Bolivar will have Memorial Day parade on May 27
Lawrence Township trustee Don Ackerman told trustees at the May 9 board meeting the American Legion is organizing a Memorial Day parade this year. It appears some residents were questioning whether one would take place because the legion post’s building was sold last year.
The parade will begin at approximately 10 a.m. at the former site of the Bolivar Intermediate School and will end at the Fort Laurens Cemetery for a ceremony.
The only difference this year, according to Hank Mason of the American Legion, is the possibility of a slight delay to the start time because the high school band has to cover the Zoar and Mineral City parades first.
Road supervisor’s report
Perry Myers, road supervisor, said sealing of the Lawrence Township River Park Walking Trail is scheduled to take place Monday, May 20 through Wednesday, May 22, weather permitting. The trail will be sealed in two sections to allow part of the trail to remain open for users.
Work will first take place on the section of the trail that winds under the bridge on state Route 212 and through the park to the highway. The second part will cover the remainder of the trail along Wilkshire Boulevard from state Route 212 to Hess Mill Road.
Chip and seal bids opened
The township received two bids for 2024 chip and seal road work. The bids were extremely close, with 2020 Enterprises coming in at $3.30 per gallon and Russell at $3.39 per gallon.
Trustees voted to approve the bid from 2020 Enterprises for supplying and applying liquid asphalt and covering it with No. 8 limestone gravel.
Zoning report
Ron Weekley, zoning inspector, said he has not heard anything recently from Dollar General about whether they are moving forward with a plan to build a new store near the intersection of state Route 212 and Jeanne Anne Lane.
According to Weekley, when he last spoke to realtor Jeff Mattingly, he was told the company was still deliberating the cost of adding the ODOT-required center turn lane as costs have probably increased quite a bit since the first estimate was provided.
Weekley also said an additional change was made to zoning regulations, but it was simply a numerical update. According to Weekley, as of October 2023, the state required petitions to call for a ballot measure on zoning issues to contain the signatures of 8% of the registered voters who voted in the most recent gubernatorial election. That requirement has been increased to 14%.
In other matters
Trustee Mike Haueter said he and administrative assistant Martina Mann evaluated the current office printer, which is becoming obsolete, and obtained quotes for replacement. Of the five options presented, Haueter proposed approving a ComDoc quote for $4,200 to purchase the printer. The option to lease the printer would cost $110 a month over 63 months.
Haueter also recommended purchasing a new plotter printer for use by Weekley for plotting maps and parcels. The cost of that printer is $2,200.
Haueter said there would be an 8/10 of one cent cost per page printed to cover toner and maintenance. Trustees approved both expenditures at a total of $6,400 upon being assured by Ann Ackerman that funds were available.
It was mentioned the township building will be a polling place on June 11 for the Ohio 6th Congressional District special election to fill the vacancy left when former Rep. Bill Johnson resigned.
Trustees approved resubmitting a grant application for a generator and lighting for the township building.
Ann Ackerman and trustees thanked the Village of Bolivar for sending the township a $2,000 donation toward the compost bin, which she said is significantly higher than what has been given in the past.
The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees meets the second and last Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Lundenberger Hall, 10867 Industrial Parkway NW, Bolivar. All meetings are open to the public.