of The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., have contributed their time and talents for a total of 1,567.25 hours. The State of Ohio values such in-kind contributions at $22.06 per hour. The Federal government places an hourly value of $23.56 on such work. Depending on which measure is used, restoration society society in-kind contributions amount to $34,573 to $36,924. I am confident those figures are low because we did not always remember to track our hours. [The numbers do not include all of the hours Cal Brant put in that he did not charge for.]
The value of in-kind contributions brings the total impact during the past year to over $300,000 of benefit to Mantua Township.
Contributions to the elevator fund continue to come in, demonstrating the support of residents for this important project, and the Grants and Funding Committee continues to seek and apply for funding.
The members of The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., are happy to be able to make these contributions. We are glad to cooperate with the Mantua Township Trustees in preserving our historic buildings and making them useful to the whole community for generations to come as examples of the benefits of working together for the highest good.
Submitted by Carole Pollard, President
The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.
[Blogger: I think that additional information about the restoration society's contributions, going back to work on the Township Hall and other less visible contributions, is on the society's website, mantuarestorationsociety.org.]
The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.
Impact Statement 2015-2016
May 19, 2016
When The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., renewed its charter in 2012, it also developed the following vision, mission, and purpose statements:
Vision: The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., is a volunteer group of citizens who value and seek to preserve the historic center of Mantua Township as heritage, inspiration, and focus of Township life.
Mission: The mission of The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., is to seek and develop funding to preserve historic buildings and sites in order for them to be vibrant, integral parts of Township government and civic life.
Purpose: We are working to raise funds to support the Trustees--Jason Carlton, John Festa, and Victor Grimm--in refurbishing the Township buildings,beginning with the school building.
[I added this informal comment: Actually, we started by making contributions to work on the Township Hall.]
At the restoration society's annual meeting on April 23, 2016, I summarized what we have accomplished in the last year or two.
What I want to do this evening is to report on the positive impact the restoration society has had on Mantua Township.
Everything we do gets evaluated against our vision and mission statements.
The cornerstone in fulfilling those intentions was to become a 501 c 3 organization, which was necessary to seek grants.
The effectiveness of that endeavor has been documented in the Ravenna Record Courier. The Grants and Funding Committee, six of whose seven members are also restoration society members, has sought and won the following grants:
2015: CDBG from Portage County Commissioners: $75,000
2016: Giving Well Family Foundation: 10,000
CDBG from Portage County Commissioners: 38,600
Ohio State Capital Appropriations: $140,000
$263,600
Contributions:
The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.: Pledged $ 25,000
The Mantua Historial Society: Pledged 1,000
$ 26,000
Total grants and pledges: $289,600
In addition, members of The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., have contributed their time and talents for a total of 1,567.25 hours. The State of Ohio values such in-kind contributions at $22.06 per hour. The Federal government places an hourly value of $23.56 on such work. Depending on which measure is used, restoration society society in-kind contributions amount to $34,573 to $36,924. I am confident those figures are low because we did not always remember to track our hours. [The numbers do not include all of the hours Cal Brant put in that he did not charge for.]
The value of in-kind contributions brings the total impact during the past year to over $300,000 of benefit to Mantua Township.
Contributions to the elevator fund continue to come in, demonstrating the support of residents for this important project, and the Grants and Funding Committee continues to seek and apply for funding.
The members of The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc., are happy to be able to make these contributions. We are glad to cooperate with the Mantua Township Trustees in preserving our historic buildings and making them useful to the whole community for generations to come as examples of the benefits of working together for the highest good.
Submitted by Carole Pollard, President
The Mantua Restoration Society, Inc.
[Blogger: I think that additional information about the restoration society's contributions, going back to work on the Township Hall and other less visible contributions, is on the society's website, mantuarestorationsociety.org.]
Friday, May 27, 2016
Dave's Memorial Day Limerick, 2016
In November we honor the living,
Who gave and then returned.
In May, remember those
Whose candle briefly burned
They gave all they had,
And their blood so red.
Veterans' Day is for the living--
Memorial Day, salute the dead.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Trustees 5-19-16: Grant News; Club & Committee Letter
After the decision about when to look at the latest proposals for the bull pen, Jason made this announcement:
I have received word from Terrie Nielsen that we have gotten the CDBG for $38,000. [Note: It is for $38,600.]
Vic: The grant committee in three grants, two from CDBGs and one from the State, they have brought in over a quarter million dollars. The commissioners have approved two of them--$114,000 from the commissioners and $140,000 with the help of Senator Eklund.
John Festa: They wanted to give us more.
Vic: I talked to all three commissioners and they are really on board. That is one reason I brought up to look for trees. The grant committee has done an excellent job. Along with that you can't leave out what the restoration society has come up with--$10,000 pending and MaRSI itself with $25,000 plus the historical society ($1,000).
John Festa: The rest of the community is seeing that we are working here and getting grants and not taking it out of the township budget. [We?]
And, to the "park committee": People are looking to volunteer their time and money. [In your blogger's view, this re-defines "dragged in by the heels."]
Club and Committee reports were next.
Sue Skrovan, for the Garden Club: We met here at our regular meeting and discussed getting ready for the plant sale. We drafted a letter that I want to read for the board. Jodie Thompson has the original for the file.
[Blogger: I will post the letter here verbatim, but this evening has gotten away. This is a stopping point, and the letter will be posted in the morning.]
To Resume:
Sue Skrovan read the following letter to the trustees.
RE: Bullpen Area Park
Gentlemen:
The Members of the Mantua Center Garden Club are saddened and dismayed over indications that the Trustees are considering allowing a group of individuals recently organized as the Mantua Township Park Committee to erase all of the hard work and efforts of our Club's volunteers. The Mantua Center Garden Club was originally formed in 1964 by residents of Mantua Township to help beautify our community and its' [sic] grounds.
