Mantua – At their last meeting, Mantua Mayor Linda Clark and Council accepted the resignation of Councilman Paul Jansen, effective immediately, as Mr. Jansen is no longer a resident of the village. Robert Gaglione was nominated and approved to take Jansen’s spot, he was sworn in by Village Solicitor Michele Stuck. As an aside, it was noted that four council seats will be open during the November election, if residents are interested in serving in this capacity.
In her report, Mayor Clark reported that the Rotary proposed a project to place two 30 – 35 foot poles on either side of the roadway between the last drive and the second bridge leaving town. The poles would be used to hang banners of local events and activities. This viability of this project is currently under review due to buried utilities and water pipes in the vicinity.
Similarly, the DMRC and Portage Parks District are proposing placements of bike racks within the village. The groups intend to apply for grants to cover the cost of the project. Council discussed the project, and determined the need for further information on the size of the proposed racks and installation requirements, since the Service Department would install the proposed racks. The request was referred to the Parks and Services Committees for further review.
In his police report, Chief Buchert shared that the department is getting responses for the openings they currently have for more dispatchers and officers. He requested and received permission from council to move forward to replace the department’s outdated voice recorder. The upgrade was necessary to implement the new phone system that was previously approved. Chief Buchert noted that the cost would be split with the Mantua-Shalersville Fire Department, since they share dispatch services.
In his Service Department update, Village Administrator Bruce Rininger received permission to repave Mill Street to the East side of State Route 44 by Advanced Rehab. Weather permitting, the work is scheduled to take place the first week of August. In other news, Reninger noted that his crew had poured six new footers in the cemetery and made repairs to seven others. They will notify the monument companies that they may bring the stones in. Lastly, he received council’s approval to conduct a corrosion analysis at the water break at Buckeye Pipeline; the cost will be around $4,500.
In his Fire Board report, Councilman John Clark reported that the board accepted the resignation of Brooke Stamm and swore in Derrick Benner. After several weeks of review, the department purchased a new squad at a value of $195,481. The squad should be received within 90 days.
Lastly, a question was raised regarding the safety of residents, should voters pass the proposed school issue. The concern was that any new construction would create flooding issues within the Village. Mayor Clark assured residents that those concerns were not valid. She explained, “If the levy passes, the new school design must come to the village for review. We’ll make sure the site has adequate storm water drainage and/or retention ponds in place before any construction takes place.”
The next village council meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 15th at 7 pm; residents are encouraged to attend.
