The Windham Township Board of Trustees convened for their monthly meeting last Thursday at the Windham City Hall. One of the items that they discussed was holding some sort of special event to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the EF1 tornado.
“I don’t know if we had any ideas of how we celebrate or commemorate the day. Are there any special ideas or something that we do for the families of that day?” Trustee and Road Contact Brian Miller asked.
Board President, Fire Contact and Trustee Dan Burns said that the Board could ask Portage County Emergency Management Agency Director Ryan Shackelford if he had anything planned.
Board of Zoning Appeals Vice Chairman Todd Phillips asked the Board if it planned to invite residents from neighboring townships to join Windham on its special day. Miller said that would be something that they would consider.
He added that the board could also hold a special power point presentation to revisit the history of that fateful day onApril 14, 2024 when an EF1 tornado struck Windham at 6:45 p.m. and lasted until 6:51.
Casey Timmons texted Shackelford during the meeting and told the Board that he was receptive to planning some sort of commemorative event.
“If you weren’t aware, all of the different townships came together to assist us this year,” Miller said.
Miller updated the Board on all road-related items of interest, including frequently putting salt on the rolling hill on Gotham Road to thaw the road.
He also said that there was a culvert road work plan in the works for Hickman Road and the Township was just waiting for the weather to get warmer. He added that the Township still had about 50 tons of salt left over from its supply.
Miller said that he notified Bill Dvorak, Geauga County Chief Executive Officer for Road Projects, to let him know that he had been approved to perform chip and seals on several roads this year.
“There is not a lot patching we have to do,” Miller noted. “The roads are in pretty good shape but once that salt spreader is done, it is going to be very soon. Once we get a nice day, I am going to get him to touch up some of our roads that we have.”
Burns also provided an update on the new road signs that were recently delivered, as the township had been approved for a grant last year to update all of the road signs. He said that the township would soon start installing the new road signs.
Trustee and Cemetery Contact Rich Gano said that a resident was requesting a new headstone be installed in the “A” section of the old cemetery, approximately 10 feet from the old rose bush.
Burns brought up an old issue that that the board had previously discussed, which was to repossess some of the unused lots in the cemetery and sell them to new owners. It was originally proposed in September 2023 and the Board had planned to speak with Brett Bencze of the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office Civil Division.
Gano said that he would check in with Neikirk to see where things stood on that matter.
Gano said that he was still having trouble getting in touch with First Energy Manager of External Affairs, Troy Rhoades, who had previously visited the township to discuss installing new LED lights on the roads.
Gano acknowledged that the radio silence between him and Rhoades was concerning and was putting the LED project at risk.
Miller provided Gano with the contact information of First Energy schedule planner Madison Johnston, who could potentially help Gano connect with Rhoades.
Burns said that Zoning Inspector Jake Sweet did not have anything new to report on zoning issues. Gano said that the Portage Community Land Bank would propose a plan to bid out the property on 9092 State Route 303 for demolition.
“They’ll demolish the house and whatever money is left will go towards clean-up,” Gano said.
He added that when the funding dries up, all clean-up work will cease.
Gano also said that an acre-and-a-half of land was for sale and that he was researching to see if the land was non-conforming.
“By the zoning code, if it is out of use and it has been, it is non-conforming so we can still look into that and have it taken,” he noted.
Burns said that the Windham Fire Department was up to 901 calls through the first three months of the year.
He added that he was still researching options on how to purchase a new ambulance for the Township.
He said he was speaking to an official from Trumbull County but was also checking on the lead that had previously been provided by Board of Zoning Appeals member Becky Phillips.Miller noted that he had reached out to Reuben Byler, a local contractor, to tell him that he had been approved to perform the construction project on the Gazebo next to Town Hall. The Board had previously approved funds to renovate the Gazebo under its American Rescue Plan Act. Those funds had been earmarked before the end of last December and Miller added that Byler would also be doing work on the chimney at Town Hall.
Burns said that the Township was still waiting word from Republic Services, a solid waste collection company, on the status of the dumpsters they usually purchased for the annual spring clean-up.
Fiscal Officer Casey Timmons notified the Board that they had been approved for adding several miscellaneous items under the insurance policy from the Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority, which would be worth $50,000. Such items included computers, mowers and air conditioners.
“Unscheduled items are covered at $12,500 and Mark Russell from Ellerhost Insurance is suggesting that we raise the minimum to $50,000 to extend coverage on computers and everything,” she said. “He said that will not affect the price.”
Burns proposed that the Board allow the Township’s two road workers to have a maximum amount of 40 hours of overtime available for the fiscal year leading up to the Christmas holiday.
“Eventually we are going to have new and younger employees who are going to be working,” Burns said. “These guys are 65 and not going to be here forever so we have to cover ourselves too. If you have two employees, you don’t want everybody else off all summer long.”
Burns said that the two workers would have the option of collecting overtime pay or taking time off.
“They are only doing it when we give them permission to do it.,” he added. “They are not doing it in the middle of summer when we need them the most, they are doing it in wintertime when there is not a lot going on anyways and using their time that way.”
Burns’ motion was unanimously approved by the Board.
Burns also suggested to the Board that they plan a public meeting to update the policy manual.
“I think we should have a special meeting sometime where we sit down and go through this and try to put something back,” he said. “I am not saying make something this thick but maybe update this a little bit.”
The Board will reconvene for their next meeting on April 3 at Windham Town Hall at 6 p.m.
