Township seeks assurance from land developer
Dry at the moment due to drought conditions, a detention pond never meant to hold water nevertheless does at the Olde Hilltop development.
Residents of the Olde Hilltop development in Wilkshire Hills are asking township trustees to help make sure the developer, Mike Durbin, makes good on promises to properly repair a detention pond that has caused problems since 2022.
Trustee Don Ackerman told the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees he reached out to the Regional Planning Commission for advice and assistance but was unsatisfied with their response.
“I'd like to see a contingency letter stating that, if the repair doesn't work, we expect it to be fixed,” Ackerman said. “Durbin gave me his word that it would work.”
Ackerman will consult the township’s attorney to determine what more, if anything, can be done. “I don’t think we ought to give up on it,” Ackerman said.
No turn lane for new store
Resident Shawn Lynch said the Dollar General on state Route 212 looked ready to open without having put in a center turn lane as required by the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Trustees said they had not heard anything yet about an opening date but asked Lynch, who also is the fire chief in Bolivar, to apprise them if he receives any requests from the company for pre-opening inspections, as those typically are made when businesses are close to opening.
Tree trimming questioned
A resident of French Hill Road, Scott McCreery, asked trustees why a township road crew recently cut down a nearly 100-year-old nut hickory tree on his property. While McCreery acknowledged the tree was in the township’s right of way, in his opinion the tree was neither dead nor presenting a hazard.
Road Superintendent Perry Myers said he made the call on which trees to trim that day, and there was a long, thick broken branch high in the tree.
“If that branch fell out of that tree and went through a car windshield, I would feel horrible. It’s my responsibility to make sure those things don’t happen,” Myers said.
McCreery showed trustees photos, pointing out a copse of dying sassafras trees and a dead ash tree across the road from his property, which he said constitute a greater risk. Myers said a telephone line runs through the thicket, and the township does not have the proper equipment to remove them at this point, but he will explore possible solutions.
Voting
Fiscal officer Ann Ackerman reported receiving a letter from the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office informing trustees of a recent $5-per-hour increase in deputy pay and stating another substantial increase is expected next year.
The letter said the reason for the increase is because the department could not attract qualified applicants at the rate they were paying. Trustees approved a resolution accepting the wage increase.
A resolution to realign appropriations to reflect increased revenue of $147,500 also was approved, as well as a measure to accept the county budget commission’s distribution of funds to townships, cities and villages for a four-year period beginning in 2025. Funding is based on what is referred to as alternative formula funding, developed by the state in 2020.
Matt Ritterbeck, chairman of the board, said the new formula came about because former Ohio Gov. Kasich balanced the state budget in 2014 by cutting local funding from 3.66% down to 1.3%. As a result Ritterbeck said municipalities, counties, townships, schools and other entities were forced to present initiatives at the local ballot box to make up for the difference because they did away with the inheritance tax at the same time. This township for years used to buy their capital equipment with inheritance tax money.
Trustees agreed to hold a work session on Sept. 26 prior to the regular meeting to discuss potentially hiring a third full-time road crew worker.
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.