Mantua – At the last meeting, Mayor Clark shared that the village will be receiving OPWC funding for repairs to the Reservoir in the amount of $300,000 in grant funds and $150,000 in a low-interest loan for a total of $450,000. The fund will be released on July first for work this summer. In similar news, it was noted that two bid packets for RFP/RFQ Water and Wastewater Plants were picked up; one by Portage County Water Resources, and the other by CWM Environmental. Bids are due back to the village by April 9th at 4 pm.
In his Police Report, Chief Joe Urso shared that the month of April has been designated as Distracted Driving Month in the United States. He noted that as such, various agencies across the country are encouraging drivers to put down their phones and to concentrate fully on driving their vehicles. “Here in Mantua,” Urson noted, “we have legislation that was passed last year that makes it a primary offense to be interacting with your phone while you are driving.”
He noted an increase in crashes taking place as a result of drivers texting and using their phones while driving. He noted that while making phone calls is not against the law while you are driving, he encourages drivers to use the hands-free or speaker functions to take phone calls while in your vehicle. He also shared that throughout April, the department will be posting videos and information on its Facebook page that show the after effects of distracted driving. He reminded drivers “it only takes a second to change your life or someone else’s life forever.”
Lastly, in light of pending spring storms, the Chief issued a reminder that in the event of a power outage, residents should contact Ohio Edison to report the loss of electric service to their homes or to get an estimate of when power should be restored. That number is 1-888-544-4877. He noted that Ohio Edison does not call the Mantua Village Police Department with any updates; the department needs to keep phone lines open for emergency calls. On a lighter note, please give a shout out to Mantua’s K9 Vader (pictured above) who celebrated his eighth birthday on April 6th.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 16th at 7 pm; residents are encouraged to attend.