What truly dismays our members is the lack of giving our Club the courtesy of being involved and consul;ted in plans to completely uproot and change the whole area grounds. Trustee Victor Grimm had suggested this new Park Committee consult with and work together with the Mantua Center Garden Club to come to a mutually agreeable proposal for the Bullpen area. This suggestion has fallen on deaf ears. There has been no concerted effort on the part of the Park Committee to contact us or for collaboration. It looks as though this new Park Committee will be given an open door to do whatever they desire at the Bullpen without any concern for others; it is truly disturbing..
Who are the members of this "Committee", when do they meet, how often and where? These questions are simply not being asked by the Trustees. What is their mission statement, do they have Articles of Incorporation? The Mantua Center Garden Club meetings are all open to the public; they are publicized and held in a public meeting hall on Township property. And yet, the Trustees seem to be ready to hand over township property to anyone with a new proposal, regardless of what their agenda might be.
The Mantua Center Garden Club is formulating their wishes in a letter to request two thing. First, there have been several plantings in the Bullpen as a memorial to past members of the Garden Club. The (4) rhododendrons, (2) weeping cherry trees, (1) dogwood and (1) small spruce have all been planted specifically in memorial. The concrete bench is also in memorial to a member. The Garden Club strongly feels these special plants and bench be incorporated into the new design of the Bullpen. It has been suggested that these plantings be relocated to the cemetery, which has no designated garden or memorial park. we feel moving these out of the Bullpen area would totally defeat the intent of those wanting to memorialize their loved ones and fellow gardeners.
Second, the Mantua Center Garden Club requests notification from the Board of Trustees or from the newly created Park Committee: when plans are to begin for the demolition of the Bullpen area providing at least a 30 day notification to allow our members to remove any items threatened by demolition so that they may be relocated.
Cordially,
Susan Skrovan, President Rose Nolan, Vice-President Shirley Ferris, Treasurer/Secretary
Members: Terri Vechery Rose Guth Helpers: Kevin Vechery
Wendelin Taylor Dottie Summerlin Zoe Levine
Martha Levine Anita Vechery Arthur Levine
[There was no response, essentially, from the trustees; I am not sure Sue was even thanked for her concern. She may have been and I just didn't note it. Maybe.]
The next Club/Committee Report was the LCA (Ladies Cemetery Association), Amy Janca reporting.
[Blogger: I do not know if Amy is an officer or was just the only member present at this meeting and therefore spoke. In my opinion, some of the following comments are sidelong attempts to diminish the credibility of what went before, and some are not sidelong at all, but clear examples of protesting too much. We do have a history of this sort of thing after all: the Veterans' Memorial business and the way it was carried out. ]
Amy: We met and will be working at the cemetery Monday doing the yearly work there. I reminded Sue Skrovan before the meeting that there are hostas still sitting there set aside for the Garden Club to take for the plant sale. I believe I tried to clarify the situation with the ornamental trees. We do not have intention of destroying them. They will be worked around and perhaps dug up and moved a couple of feet.
[Note: Several of those threes are flowering crabapples that are probably 20 feet tall. Maybe those are assumed to be permanent, but after listening to everything at this meeting and the one before, I will believe that when I see it.]
Amy, continuing: We are not going to disturb any grounds before the Memorial Day celebrations. It will take too long to get permits and drawings. There will be more than adequate advance notification. [Sue asked the trustees for that information. Apparently Amy is speaking for them here.]
Amy: I am trying to reassure people. Our intention is not to rip up the township. We want to add to it. [Blogger: The township is not just plants and soil. It is also people's commitment to it and their efforts and their love of it. Ignoring all of that without any acknowledgment whatsoever is also a ripping up. The statement above seems to imply that only the "parks committee" wants to add to the township.]
I have received word from Terrie Nielsen that we have gotten the CDBG for $38,000. [Note: It is for $38,600.]
Vic: The grant committee in three grants, two from CDBGs and one from the State, they have brought in over a quarter million dollars. The commissioners have approved two of them--$114,000 from the commissioners and $140,000 with the help of Senator Eklund.
John Festa: They wanted to give us more.
Vic: I talked to all three commissioners and they are really on board. That is one reason I brought up to look for trees. The grant committee has done an excellent job. Along with that you can't leave out what the restoration society has come up with--$10,000 pending and MaRSI itself with $25,000 plus the historical society ($1,000).
John Festa: The rest of the community is seeing that we are working here and getting grants and not taking it out of the township budget. [We?]
And, to the "park committee": People are looking to volunteer their time and money. [In your blogger's view, this re-defines "dragged in by the heels."]
Club and Committee reports were next.
Sue Skrovan, for the Garden Club: We met here at our regular meeting and discussed getting ready for the plant sale. We drafted a letter that I want to read for the board. Jodie Thompson has the original for the file.
[Blogger: I will post the letter here verbatim, but this evening has gotten away. This is a stopping point, and the letter will be posted in the morning.]
To Resume:
Sue Skrovan read the following letter to the trustees.
RE: Bullpen Area Park
Gentlemen:
The Members of the Mantua Center Garden Club are saddened and dismayed over indications that the Trustees are considering allowing a group of individuals recently organized as the Mantua Township Park Committee to erase all of the hard work and efforts of our Club's volunteers. The Mantua Center Garden Club was originally formed in 1964 by residents of Mantua Township to help beautify our community and its' [sic] grounds.
What truly dismays our members is the lack of giving our Club the courtesy of being involved and consul;ted in plans to completely uproot and change the whole area grounds. Trustee Victor Grimm had suggested this new Park Committee consult with and work together with the Mantua Center Garden Club to come to a mutually agreeable proposal for the Bullpen area. This suggestion has fallen on deaf ears. There has been no concerted effort on the part of the Park Committee to contact us or for collaboration. It looks as though this new Park Committee will be given an open door to do whatever they desire at the Bullpen without any concern for others; it is truly disturbing..
