Windham Twp. – Windham Township Trustees met recently for their regularly scheduled meeting. They opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance before moving on to the usual housekeeping items. The trustees approved the minutes, the expenditures and the appropriations for 2019.
The next item on the agenda was to approve the movement of money from the money market account as needed. The trustees unanimously approved this measure.
Road Supervisor Brian Miller reported that the crew did a fantastic job keeping the roads cleared during the recent snow storm. A discussion was held on purchasing a mini excavator thumb attachment for the mini bobcat. The attachment is like a claw and will hold and move large items like culverts downed trees etc. The cost is about $3,500. The trustees approved the purchase. They will apply for a Worker’s Compensation Grant. If the grant from Workers Compensation is awarded they will use it to offset the cost of the thumb.
In cemetery news, Rich Gano reported that he and Trustee Danny Burns attended a seminar at the township annual conference on indigent burials. They were advised to update their policies on them to include the new laws. The township has a set price but will need to add some new verbiage on plots, markers and such. They also discussed whether to get into a contract with a funeral home for such burials. No decision was made on that issue. In other cemetery news, the trustees voted to buy geraniums from Mary Ann Gearhart again to decorate the cemetery for Memorial Day.
In zoning, no new permits were written. Zoning Inspector Joe Pinti updated the trustees on the properties scheduled for demolition and those still in the process of being scheduled for demolition. A discussion was held on agriculture buildings that have been turned into event venues. The trustees are concerned about safety, as many agricultural building haven’t had electrical inspections or even structural inspections. They are also concerned about traffic on the roads and the surrounding neighbors. Currently there is nothing in zoning that addresses this issue. At the annual township conference, there were some discussions on this and they stated that there are some bills being introduced at the state level regarding agricultural buildings converted to event venues but there are currently no state regulations on them. This is not about someone wanting to hold a family wedding in their barn. This is about converting a barn into an event venue and using it regularly as a business.
Pinti said letters were sent out to zoning violators. The board voted to proceed with civil action if the letters sent out were not responded to or violations were not corrected.
The trustees approved the new updated written zoning codes. The updated version didn’t change anything in the code; it just added maps, and changed the layout to make it more user-friendly. Lastly, in zoning the trustees approved Kevin Vidmar to the zoning commission.
In fire district news, Rich Gano reported that truck 2812 had to have a coolant hose repaired on it and now is back in service. He also reported that they didn’t receive the MARCS grant. A discussion was held on placing a small plow on truck 2817 to help getting into some resident’s drives in the winter when there is an emergency. This is something Gano will address with the fire board.
Mr. Bill Isler Sr. from Islerscaping was in attendance to present his proposal for the maintenance of the township greens including mowing, flower beds and maintaining the memorial trees. The cost hasn’t changed in the last several years and the trustees like his work so the contract was awarded. Isler also stated that the war memorial was in need of painting, which hasn’t been done in about 10 years. The painting project would require a certain type of paint. Mr. Vidmar will look at it since that’s what he does for a living. Mr. Isler also wanted to pass along greetings from his wife and stated how much Mrs. Isler appreciated all the work the trustees do.
On that note, the meeting was adjourned.
The trustees now meet at 6 pm on the first Thursday of each month until further notice. Please note the time change.
