Nelson
Nelson is working on passing a noise ordinance, mainly due to the goings-on at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park at 12001 Nelson Ledge Rd.
“We’ve had problems for years with concerts there. We have a memorandum understanding that the park is supposed to shut its loud music down at 11 p.m. They signed it years ago,” township Vice Chair Joe Leonard said.
“The problem is, while the music might be shut down on time, there are 1,000 campsites causing a lot of noise after hours. During the 4th of July weekend, they leased the park to another organization and had a stage set up by state Route 282. I went out with a decibel reader to see what the decibel number was, and it was 124, which is way, way too much. There were a lot of complaints. Last year, I had somebody in their house trying to talk to me, but it was so loud, they couldn’t hear me.”
On top of all the noise, there have been almost 30 felony drug arrests this year at the park. Last year, there were almost 100. And several of those arrests are of people from other states.
“These people are bringing in noise, they’re bringing in garbage, they’re bringing in traffic,” Leonard said. “It’s a problem. Traffic gets backed up on state Route 282 all the way to state Route 305 sometimes.”
The old Isaac Mills building on state Route 305 just east of Nelson Circle that was purchased, along with the property adjacent to it, by Larry Hermann is going to be renovated into an event center. The building is one of the oldest in the township.
“I think it’s going to be an asset to the community. There’s a need for it,” Leonard said. “Plus, it will bring a little tax revenue to the township.”
The project is supposed to be finished sometime next year.
The township passed a resolution that disallows solar panel windmills on farms. A public hearing on the matter will be held soon.
“The windmills are not very attractive, and they’re a potential hazard,” Leonard said. “We don’t have much commercial property in the township, and people don’t want these things next to their houses.”
Garrettsville
The 11th annual Garfield G-Men Football Golf Outing fundraiser will be held Friday, July 28 at Sugar Bush Golf Club at 11186 State Route 88. Shotguns for the four-person scramble will start at 1 p.m. A grilled lunch will be served from noon to 1 p.m. during registration, and a catered dinner after golf will be served in the banquet room. The fees are $100 per person and $400 per team. Those who would like to register, or any business owner who would like to sponsor a hole ($100 a hole), can call event organizer Aaron King at (330) 524-2646. Proceeds will go to the Garfield High School football team.
Village council discussed the possibility of purchasing a speed limit trailer because of numerous complaints about speeding drivers.
“We’d move the trailer around to different spots,” Mayor Rick Patrick said of the device that will cost around $15,000.
Village council recently talked to the police department about the growing problem of ATV four-wheelers running around town.
“We have a law that prohibits ATVs from being driven on the streets, but we’ve been pretty lax in enforcing it. We have a big problem with juveniles who are too young to be driving ATVs driving them, too,” Patrick said. “So we’re going to look at that pretty hard to try to enforce the law better.”
The annual Garrettsville Chamber Car Cruise and Peach Social will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 behind the Garrettsville Fire Department at 8035 Elm St.
“Anyone can bring their vintage car,” Patrick said. “There’s a peach social with peach pies, fresh peaches and ice cream. There will also be a band for entertainment. People come from all over Northeast Ohio for it.”
The village is renovating the tennis court at Craig Moser Park into two pickleball courts.
“We’ve had a lot of requests over the years for that,” Patrick said. “The pickleball courts will probably be ready to go by September.”
There is a farmers market from 4 to 7 p.m. every Thursday during the summer at the corner of Main Street and High Street. Mainly, produce is sold there.
Deborah Wordell, Garrettsville’s part-time clerk, recently resigned. The village is currently searching for her replacement.
Anyone interested in filling the position should call Village Hall at (330) 527-4424.
Sarchione Chevrolet in Randolph purchased Charles Auto Family, another Chevrolet dealer, which is located at 10851 North St. The name change to Sarchione Chevrolet is supposed to take effect by September.
The Sky Plaza IGA at 8283 Windham St. has been sold to another operator. The official change will take place this week, but the name of the store will stay the same.
Garrettsville Games, an arcade, will be opening soon in Sky Plaza.
Windham Township
National Night Out, an annual event that police departments nationwide put on simultaneously, will take place starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1 at the Village of Windham Community Center at 9621 E. Center St. National Night Out is a community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. The event enhances the relationships between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community.
“There will be hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks,” township Chair Rich Gano said. “The Windham Fire Department will provide a hose so children can play in the water since it’s usually hot out.”
The township is going to look into using its NOPEC grant for putting a new air conditioner in Town Hall.
“The grant money should cover the whole thing,” Gano said. “We’re getting quotes right now.”
Windham’s zoning inspector, Joe Pinti, recently resigned. Pinti was replaced by Alvin Sweet.
Road Supervisor Brian Miller has applied for grants to change road signage on the township roads.
Mantua Township
The annual Ox Roast Fair fundraiser will be held from Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 23 at St. Joseph Catholic Church at 11045 St. Joseph Blvd. The hours Friday are 5:30 to 10 p.m. and will conclude with a fireworks display. A Fun Run at 8 a.m. will kick things off Saturday. The event that day will last through a midnight mass for volunteers and fairgoers. The hours Sunday will be from noon to 10 p.m. All weekend long there will be band concerts, midway rides and raffles, among other attractions. Proceeds will go to the church school.
Village of Mantua
The annual Portage Parks District Adventure Race fundraiser at Buchert Memorial Park took place July 8. There were more than 200 participants.
“The race consisted of a 2-mile run, a 10-mile bike ride up to Camp Hi Canoe & Kayak in Hiram, and then you had to paddle back down the Cuyahoga River to the park,” Mantua-Shalersville Area Chamber of Commerce President Randy Ellis said.
The men’s champion was Lucas Hansel, and the women’s winner was Edna Spang.
Said Ellis, “All of the participants worked very hard.”
The annual Art on the Hill craft fair/street fair was held July 8. There were paintings, wood products and jewelry, among other items for sale. There were also food trucks, food from the Mantua Lions Club and a wine tasting with a few wineries present.
A community-wide garage sale will take place Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.
“We’re going to put together a list of participants,” Ellis said, “and try to hopefully get the list into some newspapers and on some websites.”
There will be a farmers market on Prospect Street by the Granary building from 4 to 7 p.m. on the following dates: Friday, July 28; Friday, Aug. 11; and Friday, Aug. 25. Food from local farmers and crafts, among other things, will be available. Unless there is inclement weather, the event will be held outdoors.
Village council will do a third reading on allowing microbreweries in the village.
American Legion Post 193 and some donors have refurbished the cannon that sits at Village Hall.
Village council passed legislation to update its employee handbook, making multiple changes in different areas.
Village of Hiram
The Village of Hiram will hold its annual classic car show, sponsored by the Hiram Police Department and the village, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 downtown. Prizes will be awarded.
Mayor Lou Bertrand has filed his petitions to run for another term.