Who are the members of this "Committee", when do they meet, how often and where? These questions are simply not being asked by the Trustees. What is their mission statement, do they have Articles of Incorporation? The Mantua Center Garden Club meetings are all open to the public; they are publicized and held in a public meeting hall on Township property. And yet, the Trustees seem to be ready to hand over township property to anyone with a new proposal, regardless of what their agenda might be.
The Mantua Center Garden Club is formulating their wishes in a letter to request two thing. First, there have been several plantings in the Bullpen as a memorial to past members of the Garden Club. The (4) rhododendrons, (2) weeping cherry trees, (1) dogwood and (1) small spruce have all been planted specifically in memorial. The concrete bench is also in memorial to a member. The Garden Club strongly feels these special plants and bench be incorporated into the new design of the Bullpen. It has been suggested that these plantings be relocated to the cemetery, which has no designated garden or memorial park. we feel moving these out of the Bullpen area would totally defeat the intent of those wanting to memorialize their loved ones and fellow gardeners.
Second, the Mantua Center Garden Club requests notification from the Board of Trustees or from the newly created Park Committee: when plans are to begin for the demolition of the Bullpen area providing at least a 30 day notification to allow our members to remove any items threatened by demolition so that they may be relocated.
Cordially,
Susan Skrovan, President Rose Nolan, Vice-President Shirley Ferris, Treasurer/Secretary
Members: Terri Vechery Rose Guth Helpers: Kevin Vechery
Wendelin Taylor Dottie Summerlin Zoe Levine
Martha Levine Anita Vechery Arthur Levine
[There was no response, essentially, from the trustees; I am not sure Sue was even thanked for her concern. She may have been and I just didn't note it. Maybe.]
The next Club/Committee Report was the LCA (Ladies Cemetery Association), Amy Janca reporting.
[Blogger: I do not know if Amy is an officer or was just the only member present at this meeting and therefore spoke. In my opinion, some of the following comments are sidelong attempts to diminish the credibility of what went before, and some are not sidelong at all, but clear examples of protesting too much. We do have a history of this sort of thing after all: the Veterans' Memorial business and the way it was carried out. ]
Amy: We met and will be working at the cemetery Monday doing the yearly work there. I reminded Sue Skrovan before the meeting that there are hostas still sitting there set aside for the Garden Club to take for the plant sale. I believe I tried to clarify the situation with the ornamental trees. We do not have intention of destroying them. They will be worked around and perhaps dug up and moved a couple of feet.
[Note: Several of those threes are flowering crabapples that are probably 20 feet tall. Maybe those are assumed to be permanent, but after listening to everything at this meeting and the one before, I will believe that when I see it.]
Amy, continuing: We are not going to disturb any grounds before the Memorial Day celebrations. It will take too long to get permits and drawings. There will be more than adequate advance notification. [Sue asked the trustees for that information. Apparently Amy is speaking for them here.]
Amy: I am trying to reassure people. Our intention is not to rip up the township. We want to add to it. [Blogger: The township is not just plants and soil. It is also people's commitment to it and their efforts and their love of it. Ignoring all of that without any acknowledgment whatsoever is also a ripping up. The statement above seems to imply that only the "parks committee" wants to add to the township.]
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Trustees 5-19: "Parks Committee" re bullpen and neighboring property
Minutes of the regular meeting and a special meeting were reviewed and accepted. The special meeting was to discuss hiring a road crew worker to replace Dan Wyznski, who resigned to take a job with the Ohio Turnpike Commission.
Doll Lumber is contributing 8 yards of mulch to the township, an annual kindness.
Vic asked about a purchase order for Cargill for $5400 as well as a second P.O. to fulfill the township's commitment for salt.
Jim Aldrich's report as sexton and the "park committee" blurred together.
Jim presented some information about trees that had to be pruned or possibly removed. There was discussion about tree #1 and another, which apparently Vic was clear on.
Jim: The tree people thought a couple of trees on Center Road should be removed.
On the West Lawn first drive one of the maple trees needed to have dead limbs removed, plus some trimming.
Vic asked about the money in the cemetery fund. As it turned out, only Yarnell of the three businesses contacted came back with a quote. Vic made a motion to have Yarnell take care of the tree at the cemetery. There was more discussion about trees and their condition.
Vic to Amy Janca: Have you gotten any prices on 2"-3" caliper trees? We are cutting trees down but not replacing them. Those trees were planed in 1906 by Frost.
Answer: A couple of years ago 2-1/2"-3" trees were $250 each. Amy offered to get a quote.
Vic: Maybe two trees for here in the park and as money goes we need to replace some trees in East Lawn. The ones there have to be over 200 years old.
John Festa just happened to have something that Amy had put together from the Ohio Forester.
Amy: They will send a certified forester to the area to check everything for what you are interested in reforesting. They have an extensive list of trees, but prefer to take soil samples to match the trees to the area.
Vic offered to give him a call. Amy added that there is no fee for the service.
There was a little more discussion.
Vic: We keep cutting trees but not replacing them. I don't want to keep replacing them with fir trees. When this area was set up in 1906-07, it was with maple trees. A lot of people enjoy this area [the green] and are actually trying to copy it. We have quite a jewel here at Mantua Center.
Vic made a motion to remove tree #1 and maybe the dead ones at the same time and leave alone the ones on Center Road. John Festa seconded. Unanimous.
Jim Aldrich: The bullpen. A model of the gazebo [which in no way matched the photos of typical gazebos also on hand] and drawings and prints of the ideas were on the side table.
