Windham – The W.V.F.D. Joint Fire District held their organizational meeting on January 9, 2014. Board members in attendance included Ron Kilgore, Deb Blewitt, Dann Timmons and George Bengtson along with Fiscal Officer Jayme Neikirk.
The board appointed Dann Timmons chairman and Deb Blewitt vice-chairperson for 2014. They also appointed Mike Iwanyckyj, Gary Barnard from the Department, Ron Kilgore and Deb Blewitt from the board and Jayme Neikirk at-large to the Volunteer Fire Fighters Dependent Fund Committee for the new year.
Fire Chief Mike Iwanyckyj reported that the Fire Department had responded to 732 calls in 2013, up from 618 in 2012. He also reported that negotiations for an expanded role of the department in serving Camp Ravenna were still pending. The Department could begin to provide service to the Trumbull County portion of the arsenal in 2014.
Mark Russell and Mark Ellerhorst presented their proposal for the renewal of insurance coverage to the district. The renewal presented was for a modest premium increase from the previous year which was accepted by the Board.
The Board noted that no resumes had been received for the at large position on the Board. The matter was tabled until the February meeting. Any resident of the District which includes Windham Township and the Village of Windham who are not elected officials or employed by the Township or Village are eligible. Resumes are due by February 10, 2014 and should be mailed to W.V.F.D. Joint Fire District, 9708 Parkman Road, Windham, OH 44288 or delivered to the Timmons Law Office, 8131 Main Street, Garrettsville.
Responding to an inquiry by a resident in attendance, the Fiscal Officer reported that the district paid $11,123.95 to the City of Ravenna for dispatching service in 2013. Up until June 1, 2013, dispatching had been provided to the District at no cost by the Village of Windham pursuant to an agreement between Windham Township and the Village of Windham when the District was created. The Village was to provide dispatching through 2019, but terminated this service when the Village discontinued their dispatching service and began using Garrettsville as their dispatch provider. The Board estimated that the service provided by Ravenna will cost the District in excess of $20,000.00 per year.
In other business, the Board agreed to a pay raise for the Fiscal Officer to $12,733.00 per year.
The W.V.F.D. Joint Fire District meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Windham Fire Station.
