Nelson Twp. – Officials present at the July 16, 2014 trustee meeting were fiscal officer J. David Finney and township trustees Joe Leonard, Mike Elias, and Tom Matota. Also present were, Roads Supervisor Chuck Vanek, Zoning Inspector Anna Mae VanDerHoeven, and Community House Caretaker James Cmunt.
Elias made a motion to accept the minutes from the previous meeting as presented; the motion was seconded by Matota, and all approved.
Finney presented the trustees with bills and wages to be paid totaling $14,557.73. A motion to pay the bills and wages was made by Elias and seconded by Leonard. The motion carried unanimously.
Vanek reported that the tractor is done; the dealer will be running it for approximately two hours on July 17th to ensure nothing breaks on it. Vanek also informed the trustees that the waterline on the old tractor, that is slated to be auctioned off, started leaking on July 14th. Repairs will be made in-house prior to the auction. It was also mentioned that the playground area at Pixley Park has been seeded and mulched.
Elias reported that Vanek had brought the booth for the county fair down, but there is some work that needs to be done on it. As of now, Elias does not feel that he would put it up. Elias plans to spruce it up, and update pictures and content. Elias also relayed information he learned while attending the Solid Waste Management District meeting. A plan for the district has not been finalized, but it remains pretty similar to the old plan. In the new plan communities could participate in a consortium, allowing them to participate in curbside pickup for both trash and recyclables. In regards to the Nelson racetrack, Elias has spoken with the County Health Department; which has filed suit agains the racetrack, calling the tires and other debris refuse. As of last year, the owners of the racetrack were looking at a fine of $100/day per day they were in violation of regulations.
Leonard informed everyone that the Salt Barn is slated to be finished by the 28th; and on an unrelated note mentioned that he would like to come up with some simple rules for Pixley Park. Over the last few months Leonard has noticed that pet owners are not cleaning up droppings from their dogs‚ leaving feces scattered throughout the grassy areas near the ball field and playground. He would like to propose a no pet policy for the park. More research will need to be done on establishing policies for the park, and he will be working with Finney to find some examples that could be built upon.
Finney provided the trustees with suggested supplemental appropriations to the Township budget that will free up $85,000 for use on the chip & seal project. By dropping part 5 from the project, only $84,576.20 would be needed for chip & seal work on Township roads. Matota made a motion to change the appropriations as listed, Elias seconded. The trustees also voted to award Hughes Contracting the contract for parts 1 through 4.
Nelson Trustees meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in the Community House. Meetings are open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend.