April 2009
Newton Township Trustees met in regular session on April 09, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the township meeting room at the fire department. Those in attendance were: Derek J. Dozer, Charles R. Elson, and James R. Smith, township trustees; Bernadine E. Swingle, township fiscal officer; Jacob Lutz, Craig Knox, Jeff Swingle, Shon Holdren, and Tim Swingle of the fire department; Brent Berkfield of Neff Paving; Bob Mock, Nancy Stansberry, Bruce McConnell, Jay McConnell, Dan McConnell, Ed McConnell and Doug McConnell, township residents; Charlie Thomas and Melanie Egnew of the Zanesville – Western Scenic Railroad.
Meeting was called to order at 7:02 pm by chairperson; James R. Smith.
Agenda was approved as presented.
Minutes were approved as presented.
First order of business was to open and award the bid for the asphalt application to be done on Thompson Run Road. Bids presented and opened; Muskingum County Engineers Office - $70,513.00, Shelly and Sands - $66,272.00 and Neff Paving - $62,559.00. The bid was awarded to Neff Paving. Vote taken; Dozer – aye, Elson – aye, Smith – aye.
Floor was opened to public participation with Charlie Thomas of the railroad taking the floor. Thomas shared information re; the progress of the railroad and was asking for a letter of permission to proceed with preparing a crossing for an additional locomotive at the intersection of Crock Road and St. Rt. 93. This was acceptable with all three trustees and a letter of consent has been sent to the proper authorities. Thomas once again noted that any time a road would need to be closed for these preparations; all necessary authorities would be notified 3 – 4 days in advance.
Bob Mock, township resident was next on the agenda, inquiring of the progress / action to be taken on Thompson Run Road. He, on behalf of the residents of Thompson Run would prefer that as equal amount of widening be done on each side of the road. The McConnells’ were on station to aire their views of same. Smith reviewed available maps of the area with anyone present that shared any interest and assured all that everything was being done to be fair to everyone involved. Larry Taylor, road superintendent and Smith will be meeting with the McConnells at their specified time to discuss proceedings. Residents were assured work would begin during the month of June, 2009 if at all possible.
Fire Department report: Jeff Swingle reporting; a generator for use with Homeland Security (through the Red Cross) has become available from the Department of Defense. A used 200kw generator that is no longer needed by them has been donated to the township. It will be need to be painted and it is the responsibility of the township to move it to our location. As this piece of equipment weighs approximately 10,000 lbs. it will need to be moved by a low – boy. Taylor, road superintendent will be asked to possibly assist in this move.
A “gear extractor” (large washer for turn out gear) has become available through the same program as the generator at no cost. Both units will be located at the Chillicothe area and will need to be moved and put into service at the cost of the township.
A support vehicle for the department is being considered. This would be available to transport supplies to the area of a fire / tragedy, fill air packs and assist with arson investigations.
The upcoming “levy” that will appear on the May ballot for approval was discussed. Deaver indicated through the department personnel present that he felt a mailing was too costly at this time and would pursue it in the fall if the levy fails in May. He has appeared on WHIZ = TV with information and is waiting for response back from the local Times Recorder
An electronic map system has been researched for installation into both medics. This would be of great assistance to locating emergency calls that fail to have house numbers available. The cost of this from a program that has been developed by a firefighter at Plain Township in Columbus is $300.00 per unit, $200.00 to install and $45.00 per unit annually for maintenance. This was discussed and a vote was taken; Dozer – aye, Elson – aye, Smith – aye.
The gym painting has been completed. The main stairway is still needing painted and the downstairs hallway. This will probably be completed by the fire department.
Upcoming events in the department:
April 19th, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm Community breakfast at the fire house.
April 18 – 25 L. Geiger, T. Swingle and A. Deaver will be attending FDIC
May 1st Blood drive at the fire house.
May 5th two election precincts at the fire house
May 9th Golf Outing at Crystal Springs
Dozer asked the F D personnel to repair a broken window in the gym. Also, doors coming into the gym; the locks need to be checked and repaired as necessary as they are not working properly. Pictures of N. Cornett and P. Gamble were requested for the newsletter that is ready to go to print.
Knox reporting for EMS; money for EMS runs is about normal and still is covering the cost of paid personnel.
Dozer asked Knox to be present at the July 08, 2009 meeting to once again evaluate the paid personnel program and as to how well it is working. At present, paid help will continue as previous.
Road Reports / Trustee Reports;
Smith reported a culvert needs replaced at the entrance of Collard property on Lower Krofft Road – this appears to be township responsibility.
Larkin Slack has moved a fence in the fall of 2008 to enable the township to repair a slip on Yost Road. The Slacks are asking for 1/3 compensation from the township for the cost of same. Total cost to the township would be $1299.41. Vote was taken; Dozer – aye, Elson – aye and Smith – aye.
Mr. Davis, who lives on Grantcliff Road, has requested some attention to a very large tree that is hanging over the road. The property is in Newton Township, the road belongs to Springfield Township. It was determined to call Kens tree service for an estimate and to proceed with the removal of the tree. Taylor will be responsible for completing the task.
Elson noted the Maysville Water Department has applied some stone to Holbert Road that was damaged by them in installing water lines, however the road still is not in the condition it was prior to the water lines being installed.
The following roads need to be driven before the May meeting to determine what, if any maintenance is cost effective for this season. Those being Carson, Stine, Foxfire, Greenhouse and Moxadarla.
Old Business:
Stanley Lantz has officially resigned as part time employee of the township and his keys to the garage need to be turned in.
New Business:
It was suggested a calendar / spread sheet be established for the scheduling of activities taking place in the fire house along with the amount charged and the amount received. This is necessary for tracking income for audit purposes.
One Mary Campbell has requested permission to install an entrance ramp to her house which is located on Cannon St. in East Fultonham. A letter of consent was drafted by Dozer has been provided to her, signed by Elson, Dozer and Smith.
Fiscal Officer Report;
The following items of information have been received for notification of the board:
*Notice of OBWC training sessions for 2009.
*Notice from ODJFS of benefits paid to one Shon Holdron / F D employee.
*Notice from Muskingum Co. Probation Office re; availability of help offered
for cleaning roadsides, touch up paint or building upgrades.
*Notice from OhioEPA re; water quality certification for Roseville well project.
*Notice from OhioEPA re; approval of water quality certification for natural gas
pipeline to Rockies Express LLC to cross waterlines from Warren
County to Monroe County.
*Notice from Muskingum County Board of Elections; wording of the levy to
placed on the ballot in May and also notice of the upcoming election
to be held May 5, 2009 with 2 precincts being at the fire department.
*Notice from AT&T / Jeff Thompson re; the replacement of amplifiers on an
existing tower at 3652 Darlington Drive.
A Resolution has been received from the Muskingum County Commissioners re; the matter of a road vacation – portion of Newton Township, Muskingum County –approved for vacation. This road being a portion of Spring Street, part of Hoover’s second addition to East Fultonham at the location of the United Methodist Church in East Fultonham.
Prior to the meeting, notice has been sent to the three trustees re; a meeting to be held at the John McIntire Public Library on Thursday, April 9, 2009 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm sponsored by FEMA and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources / Flood Risk Information.
Copies of the April 2009 Grassroots Clippings was provided to each trustee.
All bills presented were deemed to be valid expenditures and were to be paid as presented.
The next regular meeting of the trustees will be held Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the township meeting room at the fire house.
Newton Township has made every effort to ensure all the information listed on this website is accurate and up to date. This information can and may change without notice. Meeting overviews are meant to serve as short informational updates on township business. We can not be responsible for any inaccurate or omitted information.