Jim: The engineer came and surveyed and located the property corners on the western side. Because of the traffic when they were here, I saw no reason to have them stand out there for the corners.
[Blogger: OK. There was too much traffic for the surveyors to risk it, but there is talk about an additional driveway. Also, remember that three years ago when the bullpen was suggested as a better site for the veterans' memorial that location was too dangerous because of the traffic.]
Jim, continuing: The engineer will come back later and pin the right of way on Diagonal Road.
There is a problem: The property on the western border is encroached by the barn and the access for their property is off township property. They are apparently not aware of that. We need for the township to be able to deal with this so that we can create a park for our community for the residents.
[Blogger: Two things here. First, Jim was apparently unaware that the woman sitting quietly in the back row lives in the house at what used to be Square Drive.
Second, the whole discussion about their buildings profoundly unsettled me. There was no recognition that people live there whose home was being discussed as a mere inconvenience that had to be coolly dealt with. There was not the slightest hint of any recognition that maybe the township should consider neighborliness and the weight of custom in this issue.]
John Festa mentioned a legal concept called adverse possession, which applies in private ownership but not in the case of government ownership. He had talked with Chris Meduri, and the township can grant the residents a license to be there. Chris is going to send the township a letter.
JF: It does not look to me like a foot or two, but quite a bit. That has been there for a long time.
Mrs. Weber, the resident, now spoke up: We are going to be buying that. Our daughter lives upstairs, and we can not afford to go anywhere else.
Vic: That is a lot line, not a boundary line. [Blogger: This distinction is out of my field of knowledge. It may affect who owns what. May.]
Jim: It needs to be resolved.
Mrs. Weber: I went to the property tax department a couple of years ago. That map shows Diagonal Road to S.R. 82, and the piece of Diagonal closed off. I am going to get hold of our landlady to see about a copy of her deed..
John Festa: We will have to discuss this as a board. I am sure we will be fair.
Vic: We have maintained that drive to keep it open so you can get into your driveway.
Mrs. Weber: Except for the first year when my husband got stuck.
Vic: I think it is still on our inventory.
Jason: The small shed looks like --
John Festa: The line runs almost across the face of it.
Jason: It is on their property.
Jim: The barn is about 14-15 feet onto township property.
Vic: Beth Pearson came out and found the pins. We have met with the county and they looked at line of sight and trimmed the brush including brush on Mantua Center. They are doing some surveying yesterday and today. They are going to send a sign crew out.
JF: Your legal address is Diagonal Road, not S.R. 82.
Mrs. Weber: The GIS map shows almost nothing until halfway up the hill.
Vic: The description is the main thing, not the tax map. Those two pins have been shot, and they can be logged in by satellite. They have been pretty diligent. I don't know what they will do about the curve.
They will worry about line of sight regarding that berm first proposed as 5 feet high. There are ODOT rules about such things--they dictate 3 feet high. They recommend a 3:1 slope on any type of berm. They do not want anything either too high or too low. Too low launches a car and too high rolls it over. Three people from the Portage County Engineer came out.
Amy: I had spoken to Will about the height of the slope.
Vic: We had a dinner Saturday night at the engineer's office and we talked about it then. They were out here Monday morning at 9:30. [Blogger: Are you keeping track of who has done their homework and who is flying blind?]
Jason: We are talking about lot lines. The barn runs into the lot line.
Amy: There are three different aerial photos of the property and a mock up of the park design. Everything is all pictured there. [Blogger: It may be pictured on the photos, but the mock up raises more puzzlement than it clarifies, in my opinion.]
Jim: We are not looking at tearing the barn down. [Blogger: Just like that. With the potential owner sitting right there. It's on the township's property, so tough bananas? I know he said they weren't looking at tearing it down. But the focus here is completely on the township and its power, and it should not be hard for any reader to see my deep skepticism here.]
Jim, continuing: There may be ample parking on this side of the road with a driveway and a walkway. We will need signage.
Jim asked the trustees for stronger parameters to work with.
Jim: I think that going forward we need answers to these questions. We have people lined up to do the work and have donations for guys [?] to build the gazebo and drawings showing trees along Rt. 82. [So they have done so much work--never mind how well thought out in context--and so they can't possibly stop?]
Amy: There has been concern about existing trees on that property [the bullpen]. There are a number of very nice trees and we have no intention of disturbing anything that is a decorative tree in good condition--we will dig it up. Shrubbery at the flagpole will have to be dug up for the foundation [of the gazebo]. I am sentimental about such things and would never want to disturb existing trees.
Jason: If they can be removed . . . .
Amy: If they are small enough so they can be dug up and then replanted . . . . So the meaning and symbolic gesture remains as it was intended. [Blogger: And if they aren't small enough? Then what?]
Dave Pollard: Did I hear correctly that there is a plan to put a driveway in off Center Road? That is nuts. You are creating a safety hazard.
John Festa: It's a proposal.
Dave: The rubber stamp is not far away. Common sense should tell you.
Jason: There is a driveway at the Civic Center.
Dave: There is a proposal to make another driveway.
Jason: It is not surprising that the first comment is about negativity.
Dave and Carole Pollard, in unison: No, it's about safety!
Amy: We are not going to spend money if it is not approved.
Jason: We can look now and have a brief recess and look now. We don't have a lot on the agenda.
Vic: We can come back and look at it. [Blogger: That is what was done.]
Blogger: I have enjoyed as much of this as I can stand for one sitting. There will be at least two more posts for this meeting, maybe three,* but with luck none of them will be as long as this one.
*Upon re-reading this the next morning, I changed four (what was I thinking?) to three.
Doll Lumber is contributing 8 yards of mulch to the township, an annual kindness.
Vic asked about a purchase order for Cargill for $5400 as well as a second P.O. to fulfill the township's commitment for salt.
Jim Aldrich's report as sexton and the "park committee" blurred together.
