Mantua Township – At a recent township trustee meeting, Trustee John Festa thanked Zoning Inspector John Dickey and Cemetery Sexton Jim Aldrich for being good neighbors and helping out a resident in need. The gentlemen checked in on a resident after neighbors noted that the grass hadn’t been mowed in some time. They stopped by and found that the resident needed assistance with the task; they returned to tackle the job for the resident.
In his Road Department report, Brian Tayerle shared that his crew had completed the paving project at Old Taylor Woods, and that the crew is busy around the Township doing roadside mowing. In related news, two residents from the Old Taylor Woods development requested clarification on an agreement between the homeowners’ organization and the township regarding road maintenance and upkeep. While they thanked trustees for the recent project, they wanted to better understand the estimated timeframe for other road maintenance work in the development. Trustee Carlton explained that the township maintains 37 center lane miles of roads, and that each road is analyzed every spring to determine the greatest need for maintenance. He shared the township’s goal to complete 700 feet of permanent improvement each year in the development, barring other road emergencies. Lastly, Mr. Tayerle shared that the Township Clean Up Day was a success, so much so that he suggested the township request additional dumpsters for next year.
Next, the trustees agreed unanimously that the township should cover the cost of professional liability insurance for Hal Stamm for the structural engineering services Mr. Stamm is donating on the Administration Building elevator project. The cost was $2,250, which was agreed to be much less than the township having to pay for the services in lieu of the donation.
In other news, Mr. Festa proposes granting a license to the property owner whose storage structure encroaches on township property on the plot known as the ‘bullpen’. The draft license agreement Mr. Festa shared with the other trustees would allow the resident to continue to use the small area of land while the township retains the ownership of the land. He noted that the agreement is not an easement, and that the agreement would only apply to the current owners. The agreement would also include lot details, maps or drawings, and land use permitted by the agreement. The trustees will review the document and discuss it at an upcoming meeting.
On a related note, resident Carole Pollard presented trustees with a proposal for a Township Park, outlining suggestions on implementing a ‘problem solving committee’ made up of ten to twelve residents. In the proposal, Ms. Pollard asks that equal consideration be given to residents who have differing views on the location of potential township parks, and asks that a professional park or landscape designer be consulted on the project, noting that the National Trust Foundation, of which the township is a member, will pay a portion of the cost of fees and permits. Her proposal suggests that the Grants Committee help seek funding for the project, as well, and suggests that Regional Planning Director Todd Peetz help facilitate the committees’ formation. Trustees thanked Ms. Pollard for her suggestions, but need time to review the proposal. According to Trustees Festa and Jason Carlton, since they haven’t had the opportunity to discuss the proposal, they cannot ascertain if or when the topic will be added to their meeting agenda as requested by Ms. Pollard. Trustee Victor Grimm explained that prior to inclusion of the proposal, several outstanding issues need to be addresses first, including line of sight and berm issues in addition to the potential license agreement that will resolve the lot line discrepancy.
The next regularly scheduled Trustee meeting will be held on Thursday, July 7th at 7:30 pm in the Township Hall.
