In 1802 , the community of what was later to be named Suffield Township was founded by Royal Pease, who was originally from Suffield, Connecticut. From 1802 until April 6, 1818, our community was known as Peasetown. In 1818, the name was changed to Suffield Township and governing officials were elected. Suffield is one of 18 townships in Portage County and lies in the southwest corner of the county. We are uniquely situated in close proximity to Akron, Ohio to the west and to Hartville, Ohio to the south. This gives our community a great mix of big city opportunities combined with rural charm.
With a population of 6,315 as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015, Suffield Township is a close knit community - a community where neighbors look out for one another and wave when passing on the road. Township services include a highly trained Fire Department, led by Chief Robert Rasnick, providing fire and EMS protection to the township, as well as a hard working Road Department, supervised by David (Pete) Einloth, that takes care of the roadways and other services related to the needs of the community.
We welcome you to our community. Please explore our website and see what Suffield has to offer.
Kevin Lessman was hired by the Suffield Township trustees on June 22nd to help fill out the roster of Fire Department employees. Kevin has Basic EMT training and is a firefighter. He has previous experience in medical matters with a local private ambulance service. Welcome aboard Kevin!
The Suffield Township Board of Trustees met on Tuesday July 13th. The meeting was dominated by a long discussion on some re-alignment staffing issues at the Fire Department, but other issues were also discussed.
The Fiscal Officer said that the Portage County Land Bank has taken possession of the old church on Waterloo Road. Complaints were received about the new trash hauling business, Zehnder Disposal, LLC. The complaints from a neighbor were concerning an influx of mice and/or rats at the company's garage. Seventy-fifth State Representative Gail Pavliga stopped by the meeting for an informal chat.
The trustees agreed to spend $4,150 to have the interior of the historic Town Hall painted by Barto Decorating. They also approved an amendment to the recycling contract between the township and the Portage County Solid Waste District to increase the monthly fee for each resident to $5.50.
Fire Chief Bob Rasnick made a passionate appeal for the trustees to allow him to begin the arduous process of increasing the number of full time firemen from one (the chief) to seven. Initially the Fire Department would go to a configuration of having three full time paramedics. Currently they have no full time paramedics. The three paramedics would work one 24 hour shift, then have 48 hours off and then repeat this process. The men or women filling these three positions would be hired at the Chief's discretion after interviews with the command staff officers. The new full time paramedics could come from within the existing cadre of personnel or hired from outside of the department. The goal is to have six full time paramedics on the department, with two paramedics woring on each 24-hour shift. The plan does not increase the actual number of employees, just their assignments. The trustees and Rasnick agreed that a very large percentage of the Fire Department's calls for service involve paramedic issues. The trustees asked Rasnick to come back in the middle of August with a more detailed plan.
The trustees meet next on Thursday July 22nd at 7:00 AM. The Zoning Commission is skipping their regular meeting in July and meeting on Wednesday August 11th at 7:00 PM. A Board of Zoning Appeals hearing is scheduled for Thursday July 20th at 8:00 PM.
On Tuesday June 8, 2021 the Suffield Township Board of Trustees met at 8:00 PM. A lot is issues were discussed. Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, newly elected last November to Sheriff after David Doak's retirement, spoke for nearly a half hour on an array of topics. These included his commitment to allowing citizens to possess guns, hiring more department employees, promoting the Citizen's Police Academy and, of course, a history of his career highlights. The crowd of ten people seemed impressed by his talk.
Sheriff Zuchowski said he hopes to have a more transparent administration and hopes his department can have more involvement with the community. He said that the Sheriff's Office handles about 60% of the county's police services. With his background as a state trooper, he hopes to entice a stronger bond between the two agencies. He did remind the crowd that state troopers are basically traffic officers. He suggested that citizens are welcome to tour the county jail and learn more about policing in general by signing up for the Citizens Police Academy. This academy will start another 12-week session in the fall, but no specific dates have yet been determined. The academy is free to those who sign up. Anyone interested should call the Sheriff's Office at 330-296-5100, ext 1.
The trustees also refinanced the bonds on the Fire Station. This new financing is in the form of a twelve year loan at an incredible rate of 1.72%. Over the life of the loan, serviced by Hilltop Securities, the township will save $419,507. Tom Calcei gave the Fire Department report for May. He said that the Fire Department responded to 71 call for service and participated in five continuing education classes. The trustees are also looking into a noise complaint at 1527 Galaxy Drive. This noise is allegedly caused by a generator that is running continuously. The trustees authorized the Road Department to buy a new power washer at a price of $5,300. The Fairlane Water Company is holding neighborhood meeting to discuss the future of that area's water system. No date or time or location was given for this meeting.
The township sponsored "Cruise In" is set for this coming weekend. A lot of work has gone into this event. Come out and enjoy the cars, see your neighbors and have some food. The event is Sunday June 13th from 12:00 noon until 6:00 PM at the Municipal Complex next to the historic Town Hall.
The trustees meet again on Tuesday June 22nd at 7:00 AM. The Zoning Commission is off in July, but meets again on Wednesday August 11th at 7:00 PM. The Board of Zoning Appeals meets on Tuesday June 15th at 8:00 PM. All meetings are at the Suffield Community Room at 1256 Waterloo Road and the public is very welcome.