Jim presented some information about trees that had to be pruned or possibly removed. There was discussion about tree #1 and another, which apparently Vic was clear on.
Jim: The tree people thought a couple of trees on Center Road should be removed.
On the West Lawn first drive one of the maple trees needed to have dead limbs removed, plus some trimming.
Vic asked about the money in the cemetery fund. As it turned out, only Yarnell of the three businesses contacted came back with a quote. Vic made a motion to have Yarnell take care of the tree at the cemetery. There was more discussion about trees and their condition.
Vic to Amy Janca: Have you gotten any prices on 2"-3" caliper trees? We are cutting trees down but not replacing them. Those trees were planed in 1906 by Frost.
Answer: A couple of years ago 2-1/2"-3" trees were $250 each. Amy offered to get a quote.
Vic: Maybe two trees for here in the park and as money goes we need to replace some trees in East Lawn. The ones there have to be over 200 years old.
John Festa just happened to have something that Amy had put together from the Ohio Forester.
Amy: They will send a certified forester to the area to check everything for what you are interested in reforesting. They have an extensive list of trees, but prefer to take soil samples to match the trees to the area.
Vic offered to give him a call. Amy added that there is no fee for the service.
There was a little more discussion.
Vic: We keep cutting trees but not replacing them. I don't want to keep replacing them with fir trees. When this area was set up in 1906-07, it was with maple trees. A lot of people enjoy this area [the green] and are actually trying to copy it. We have quite a jewel here at Mantua Center.
Vic made a motion to remove tree #1 and maybe the dead ones at the same time and leave alone the ones on Center Road. John Festa seconded. Unanimous.
Jim Aldrich: The bullpen. A model of the gazebo [which in no way matched the photos of typical gazebos also on hand] and drawings and prints of the ideas were on the side table.
Jim: The engineer came and surveyed and located the property corners on the western side. Because of the traffic when they were here, I saw no reason to have them stand out there for the corners.
[Blogger: OK. There was too much traffic for the surveyors to risk it, but there is talk about an additional driveway. Also, remember that three years ago when the bullpen was suggested as a better site for the veterans' memorial that location was too dangerous because of the traffic.]
Jim, continuing: The engineer will come back later and pin the right of way on Diagonal Road.
There is a problem: The property on the western border is encroached by the barn and the access for their property is off township property. They are apparently not aware of that. We need for the township to be able to deal with this so that we can create a park for our community for the residents.
[Blogger: Two things here. First, Jim was apparently unaware that the woman sitting quietly in the back row lives in the house at what used to be Square Drive.
Second, the whole discussion about their buildings profoundly unsettled me. There was no recognition that people live there whose home was being discussed as a mere inconvenience that had to be coolly dealt with. There was not the slightest hint of any recognition that maybe the township should consider neighborliness and the weight of custom in this issue.]
John Festa mentioned a legal concept called adverse possession, which applies in private ownership but not in the case of government ownership. He had talked with Chris Meduri, and the township can grant the residents a license to be there. Chris is going to send the township a letter.
JF: It does not look to me like a foot or two, but quite a bit. That has been there for a long time.
Mrs. Weber, the resident, now spoke up: We are going to be buying that. Our daughter lives upstairs, and we can not afford to go anywhere else.
Vic: That is a lot line, not a boundary line. [Blogger: This distinction is out of my field of knowledge. It may affect who owns what. May.]
Jim: It needs to be resolved.
Mrs. Weber: I went to the property tax department a couple of years ago. That map shows Diagonal Road to S.R. 82, and the piece of Diagonal closed off. I am going to get hold of our landlady to see about a copy of her deed..
John Festa: We will have to discuss this as a board. I am sure we will be fair.
Vic: We have maintained that drive to keep it open so you can get into your driveway.
Mrs. Weber: Except for the first year when my husband got stuck.
Vic: I think it is still on our inventory.
Jason: The small shed looks like --
John Festa: The line runs almost across the face of it.
Jason: It is on their property.
Jim: The barn is about 14-15 feet onto township property.
Vic: Beth Pearson came out and found the pins. We have met with the county and they looked at line of sight and trimmed the brush including brush on Mantua Center. They are doing some surveying yesterday and today. They are going to send a sign crew out.
JF: Your legal address is Diagonal Road, not S.R. 82.
Mrs. Weber: The GIS map shows almost nothing until halfway up the hill.
Vic: The description is the main thing, not the tax map. Those two pins have been shot, and they can be logged in by satellite. They have been pretty diligent. I don't know what they will do about the curve.
They will worry about line of sight regarding that berm first proposed as 5 feet high. There are ODOT rules about such things--they dictate 3 feet high. They recommend a 3:1 slope on any type of berm. They do not want anything either too high or too low. Too low launches a car and too high rolls it over. Three people from the Portage County Engineer came out.
Amy: I had spoken to Will about the height of the slope.
Vic: We had a dinner Saturday night at the engineer's office and we talked about it then. They were out here Monday morning at 9:30. [Blogger: Are you keeping track of who has done their homework and who is flying blind?]
Jason: We are talking about lot lines. The barn runs into the lot line.
Amy: There are three different aerial photos of the property and a mock up of the park design. Everything is all pictured there. [Blogger: It may be pictured on the photos, but the mock up raises more puzzlement than it clarifies, in my opinion.]
Jim: We are not looking at tearing the barn down. [Blogger: Just like that. With the potential owner sitting right there. It's on the township's property, so tough bananas? I know he said they weren't looking at tearing it down. But the focus here is completely on the township and its power, and it should not be hard for any reader to see my deep skepticism here.]
Jim, continuing: There may be ample parking on this side of the road with a driveway and a walkway. We will need signage.
Jim asked the trustees for stronger parameters to work with.
