The Windham Township Board of Trustees continued an extensive dialogue about a key number of zoning issues last Thursday evening at Windham Township Hall. The board agreed to adopt language for a proposed zoning amendment for substandard lots.
As The Villager previously reported at the last meeting, Trustee and Road Contact Brian Miller proposed a zoning amendment that would convert all non-conforming lots, or substandard lots, into conforming lots using a grandfather clause that would allow them to do so if they were originally created on properties that met zoning requirements.
“If people have a lot, they should still do what they want on it, period,” Miller said. “The less restricted, the less we tie people’s hands. I am not opposed; I am just trying to give people more freedom.”
Vice Chairman, Trustee and Cemetery Contact Rich Gano presented the board with new language he had written for the zoning amendment.
He said that after he had written the language, he sent it to Portage County Regional Planning Commission Director Todd Peetz, who revised Gano’s document. Peetz’s suggestion was that the dwelling and other structures would still have to meet setback requirements. Gano said that he was opposed to Peetz’s suggestion because the reason for the zoning amendment was to allow properties to be built closer to the property line.
Miller made a motion for the board to accept the language proposed by Gano, and his motion carried unanimously.
Miller informed the board that he had received phone calls from residents concerned about the Township’s salt reserve supply of salt but assured the board that the Township was fully stocked, as the road workers had barely used any of the back-up supply that the Township purchased last year. He added that he had already placed an order of 100 tons of salt to be added to the supply.
He noted that Township’s road workers had performed more roadside work at the end of last month and repaired a culvert on Horn Road. He added that the road workers were still installing new road signs across the Township.
Gano informed the board that he had been made aware of speeding taking place on Colton Road and decided to request a speed study be performed by the Portage County Engineer’s Office and the Ohio Department of Transportation. He had researched purchasing new speed limit signs, which were solar powered and would cost the Township $5,600 for two, He assured the board that the speed study would be performed at no cost to the Township.
Gano said that he expected the speed study to recommend a limit of 45 MPH, although the current speed limit appeared to be at 55 MPH. He added that he placed a call for streetlight repairs because one had just gone out at the intersection of Colton and Silica Sands Road and another one in front of the cemetery.
Miller said that another streetlight had recently gone out on Windham Parkman Road.
Gano notified the board that he had recently spoken with local contractor Bryan McManus and hoped to have a new sidewalk paved by the cemetery’s new columbarium soon, as the Township was preparing to have the new units available for purchase as soon as possible.
He informed the board that cemetery sexton Jayme Neikirk had told him that they were running out of space for burials in the cemetery Gano said that approximately 30 graves were not available for purchase because they were too wet. He urged the board to consider installing drainage tile between the rows.
Chairman, Fire District Contact and Trustee Dan Burns suggested consulting with an excavator about performing a survey on the cemetery so the board could get a professional assessment. Gano said that a survey would cost the township about two thousand dollars. The board discussed reaching out to local surveyor Cliff McGuire, and if he was not available, to ask him for a recommendation for someone else to perform the work.
“Get a price on putting some pipe in there and see if it works, it will not be that much for the pipe,” Burns said. “Then let us put more money out there other than for the sidewalk.”
Burns added that it was getting more challenging for him to bring the gator into the cemetery as the rows were filling up. He suggested that the township needed to consider renting a concrete buggy, a motorized wheelbarrow. Previously he had used the gator for that function. He said that the township only needed to rent one, as they would most likely use it only twice a year.
Gano had previously presented the board with proposed language outlining the rules to use a columbarium and the board found no issue with his language. Gano made a motion for the board to accept the columbarium language, and the board carried the motion unanimously.
Burns advised the board that he had received a report from Township Zoning Inspector Jake Sweet about his discussions with a property owner on Bryant Road who had neglected to pull a permit for his mini garage but had taken care of the matter.
The board then discussed enforcing the provisions of Ohio Revised Code 505.87 which authorizes the board to declare debris and vegetation on a property as a nuisance. In this case the property at 9270 Bryant Road,
Gano informed the board that they needed to perform a title search on the property to find the owners and any other lien holders on the property.
Burns inquired about the timeline of the clean-up process, expressing concern that if the board waited too long after officially requesting the title search, then the project could potentially expire because of the poor working weather conditions in the winter months.
According to Gano, the board is required to give the property owner at least seven days’ notice before beginning the clean-up process. He presented a resolution to the board that declared the property a nuisance and it was entered into the minutes.
Gano informed the board that he was still researching the issue of using convex boxes around the township. He suggested that some initial requirements would involve each convex box having a pitched roof and making the siding simple.
Burns added that it would be important to make sure each one matched the color of its owners’ house.
Gano told the board that he wanted to work on the conditional use language further before the board took any official action. He cautioned the board that any conditional use requirements would involve a hearing for a conditional use permit in front of the Township Board of Zoning Appeals.
“You could say that, but it is going to be another amendment. It is going to be another amendment to the book either way because right now they are prohibited,” Gano said.” We are going to have to change the zoning code.”
The board held further discussions on the ongoing debate of reducing the frontage of properties from 200 to 150 feet.
Burns called for a final vote on the matter, and ultimately the motion was unanimously defeated.
“I think presently because we have some pending litigation, the more I thought about it, messing with the 150 foot frontage at this time is not a smart thing to do,” Miller said.
Burns informed the board that the Windham Fire Department had responded to 641 calls. He added that the annual Turkey Raffle would take place on Nov. 23. All trucks were in the process of being pump-tested and receive annual preventative maintenance.
He lauded the Fire Department’s efforts to be properly staffed, as the Fire Department had only required mutual aid twice this year; it was not even a case of staffing shortages.
The board discussed attendance at the annual Ohio Township Association Conference, which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 10-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Burns and Gano confirmed they would attend but Miller was unsure if he would make the trip. Fiscal Officer Casey Timmons advised that she would attend the conference. Burns presented a motion to the board which formally confirmed their attendance at the Conference but also left open the chance for Sweet or members of the BZA to attend.
Burns informed the board that he recently spoke with a representative from Sarchione Chevrolet about possibly purchasing a new snow truck. He said that the township planned to continue with their current snow trucks for the winter, but a new snow truck would soon be needed to replace the township’s 2008 model.
“I was almost 100% sure we were not buying anything now, but I said if you come up with something because they have so many trucks, they have a good deal on a 2025 truck that is brand new, we might be interested in doing it now,” he noted.
Timmons informed the board that she would draft a temporary budget for the 2027 fiscal year to be presented at the board’s next meeting. The board agreed to reconvene for its next meeting on Dec. 3 at Windham Township Hall at 6 p.m.