Advertise yourself, your business or where you work by sending us your business card. We will put it in the section above on the title bar that is entitled "Business Cards". There is no cost to you, and the card will remain there until you ask that it be taken down, or when you ask us to replace an old card with a new, more up-to-date card. You can e-mail the card to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or snail mail it to Jeff Childers, 229 Waterloo Road, Suffield, Ohio 44260.
A good crowd showed up at the Suffield Township Town Hall for the township sponsored "Cruise In" on Sunday afternoon on June 13th. About one hundred and fifteen (115) classic cars and hot rods were on display, as well as a bouncy house for the kids and several food vendors. The weather threatened a couple times, but most of the car owners stayed on.
After a year's absence the Suffield League's Suffield Township Memorial Day Parade returned on Monday May 31st. With about fifty participants, and picture perfect weather conditions, the parade was hailed a major success for all those who made it happen. This was not easy task. It really wasn't decided until only recently that the parade would even be held, but COVID restrictions and the disease itself have eased in Ohio. Therefore, let the parade begin. There was also a change in times. Instead of stepping off at 1:00 PM as in the past, this year's parade started at 10:00 AM. Local business man and a former Mogadore and Cuyahoga Falls police officer Julius Heil was this year's Grand Marshal. Thanks to Julius for being the Grand Marshal and for all his untold acts of kindness to Suffield and other communities. His assistance in helping police departments acquire suitable canines is legendary. Below is the township's newest Road Department vehicle.
Most of the articles, photos and images shown on this website's "front page" are stored so that you can read them later. To see older information, click the "READ MORE" button at the top of the page and a list of articles will appear. Click on the article you are interested in reading.
Recycle Pick Up Monday July 26th & Tuesday July 27th
Historical Society Looking For Old Field High Yearbooks
The Suffield Township Historical Society is hoping to complete their collection of old Field High School, and old countywide yearbooks. These were originally known as "Speedometers". Needed are books from the following years: 1916, 1917, 1918, 1923, 1924, 1935, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1953, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965. Call or e-mail Elizabeth Vence at 330-354-3625 or "suffieldtwphistory@gmail.com" to donate old books or to learn more.
Card Bingo Returns On Sunday Evenings
After a log absence, the very popular "Card Bingo" will make its return to Suffield Township on Sunday July 11th. The games will be played at the Suffield Community Room at 1256 Waterloo Road. Doors will open a little before 6:00 PM and the games begin at 6:00 PM. Bring your neighbors and a couple dollars in change and enjoy the evening.
BZA To Hear Request For Variance
The Suffield Township Board of Zoning Appeals heard a request from Kyle Mudd to build an addition to his house at 759 Martin Road. This addition would violate the Zoning Resolution's 50-foot set back requirements. In one of the quickest BZA hearings ever, the Board granted the requested variance. Brian Cheshire motioned to approve the issue and Bryon Wine seconded the motion.
BZA Approves Variance To Allow Accessory Building
The Suffield Township Board of Zoning Appeals met on June 15 to hear a request from Bryan and Melissa Pratt. The request is in a Residential District, at 1733 Randolph Rd, Suffield Ohio. The request is to build an accessory building 5 feet from the side lot line. This request violates Section 301.2.K.5 Accessory buildings minimum requirement is 14 feet from side lot line, thus requiring a variance subject to Approval of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Board of Zoning Appeals member Brian Cheshire motioned that the variance request be approved and member Pete Einloth seconded the motion. The members voted 5-0 in favor of approving the request.
Suffield Township Website Passes 730,000 Visitors Since April 1, 2015
As of July 17, 2021, Suffield Township's website had 735,029 visitors since April 1, 2015. Since the "new" website was adopted, the daily viewership has risen from about 40 per day to over 383.63 per day (thirty day moving average). Thanks for taking a look at "suffieldtownshipohio.com". Tell your friends about us.
Wingfoot Lake State Park is Suffield's only park. It was opened by the Ohio State Parks & Recreation Department in 2009. Goodyear had operated the park since the 1960's as a private playground for its employees and for corporate retreats. As the company footprint grew smaller in the Akron area Goodyear decided to close the park in 2006. To learn more about the park, such as rental of the facilities, visit the park's website: http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/wingfootlake
The historic Suffield Town Hall can be rented by residents and non-residents for various events. For complete information on the availability, costs and regulations on renting the Town Hall, please call the Town Hall administrator Shannon Eldreth at 330-807-0384.
Front Page Articles
The articles on the Front Page of this website are written for informational purposes. While most of these articles chronicle the discussions and actions at the township trustee meetings or zoning meetings, they are not the minutes of those meetings. The articles are intended to summarize what was said or done. The actual minutes of the meetings can be found on the "Trustees" page or the "Zoning" page. Keep in mind that these official minutes are posted only after they are approved by their respective boards and submitted to the webmaster for publication.
Who to contact in case of emergency and assistance when you need it.
A great opportunity for community involvement, and many free activities for everyone! Click on the logo to learn more about the Suffield League.