Jim: I think that going forward we need answers to these questions. We have people lined up to do the work and have donations for guys [?] to build the gazebo and drawings showing trees along Rt. 82. [So they have done so much work--never mind how well thought out in context--and so they can't possibly stop?]
Amy: There has been concern about existing trees on that property [the bullpen]. There are a number of very nice trees and we have no intention of disturbing anything that is a decorative tree in good condition--we will dig it up. Shrubbery at the flagpole will have to be dug up for the foundation [of the gazebo]. I am sentimental about such things and would never want to disturb existing trees.
Jason: If they can be removed . . . .
Amy: If they are small enough so they can be dug up and then replanted . . . . So the meaning and symbolic gesture remains as it was intended. [Blogger: And if they aren't small enough? Then what?]
Dave Pollard: Did I hear correctly that there is a plan to put a driveway in off Center Road? That is nuts. You are creating a safety hazard.
John Festa: It's a proposal.
Dave: The rubber stamp is not far away. Common sense should tell you.
Jason: There is a driveway at the Civic Center.
Dave: There is a proposal to make another driveway.
Jason: It is not surprising that the first comment is about negativity.
Dave and Carole Pollard, in unison: No, it's about safety!
Amy: We are not going to spend money if it is not approved.
Jason: We can look now and have a brief recess and look now. We don't have a lot on the agenda.
Vic: We can come back and look at it. [Blogger: That is what was done.]
Blogger: I have enjoyed as much of this as I can stand for one sitting. There will be at least two more posts for this meeting, maybe three,* but with luck none of them will be as long as this one.
*Upon re-reading this the next morning, I changed four (what was I thinking?) to three.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Trustees 5-5-16 Public Comment
Public Comment began at 10:15.
Amy Janca: I have a question. When the cemetery committee first sat down and began drafting recommendations and rules and regulations, we were under the understanding that everyone was in agreement.
One of the things we said would be very nice was that once some parking areas were established and a second road was widened, we were going to try to get some funds to chip and seal the two westerly drives and perhaps chip and seal the parking areas. Is that a possibility? I realize that the budget is tight.
Jason: That was one of the things we have always considered but it has not been at the tope of the list.
There was some discussion about that. Somewhere in that, Amy I believe used the term "macadam."
Amy: We have packed gravel parking areas now but weeds grow up in them so chip and seal would reduce the labor to deal with that.
Jason thought that a person from the Portage County Engineer's office could take a look at it.
It is actually a more complicated process than just laying down a layer of asphalt or chip and seal.
"Macadam" is a foreign word to me.
Amy explained and both John Festa and Jason said that was way too expensive. It wouild be nice, but it is too expensive,.
Jason asked Amy to round up the original list and bring it back for review. Nothing can be guaranteed.
Carole Pollard: [I am just going to summarize my remarks.] I suggested that the procedure for contacting the phone company (or Ohio Edison) about an outage be put in a logical, easy to find place on the township's website.
I also commented on logos and mentioned the very nice one for the Kent Hotel which was on the first page of that day's Record Courier. In short, a logo is more than just a picture of some kind. It usually involves something identifiable and perhaps abstracted, and some wording is included. [In short, I thought the logo chosen from the ones suggested was probably the best of the lot, but it could use some refinement.]
Sue Skrovan: When you check with the teachers about the logo, the township was established I believe in 1799.
Vic: The first settler was about 1798. We tried to have something for the bicentennial, and I believe it was1799.
Sue: The other thing--anyone who is interested in attending the next meeting of the Garden Club, we do meet in a public building--right here, and it will be the night before the next trustees meeting. [Blogger's boldface, to bring home the contrast between how the Garden Club conducts itself and how the cemetery and parks committees operate.]
Dave Pollard: If you are going to do some [tree] chipping on Old Frost, I would still like a load.
Old Taylor Woods: You are going to keep pouring money into that because it has no base. We still can't build roads as good today as were built 2,000 years ago. The road was put into a natural swale and the builder never put drainage under it. You would have to do it by tearing out a section at a time until you got it really done.
I have spoken before about the need for two culverts on Old Frost. [Blogger: There is a history with the present composition of the front table that the greater the expertise of the advisor, the more he is ignored. We'll see what actually gets done about that drainage issue.]
Lastly, can you put a sign on that 170-year-old door that it is not necessary to slam it. A sign saying please do not slam this historic door--that would be nice. [Blogger: The door to the parking lot sticks, and people yank on it to close it.]
There was one more person, who had come to speak with John Dickey, who was not present. The resident said, "I needed to know about building a pole barn. I asked about setbacks. The two sections of the book seem to give two different sets of information.
[That was the last of public comment. It was 10:20, and your faithful blogger went home.]
Amy Janca: I have a question. When the cemetery committee first sat down and began drafting recommendations and rules and regulations, we were under the understanding that everyone was in agreement.
One of the things we said would be very nice was that once some parking areas were established and a second road was widened, we were going to try to get some funds to chip and seal the two westerly drives and perhaps chip and seal the parking areas. Is that a possibility? I realize that the budget is tight.
Jason: That was one of the things we have always considered but it has not been at the tope of the list.
There was some discussion about that. Somewhere in that, Amy I believe used the term "macadam."
Amy: We have packed gravel parking areas now but weeds grow up in them so chip and seal would reduce the labor to deal with that.
Jason thought that a person from the Portage County Engineer's office could take a look at it.
It is actually a more complicated process than just laying down a layer of asphalt or chip and seal.
"Macadam" is a foreign word to me.
Amy explained and both John Festa and Jason said that was way too expensive. It wouild be nice, but it is too expensive,.
Jason asked Amy to round up the original list and bring it back for review. Nothing can be guaranteed.
