Longtime Suffield Township resident Mary Denny celebrated her 108th birthday at a gathering at St. Joseph's School. Here she poses with Father Thomas Acker, pastor of St. Joseph's Church. Mary was born on June 10, 1910. Photo courtesy of Pauline Persons.
The trustees met on Monday April 23rd at 7:00 AM before a small gathering of five people. Mostly routine business was discussed and acted upon. Trustee Jared Phillip reported that there was nothing new on zoning matters. He reminded the other trustees that now would be the time to get a marker in Wingfoot Lake to keep track of the elevation of the lake water. Keeping the water level at 1147 feet above sea level is critical to lessen flooding in the southwest corner of the township.
Scott McBroom, Road Department superintendent, reported that the Road Department had completed a cross-over on Steffy Road. He also said that mowing will begin soon. McBroom mentioned that the water problem on Palm Road, which is caused by dam building beavers, is still being worked on. He said that two "state record breaking" beavers have been caught, but more are still there. He is working with the county engineer's office to get the culvert cleaned out. A list of 8.75 miles of roads to be "chip & sealed" this year was presented and can be seen on the "Roads" section of this website under the "Planned Road Work for 2018" title. Trustee Jeff Eldreth asked the trustees to approve spending $10,000 for crack sealing material. These materials would be purchased from Sealmaster. Eldreth also asked for a purchase order in the amount of $1,659 to buy a trailer from Willow Knoll Farms. The trustees agreed to both expenditures. The trustees also opened the sealed bids for road materials. Seven suppliers presented bids. These bids were accepted and the winning bidders will be determined at the next trustee meeting.
Also mentioned was an event to be held at the Community Room on Sunday April 29th from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM. Maggie Engelhart has planned a "Florida Card Bingo" event in hopes of providing some entertainment, geared mostly for the senior citizens of Suffield. She hopes to make this an ongoing event. Trustee Tom Calcei also reminded everyone that the Township Clean Up Day is coming up on Saturday May 12th. Old tires, batteries and electronics (no tubed televisions or monitors) can be turned in at the Road Department from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM. The next trustee meeting is Tuesday May 8th at 8:00 PM. The Zoning Commission will meet on Wednesday May 9th at 7:00 PM. The Suffield Township Historical Society is having its annual Plant Sale on Friday & Saturday, May 4th & 5th, from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. It will be held this year in front of the Historical Museum.
On springlike Tuesday evening on April 10th, the Suffield Township Board of Trustees met before a crowd of 14 interested parties. Trustee Jeff Eldreth asked the board for a purchase order of $11,000 in order to buy a Kubota lawn mower from Coia Implements of Ravenna Township. The trustees, after Road Department chief Scott McBroom makes a recommendation, will buy a trailer to haul the lawn mower. Also discussed was the idea of purchasing a truck to use to haul the lawn mower and could also be used for other Road Department and township uses. Eldreth said he would get some estimates on costs for this truck by the next trustee meeting. Mowing is just around the corner!
Fiscal Officer Lori Calcei had some good news in that the township's insurance carrier, OTARMA, rebated to the township a little over $1,300. It is typical that OTARMA gives rebates nearly every year, but it is not known how much to expect. Fire Chief Bob Rasnick gave two monthly reports. Fire calls for February and March remained fairly constant, and the levels of training were similar as well. The Chief, clearly in discomfort, limped in and out of the meeting. Just prior to the last trustee meeting, Rasnick was out in Randolph on a mutual-aid fire when he dropped a large metal cylinder on his foot. While he didn't need surgery, he is operating at less than 100%. As part of his report, the Chief also announced that three of his prized firefighters are leaving the department and have submitted resignations. He asked that the trustees accept the resignation of Matt Frawley, who is leaving for a full time position in Ravenna Township, Brandon Bryan, who is leaving for the Alliance City Fire Department job and Andrew Byler, who is leaving for a full time position in Plain Township. The trustees accepted the resignations and gave each firefighter their best wishes. In other Fire Department business Chief Rasnick said that FEMA denied the township two grants, but that was expected, as we had applied for these grants before and were turned down. Rasnick also asked the trustees to buy a new copier. They agreed to pay Meritech Technologies $2,510 for a new one. The cost of buying a new copier was substantially less than the $3,600 leasing fee for three years.
In the crowd were several new faces. Deerfield trustee Ed Dean introduced himself to the trustees and crowd. He is running for Portage County Commissioner in the Republican primary, which is May 8th. Maggie Engelhart introduced herself as a new resident, who recently came here from Florida. She was interested in what community activities are available for senior citizens. She suggested that she would be interested in starting up an activity called "Card Bingo", which is not bingo at all, but a card game. The trustees gave her the green light to try and set up something like this. Another fairly newcomer to the trustee meetings, Margee Kimmel, volunteered to help out on this potential project.
The Zoning Commission meets Wednesday April 11th at 7:00 PM. The trustees meet again on Tuesday April 24th at 7:00 AM. There are no Board of Zoning Appeals hearings in the works.
The Suffield Township Board of Trustees met on Tuesday April 8th and discussed a myriad of subjects, most could be thought of as routine business matters.
Fire Chief Bob Rasnick was given the opportunity to present the April Fire Department report. He noted that the firefighters responded to 44 calls in April, and they are 247 calls ahead of last year's pace. He asked that former fireman Kyle Knapp be reinstated for the summer, to which the trustees agreed. Rasnick also said that he and Captain Matt Moulton attended the "Fire Department Instructions Conference" in Indianapolis, Indiana, and that they came home with lots of good information and handouts. He said it was a very worthwhile adventure for Moulton and himself.
