Among the myriad of topics that the Windham Township Board of Trustees discussed at last Thursday’s meeting at the Windham Township Hall, was adopting a motion to amend the zoning code to reduce the frontage of lots from 200 to 150 feet.
“80% of our Township lots at this time are non-conforming lots,” said Trustee and Road Contact Brian Miller. “We have so little land to work with in our Township. Two thirds of our land was taken by the Ravenna Arsenal, so it limits us and then you have swamp land on the property. You also have to consider the roads that are taking up the other portion of it and then you are trying to sustain yourself.”
Vice Chairman, Cemetery Contact and Trustee Rich Gano expressed skepticism that the zoning amendment would be beneficial. He informed the Board that he had still not heard from Portage County Regional Planning Commission Director Todd Peetz.
Chairman, Fire Contact and Trustee Dan Burns urged him to attempt to reach Peetz again before the next PCRPC and Board meetings.
“Many people want to build accessory building and pools,” Gano remarked. “Everyone wants to do an accessory building, and you have to add a pool and if it is narrower, you have separations from more buildings and pools, pools and houses, houses and buildings and then you have side yards to worry about.”
Miller spoke about the difficulties several property owners already faced trying to make their lots compliant with the zoning code.
“A gentleman just built on the one lot we approved; he has 80-foot frontage and 100-and-some acres and can build one house on that parcel unless he plots it,” noted Miller. “When you are trying to project and look out for the next 20 years, it really makes it difficult to try when you have to try to do it within this limited space.”
The Board once again tabled the matter until they had more concrete information.
The Board welcomed Kent resident Jenny Adams, who is challenging Mike Tinlin for a spot on the Portage County Board of Commissioners, as an honorary guest.
Originally from Shalersville, Adams currently owns the Looking Glass Learning Center, a daycare center with one location in Kent and another in Brimfield and has a background working in the technology industry.
“I think I can bring a lot of good business skills and business knowledge to the county and apply them,” she told the Board. “I am also looking at very hard budgeting and how we spend our money and what ways it could it be redistributed in order to better serve the residents of the County.”
Adams said that one of her primary concerns was what the consequences would be on Portage County once the Medicare and Medicaid cuts officially went into effect in November, including how the homelessness rate would increase.
Cemetery contact Gano reported that he had ordered the columbarium and it would be delivered to the cemetery the week of Sept. 14 and confirmed that the footer that had just been poured did not exceed a distance of 20 feet from the pavement, allowing enough room for the Township to bring in a crane.
He added that it would be approximately 17 feet to the center of the footer and McManus Concrete LLC would pave sidewalks in the cemetery soon after the completion of the columbarium. Gano said that he discovered that there would be enough room in a unit to fit two sets of ashes, if families used a standard black resin box.
Gano informed the Board that he had researched the different fees that several neighboring Townships charged residents and non-residents to use a columbarium. The fees greatly differed with Brimfield Township’s fees being $350 for residents and $400 to non-residents while Ravenna’s fees were $800 for a resident and $1000 for a non-resident.
Fiscal Officer Casey Timmons requested that Gano compile the different fees on a spreadsheet so the Board could compare them.
Miller told the Board that Horn Road would be closing on Sept. 15 for an estimated period of two weeks, as the road workers needed to replace three culverts. Timmons inquired about how residents on Horn Road could access their houses. Miller responded that there would be a detour through State Route 303 as the alternative route.
He reported that another tree had fallen on Silica-Sands Road again, but he called the Portage County Engineer’s Office and they removed it. Another tree had fallen on Windham-Parkman Road but that piece of road fell in Nelson Township’s jurisdiction.
Miller added that road workers received 811 certification training, which teaches safe digging and compliance with state regulations in preparation for the joint road project on Hewins Road between Nelson, Garrettsville and Windham.
Burns read a report from Township Zoning Inspector Jake Sweet that a MYLAR review had been requested for a piece of property on State Route 303, with the intent to sell the property. He added that Sweet’s report also noted that the Township had received an accessory permit request from the owner of property at 9621 State Route 303, and an accessory building permit from the property owner at 9159 Stanley Road.
The Board further discussed adopting a resolution to enforce Ohio Revised Code 505.87, which authorizes the Township to remove any loose debris or vegetation on a property that has become hazardous.
“The one we were looking at doing actually still is not great, but a lot of stuff was gone, and they plan on doing more in the clean-up in October.,” Burns noted.
Gano said that the deputies had originally not believed the Township was authorized to step in, but he received assurance from Brett Bencze of the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office that the Township was well within its legal rights to do so. The Board agreed to table the matter for now.
Board of Zoning Appels Vice Chairwoman Tricia Kendrick inquired about the status of 9092 State Route 303, which the Township had previously seized because it had become hazardous for living conditions. Burns replied that the Township was required to keep the property in its possession for several years before it could be sold.
Gano added that he had attempted to do further research on how other Townships had been utilizing convex boxes as permitted items for storage but had not received any clarity.
Burns said that the Fire Department’s equipment was currently functioning properly but concerns about replacing broken equipment still existed. Adams informed him of a potential solution, as she had been informed about a one cent increase in the gas tax from Palmyra Township’s Fire Chief Marc Garvin, which would generate between $300,000-$400,000 annually for township fire departments across the 88 counties in Ohio
Timmons cautioned Adams, saying that the surplus would not be distributed to Windham’s Fire Department, as it was a separate entity, that was not owned by the Township.
Burns informed the Board that the Fire Department had held preliminary discussions about merging with the Hiram Township’s Fire Department.
He reported that the Windham American Legion Post #674 was donating $10,000 annually to the Fire Department, which will fund the purchase of at least two new sets of turnout gear. Burns made a motion that the Township donate $4,000 to the Fire Department, which would enable them to buy another new set of turnout gear. The motion carried unanimously.
Timmons said that American Tower still had not responded to the Board’s recent request for a new contract. She asked the Board to pass a motion that would allow her to move money from the operating account to the money market account, which would leave $100,000 remaining in the operating account.
Burns made the motion and it carried unanimously.
He reported that after the Board recently sold a trailer and the buyer re-sold it on www.govedeals.com but the price was mistakenly listed lower than what the actual price was, so the buyer ultimately lost $51.00 from the re-sale. Gano said that he personally paid the difference to the buyer himself, but Miller made a motion for the Board to reimburse Gano for the $51.00 and the motion passed unanimously.
The Bord will reconvene for its next meeting on Oct. 1 at Windham Township Hall at 6 p.m.