Carole Pollard: [I am just going to summarize my remarks.] I suggested that the procedure for contacting the phone company (or Ohio Edison) about an outage be put in a logical, easy to find place on the township's website.
I also commented on logos and mentioned the very nice one for the Kent Hotel which was on the first page of that day's Record Courier. In short, a logo is more than just a picture of some kind. It usually involves something identifiable and perhaps abstracted, and some wording is included. [In short, I thought the logo chosen from the ones suggested was probably the best of the lot, but it could use some refinement.]
Sue Skrovan: When you check with the teachers about the logo, the township was established I believe in 1799.
Vic: The first settler was about 1798. We tried to have something for the bicentennial, and I believe it was1799.
Sue: The other thing--anyone who is interested in attending the next meeting of the Garden Club, we do meet in a public building--right here, and it will be the night before the next trustees meeting. [Blogger's boldface, to bring home the contrast between how the Garden Club conducts itself and how the cemetery and parks committees operate.]
Dave Pollard: If you are going to do some [tree] chipping on Old Frost, I would still like a load.
Old Taylor Woods: You are going to keep pouring money into that because it has no base. We still can't build roads as good today as were built 2,000 years ago. The road was put into a natural swale and the builder never put drainage under it. You would have to do it by tearing out a section at a time until you got it really done.
I have spoken before about the need for two culverts on Old Frost. [Blogger: There is a history with the present composition of the front table that the greater the expertise of the advisor, the more he is ignored. We'll see what actually gets done about that drainage issue.]
Lastly, can you put a sign on that 170-year-old door that it is not necessary to slam it. A sign saying please do not slam this historic door--that would be nice. [Blogger: The door to the parking lot sticks, and people yank on it to close it.]
There was one more person, who had come to speak with John Dickey, who was not present. The resident said, "I needed to know about building a pole barn. I asked about setbacks. The two sections of the book seem to give two different sets of information.
[That was the last of public comment. It was 10:20, and your faithful blogger went home.]
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Trustees 5-5-16: Various normal business items
[This post is not verbatim, which would have made it twice as long. I believe that this abridgement is accurate in what it presents and true to the intent and substance of the meeting.]
The next item concerned water/flooding on Benning Drive. Two residents had come to the meeting, and they mentioned a third, a neighbor of theirs, I believe.
Jason announced that a cross culvert was being replaced which will divert the water. There is some work to be done to get the water across Town Line Road.
One of the residents: The [existing] culvert is too small, and the township put it in. He had mentioned getting a new culvert under his drive because the one there is showing its age. If the ditch is overwhelmed, the water will come into his house.
The other resident: At the corner of Benning and Town Line the pipe under the road is smaller. The visible pipe is very large, but under the road the pipe is smaller. That was all determined by the Aurora engineer. The township installed it to his specifications.
Jason: The water is sheeting from private property, and so it is outside the township's concern. The ditches are for the roads. We can only go from right of way to right of way.
[Blogger: I wonder if Jason has any idea how detached and completely unconcerned this sounds. To me, it also sounded as if Jason and the resident were speaking at cross purposes. They did not seem to come to any understanding.]
Jason: We are putting this on hold.
Resident: Can I please be kept in the loop? Eric Long [with the County] said the neighbors should have been notified, and I was not.
Jason apologized for that.
Vic: I appreciate you giving us a call. I was not aware of this cross culvert until you called me.
Resident: We keep getting different stories from each person. There is miscommunication all over the place.
[Blogger: The comment was added that the conversation on this situation began 1-1/2 to 2 years ago.
Next Jason mentioned an Ohio Edison outage and a low-hanging wire on Center Road. He described the frustrations and ineffectiveness of trying to call and report something like this. [Blogger: I believe that something may go onto the website to instruct people how to report problems by phone. There is a way of frustrating the system so that a resident actually gets a live person at Ohio Edison, but I forget what I stumbled into several years ago. Jason commented on how long he was on the phone with few results or none.]
Then Jason reviewed the road work for 2016. He said that the person who will estimate the crack seal picked up the list of roads to review and came up with the costs.
We also got a quote from Todd Lamb for Old Taylor Woods. Jason asked for the board's thoughts.
Vic thought we should do it; the base is not very good.
Todd's projection was $17,682. A motion was made to approve that amount, for 715 feet at Old Taylor Woods. Seconded and approved.
Paving on Old Frost: First, keep the chipper for another week to chip the trees being cut out. There was also, [I believe] some mention of drainage. An estimate last year for a primer coat was $21,983 for chip and seal. [My notes also have a note about regrading.]
Jason: If it is not possible to do all of that this year, get the prep done, put on a primer coat, and let it sit to see what the road bed does and then do the chip and seal.
When Jason asked for anything else on the roads, John Festa commented: A couple of us have noticed that the chip and seal on Winchell which was just done is pretty bad.
There was some discussion about the contractor.
Jason: This is the first complaint I have heard.
Amy Janca described how the cracks are opening, as well as chuckholes. She went into some detail.
Jason: I thought they had had excellent success.
John Festa displayed some "stuff" he had found at East Lawn--from Civic Center roofing.
Vic: It is the wind. Every time we get a a storm this happens. I contacted someone about the soffit because water is coming in. This roofing is about 16 years old and is three-tab. No one does that any more.
There was more about that.
Jason asked about ice guard.
Vic: There is three feet of ice guard all around.I was going to have him look at it and see how many squares are up there.
Salt: Vic said there had been correspondence about that after the meeting of the salt group. He asked Jodie Thompson about the purchase order and said there should be about $6600 left on the p.o., and Jodie should make sure it was there.
Vic: Through the co-op we joined, we have the opportunity to buy whatever Akron U. does at the same price.The nice thing is that we have a voice and a vote in this organization now.
Continuing: I also went to the Commissioners' office for the presentation about Phase 2 of the CDBG. Linda Ehlert did the presentation; it was good.