Trustee Jeff Eldreth reported that the Road Department is working on crack sealing. He asked the trustees to approve spending another $10,000 for crack seal materials. The motion was approved. Eldreth also asked that the township purchase 400 tons of salt. Last yerar the price was $34.00 per ton, using the ODOT Winter Bid program. This will save the township a ton of money (pun intended). Eldreth also asked that the trustees approve spending $3,500 to hire flagers from Area Wide Patrol for some upcoming crack sealing. This motion passed. He also accepted the bids for road materials. Lastly, Eldreth said that the water problem along Palm Road, very near to the Mogadore Reservoir, wasn't solved by trapping a couple of beavers. A more permanent solution, which likely includes a new cross-road culvert may be necessary. No immediate decision was made on this issue.
Trustee Tom Calcei said that he had received a communication from the Portage County Solid Waste District in which Director Bill Steiner reported that 15.9% of the material that the recycle trucks pick up is not recyclable. The letter received was vague enough so that this is no way to know what areas these unacceptable materials are coming from. Some discussion was had on this important matter. Calcei asked that the township website re-post information on what is acceptable and what is not. (Click here to see what CANNOT go into the Recycle Bin).....(Click here to see what CAN BE placed in the Recycle Bin)
Trustee Jared Phillip said that First Energy has finally given the township a cost for the proposed street light at Saxe Road and Congress Lake Road. Installing the light at a cost of $1,531.25 was approved by the trustees. Phillip will make arrangements to have the light installed. It was noted that the cost to maintain the light will be $4.22 per month. Fiscal Officer Lori Calcei said that Suffield pays about $982 per month for lighting the township.
Trustee Jeff Eldreth said that the "Card Bingo" that was held on Sunday April 29th was very successful. This program will continue each Sunday evening from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM. The event is held in the Suffield Community Room, 1256 Waterloo Road. All are welcome.
The Board of Trustees next meet on Tuesday May 22, at 7:00 AM. The Zoning Commission meets on Wednesday May 9th at 7:00 PM. Both meetings are in the Suffield Community Room, 1256 Waterloo Road. The annual Suffield League Memorial Day Parade is Monday May 28th at 2:00 PM. Preceding the parade at 1:00 PM will be a memorial service in front of the historic Town Hall. This year's Grand Marshal will be Kyle Kreiner.
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Early in the morning on a rainy and rather dreary Tuesday, March 27th, the Suffield Township Board of Trustees met before a crowd of about ten interested citizens. Business was fairly fundamental. The Board hired local resident Dave Einloth as the new full-time Road Department worker. The position had been advertised in the Record-Courier and this website and had drawn a lot of interested parties. Einloth will start working next week on Monday April 2nd.
The trustees also announced that their second meeting next month will be changed from Tuesday April 24th to Monday April 23rd at 7:00 AM. They also agreed to advertise for bids on road materials to be purchased and used this year. They directed Fiscal Officer Lori Calcei to place the necessary ads in the Record-Courier. The sealed bids will be accepted until 7:00 AM on April 23rd. Jeff Eldreth asked for a $4,000 purchase order to pay H. Luli Construction Company of Suffield to replace a culvert across Shafer Road. The Board postponed again the final decision on purchase of a trailer and mowing equipment to be used for mowing the cemeteries and township property. They plan to make the final choices at the next trustee meeting.
In an interesting turn of events, the trustees talked about the future of the old church at 1292 Waterloo Road. The church, which was built in 1875 and is perhaps the oldest commercial structure in the township, has been vacant for several years and its condition has deteriorated each year. Trustee Chairman Tom Calcei suggested in reviewing the situation with Portage County Prosecutor Chris Meduri on options for its removal. The property is current owned by John & Adale Ceroni and was last used as a school for massage therapy.
Also brought up at the meeting was the May Primary Election to be held on Tuesday May 8th. The polling places will remain the same as the last election, that being; Precincts A & B will use the Suffield United Church of Christ building at 1115 State Route 43, while Precincts C, D & E will use the Suffield Elementary School at 1128 Waterloo Road. Township Clean Up day is Saturday May 12th from 8:00 AM until noon at the Road Department. As part of this monthly report, Scott McBroom, Road Department chief, said that they used 380 tons of the estimated 400 tons of salt purchased this year. Fire Chief Robert Rasnick was not available, as he was out doing what the Fire Department does best: fighting a house fire in Randolph Township. The Portage County Engineer's Office certified that Suffield now has 41.204 miles of roads. The owners of some property along Randolph Road are looking to annex their land from Suffield Township to the Village of Mogadore. The trustees are seeking the advice of the Prosecutor's Office before making a decision on how to respond. Several options are available.
It was also mentioned that long time resident and the longest serving elected township official Paul Young and his wife Dolores will be relocating to nearby Hartville. Paul was township clerk (now known as Fiscal Officer) from 1985-2007, a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals from 1972 to 1981, a member of the Zoning Commission from 1981 to 1983, and the temporary Zoning Inspector for a short period in 1983. He served as an assistant to the current fiscal officer for several years and is one of the original members of the Suffield Township Tax Incentive Review Council. His presence and leadership around Suffield will be sorely missed.
The Suffield Township Board of Trustees next meet on Tuesday April 10th at 8:00 PM. The Zoning Commission meets of Wednesday April 11th at 7:00 PM.