When the Windham Township Board of Trustees convened last Thursday evening at Windham’s Town Hall, they received a visit from the Middlefield Banking Company’s Assistant Vice President Lisa Muldowney. Muldowney delivered a check for $3,500 on behalf of the bank to donate to the Portage Foundation Disaster Relief Fund.
“We have tried to be involved and we have tried sponsoring all sorts of baseball teams and football teams,” she said. “We want you to know we want to be a part of your family out here and we do not just say it, we are actively doing things about it.”
In addition to the donation, Muldowney presented a proposal to the Board to incorporate Positive Pay, a banking service that helps businesses and financial institutions prevent and monitor check and Automated Clearing House Payments, into their fiscal operations. According to Muldowney, this service is only available to public entities and not individuals.
“The way it works is that we attach it to your account and you have a file you have to upload to us for the check and every time you write a check you would have a file that you would give us including the day, the person you issued it to and the dollar amount. We are going to check every item that clears your account to make sure it matches what exactly you wrote,” she noted.
Muldowney said Positive Pay costs $30 a month for standard checks and $30 for ACH payments. She added that while the bank had checks and balances in place, they are not failsafe. If something did slip past the bank’s fraud detection, they would make full restitution. Trustee Board Chairman and Fire Contact Dan Burns made a motion for the Board to approve Muldowney’s proposal and it carried.
Trustee and Road Contact Brian Miller said that he has been working with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to continue to remove all power lines that fell during the F1 tornado. In addition to the broken power lines, he added that Spectrum has been adding its own power lines throughout the area to provide high speed internet and broadband services.
Miller then discussed the chip and seal project for Bryant Road. He conceded that the Board did not have enough money in their road fund for the project this year. The Board noted that if they waited until next year, the cost of the project would increase because of inflation. They discussed whether it would be possible to negotiate a deal that would have them pay Geauga Highway, a provider of road construction, paving services and asphalt manufacturing in Northeast Ohio, half of the cost this fiscal year and the other half next fiscal year.
“I’ll call and if we have to have a special meeting to get it done, we can get it done this year,” Burns said. “It will cost us more not only because of the materials that will cost more but the roads will be worse.”
Miller concluded road business by saying that the Township would be performing some ditching on a property on Shankman Road for an impending building project.
Trustee and cemetery contact Rich Gano said that he was waiting for a quote on what it would cost to pave over a spot in the cemetery where a tree fell during the tornado. When it was removed, a part of the driveway was also taken out because the Township needed electrical work done to run a new power line underneath.
Zoning Inspector Jake Sweet provided his monthly report, which was headlined by his working on issuing a permit for solar farms on Horn Road. He also noted that he issued a permit for a new property on Gotham Road and was working on issuing another permit for a property on Shanks Down Road.
Gano provided an update on the Board’s ongoing dilemma with the property line variance, which had recently been changed from 200 feet to adjoining properties only.. He said that he had heard from Windham Township Zoning Department Board Member Gayle Poots, who informed him that a public meeting on the variance had been held on Feb. 6.
Despite the meeting having been held months prior to the Board’s decision, Gano said Portage County Prosecutor Brett Bencze had opined that the if Board voted to change the language from 200 feet to adjoining properties at its last meeting, then the changes would be made effective 30 days following the decision.
Gano said that the possibility existed that a resident could seek a referendum to challenge the Board’s decision, but it seemed unlikely.
Burns discussed some fire news, beginning with the Fire Department having trouble with one of its garage doors.
Gano said that some of the garage doors were more than 40-years old and some panels had already been replaced.
“The problem they are having now is the backdoor,” Burns said. “That was the door that they needed which is getting stuck somehow.”
Burns once again brought up the Fire Department’s need for a new ambulance. Gano said that he had spoken with a representative from the Superior Fund about reboxing the current ambulance and was awaiting word. He said that the price may not even matter because the ambulance itself may be too old.
“I thought we could throw another gasoline chassis in it if the box was still good and paint it white like the new one and get some more temporary time as long as the box is good but it may be too old,” Gano noted.
The idea of seeking a levy to fund this project the ballot was brough up again but Burns reiterated he did not think it was possible.
Miller said he had recently visited Indiana and saw what was available but Burns reiterated that the Fire Department did not have the funds to even buy a new ambulance out of state.
“It will take three years to get the money back from our levy,” he said. “We can make payments on it if the levy passes and all of the stuff but it will cost another $10,000-$20,000. Who knows what it will cost?”
Burns added that the reason the Fire Department lacked the necessary funds was because it existed as its own entity, having no longer being overseen by the Village or the Township.
It was also noted that if the Board decided to put a levy on the ballot, the Township could not oppose it and would have to share the ultimate costs.
Burns discussed the idea of the Township purchasing the vacant Farmers National Bank Building to promote commerce in Windham. He said that while the Township did not have a specific need for the building, the Board viewed it as a good way to make money.
“If you had to create your own commerce center here, it would be ideal building to re-establish and set up a network,” Miller said. “Nobody is coming to our aid again. I don’t see anybody doing that. That was the thought, if we could get it for the right price.”
Burns also said that the John Deere rear discharge mower that the Board purchased was available and all they needed to do was provide a day’s notice of when they wanted to pick it up. Miller acknowledged that even though there did not appear to be much more work that needed to be done this year, it was good to have the mower in case of an emergency.
The next Board meeting will be held on September 12 at Windham Town Hall at 6 p.m. immediately after the conclusion of the monthly Fire Department meeting.