Vic also mentioned the article in the Record Courier that the state legislature had signed the capital bill and it is now going to the governor.
[Note: Probably the next day or so saw the announcement come out that the township is getting $140,000 from that bill.]
Jason mentioned that if anyone has a viable project for an Eagle Scout, let him know.
Vic: I wonder if he would be willing to look at the fence around Pioneer Cemetery.
Then the indigent burial came up. John Festa made a motion for the trustees to sign the policy as written; seconded and passed. John Festa is going to send Brent Simon the text, to be posted on the township website.
Jason described the process of working with the school's graphic arts class and showed the results.
There had been talk about the township selling t-shirts. Vic did not think that is possible, since the township is not a 501 c 3, and making a profit with tax payers' money is not permitted.
Jason thought the students should be rewarded--maybe $75.00 for pizza--and Vic suggested taking up a collection among the trustees to cover that. [Blogger: There may be some prohibition against using township money for that, too.
The next part of the meeting was public comment, which will be a separate post.
The next item concerned water/flooding on Benning Drive. Two residents had come to the meeting, and they mentioned a third, a neighbor of theirs, I believe.
Jason announced that a cross culvert was being replaced which will divert the water. There is some work to be done to get the water across Town Line Road.
One of the residents: The [existing] culvert is too small, and the township put it in. He had mentioned getting a new culvert under his drive because the one there is showing its age. If the ditch is overwhelmed, the water will come into his house.
The other resident: At the corner of Benning and Town Line the pipe under the road is smaller. The visible pipe is very large, but under the road the pipe is smaller. That was all determined by the Aurora engineer. The township installed it to his specifications.
Jason: The water is sheeting from private property, and so it is outside the township's concern. The ditches are for the roads. We can only go from right of way to right of way.
[Blogger: I wonder if Jason has any idea how detached and completely unconcerned this sounds. To me, it also sounded as if Jason and the resident were speaking at cross purposes. They did not seem to come to any understanding.]
Jason: We are putting this on hold.
Resident: Can I please be kept in the loop? Eric Long [with the County] said the neighbors should have been notified, and I was not.
Jason apologized for that.
Vic: I appreciate you giving us a call. I was not aware of this cross culvert until you called me.
Resident: We keep getting different stories from each person. There is miscommunication all over the place.
[Blogger: The comment was added that the conversation on this situation began 1-1/2 to 2 years ago.
Next Jason mentioned an Ohio Edison outage and a low-hanging wire on Center Road. He described the frustrations and ineffectiveness of trying to call and report something like this. [Blogger: I believe that something may go onto the website to instruct people how to report problems by phone. There is a way of frustrating the system so that a resident actually gets a live person at Ohio Edison, but I forget what I stumbled into several years ago. Jason commented on how long he was on the phone with few results or none.]
Then Jason reviewed the road work for 2016. He said that the person who will estimate the crack seal picked up the list of roads to review and came up with the costs.
We also got a quote from Todd Lamb for Old Taylor Woods. Jason asked for the board's thoughts.
Vic thought we should do it; the base is not very good.
Todd's projection was $17,682. A motion was made to approve that amount, for 715 feet at Old Taylor Woods. Seconded and approved.
Paving on Old Frost: First, keep the chipper for another week to chip the trees being cut out. There was also, [I believe] some mention of drainage. An estimate last year for a primer coat was $21,983 for chip and seal. [My notes also have a note about regrading.]
Jason: If it is not possible to do all of that this year, get the prep done, put on a primer coat, and let it sit to see what the road bed does and then do the chip and seal.
When Jason asked for anything else on the roads, John Festa commented: A couple of us have noticed that the chip and seal on Winchell which was just done is pretty bad.
There was some discussion about the contractor.
Jason: This is the first complaint I have heard.
Amy Janca described how the cracks are opening, as well as chuckholes. She went into some detail.
Jason: I thought they had had excellent success.
John Festa displayed some "stuff" he had found at East Lawn--from Civic Center roofing.
Vic: It is the wind. Every time we get a a storm this happens. I contacted someone about the soffit because water is coming in. This roofing is about 16 years old and is three-tab. No one does that any more.
There was more about that.
Jason asked about ice guard.
Vic: There is three feet of ice guard all around.I was going to have him look at it and see how many squares are up there.
Salt: Vic said there had been correspondence about that after the meeting of the salt group. He asked Jodie Thompson about the purchase order and said there should be about $6600 left on the p.o., and Jodie should make sure it was there.
Vic: Through the co-op we joined, we have the opportunity to buy whatever Akron U. does at the same price.The nice thing is that we have a voice and a vote in this organization now.
Continuing: I also went to the Commissioners' office for the presentation about Phase 2 of the CDBG. Linda Ehlert did the presentation; it was good.
Vic also mentioned the article in the Record Courier that the state legislature had signed the capital bill and it is now going to the governor.
[Note: Probably the next day or so saw the announcement come out that the township is getting $140,000 from that bill.]
Jason mentioned that if anyone has a viable project for an Eagle Scout, let him know.
Vic: I wonder if he would be willing to look at the fence around Pioneer Cemetery.
Then the indigent burial came up. John Festa made a motion for the trustees to sign the policy as written; seconded and passed. John Festa is going to send Brent Simon the text, to be posted on the township website.
Jason described the process of working with the school's graphic arts class and showed the results.
There had been talk about the township selling t-shirts. Vic did not think that is possible, since the township is not a 501 c 3, and making a profit with tax payers' money is not permitted.
Jason thought the students should be rewarded--maybe $75.00 for pizza--and Vic suggested taking up a collection among the trustees to cover that. [Blogger: There may be some prohibition against using township money for that, too.
The next part of the meeting was public comment, which will be a separate post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)