Documenters: Charlestown Township Trustees meeting for May 9, 2022

Documented by Max Swartout on May 9, 2022

Background/Contacts 

Charlestown Township is one of the eighteen townships in Portage County, Ohio. According to the 2020 Census, its population totaled 1,735 with 750 households. Charlestown Township was established in 1814. It covers 23.1 square miles. The James A. Garfield Joint Millitary Training Center and West Branch State Park both have land within the township. 

Trustee: Tim Patrick, 6161 KNAPP RD, RAVENNA, OH  44266; 330-296-7703

Trustee: Bruce Lang, 8060 NEWTON FALLS RD, RAVENNA, OH 44266; 330-297-9380

Trustee: Adam Eskridge, 7912 NEWTON FALLS RD, RAVENNA, OH  44266; 330-371-5782

Fiscal Officer: Susie Forgacs Address: 7352 Newton Falls Rd. Ravenna OH 44266 Phone; 330-607-7824

Fire Chief: Randy Porter

Zoning Inspector/Cemetery Sexton: Rick Grund; 330-256-3171

There is a community-organized Activity Committee, which has the mission of providing “free or low cost” activities for the community, and Historical Society. Jane Moser, 330-297-158, and Ruth Ann Bartholomew, 330-281-3723, are listed as contacts for the Activity Committee.  Pat Eskridge is the president of the Historical Society, 330-842-2965. 

Website: https://charlestowntownship.com/

Census: https://devresearch.ohio.gov/files/research/P3008.pdf

Charlestown Trustees Meeting

Monday, May 9, 2022

5:30 PM

Scene

Charlestown Town Hall, a traditional, old townhall. In the front of the room was a table. Between the table and the entrance, were a few rows of wooden foldable chairs. At the table from audience left to right sat Suzie Forgacs, fiscal officers; Adam Escridge, trustee; Bruce Lange, trustee; and Tim Patric, trustee. Rick Grund sat over along the wall to the audience’s right. 

In attendance 

Tim Patrick, Trustee

Suzie Forgacs, Fiscal Officer

Rick Grund, Cemetery Sexton and Roads

Adam Escridge, Trustee

Bruce Lange, Trustee

Randy Porter, Fire Chief

Don Hanna, Assistant Fire Chief

Joe Tenny, 6465 Newton Falls Road

Pack Jalsser, Hanna Road [Handwriting of the name is slightly illegible; the individual gave no house number]

[Perhaps a “Gary.” My attendance log doesn’t indicate any other individuals. However, there may have been a back that I wasn’t aware of.]

Documenter summary 

Something that was brought up many times when discussing costs to complete different projects and business was the increased prices from last year. It was clear the township was feeling these heightened costs. This included everything from fuel to contacted services for upkeep. Notable in the community is the upcoming Memorial Day Parade and Community Yard Sale. I was inspired by one trustee’s willingness to donate equipment and supplies for projects in the park.

Agenda/Notes

  1. Call to Order
  1. Pledge of Allegiance
  1. Previous Meeting Minutes
    1. Unanimously approved.  
  1. Financial Report
    1. Forgacs: Budget upcoming
    2. The bank statements are $0.04 off
    3. Patrick – Money will be needed for cemetery and road work. 
  1. New Business/Guest Comments
    1. Joe Tenny – Spring clean-up thanks
  1. Department/Committee Reports
  1. Parks
  1. Road/Zoning/Cemetery 
    1. A lady called about a dead deer. Grund told her he didn’t do anything with them, so the lady’s husband dragged the deer into the woods. 
    2. Mrs. Leeman says her husband was buried in the wrong plot. Grund is going to move his vault sometime this summer. 
    3. Grund wanted to make sure he could keep filling up the gas tanks because of the high cost. 
  1. Fire Department
    1. They’re on call #86; two up from 2021
  1. Fiscal Officer
    1. American Rescue plan reporting underway
      1. Patrick motioned to approve report fee
      2. Lange second
      3. Escridge yes
    2. The cemetery plan
      1. For “exceptional maintenance” includes: mapping cemetery, wrapping of trees, roads, improving access
      2. No regular maintenance 
      3. Lange called Lewis and Associates to get an estimate with something for 1,000 plots; perhaps expansion
    3. Scam-artist is going door-to-door saying they work for NOPEC
    4. Fire dept computers are in; one set up; no monitors yet
    5. Rootstown is doing a class called Gravesite Resotration and Management

Trustees

  1. Patrick 
    1. Dominion wanted to make sure they didn’t need permit to cap line
    2. Asked Great Lakes Construction for estimate on replacing guardrail on Garret Road
    3. Contacted D’Angelo Contracting Services for spraying quote
      1. $1300
      2. Motion to, Lange second, Escridge yes
    4. Pumps, equipment repair for machines
    5. Estimate from engineer for South Knapp road, 296 last year, up about 20% to 352,643.86
      1. Motion to approve, Escridge second, Lange yes; resolution – yea’s 3
  2. Lange
    1. Larry Jenkins called – conference; bid sheets ready for bridge on Newton Falls Road, planning on sending out for July 1st
    2. The pavilion and cemetery were sprayed
    3. Wants AC service for townhall and fire station before summer
    4. Little League done July 1
      1. Pads for bleachers; pad for portable toilets, player bleachers, 
      2. Patrick to donate a lift for basketball back board installation
    5. Brett on race track
      1. Found another address for Jeff Allen to serve something; indicated Jeff was in jail
    6. Frank Jackson property (talked with Brett)
      1. Wants the property cleaned up but doesn’t want the Township to have to pay for it
    7. Stripping on roads
      1. Talked about when that would be needed
  3. Escridge
    1. Asked about spraying; he was confused; he thought it was painting the guardrails 
    2. Road maintenance; crack-seal before winter
    3. Activity committee planning for Memorial Day Parade
    4. Community Yard Sale; Forgacs contributed 
    5. Bleechers look good; lights/security cameras quote–Ricky is getting
    6. Park; new fence, switch grass area to gravel SE corner; 
    7. The officials talked more about the case of the gentleman being buried in the wrong place
    8. Call from resident, looked like anew tenant moved into the basement of the house by the race track
    9. Voting on May 3 seemed to go really well
  4. Motion to play the bills
  1. Motion to adjourn

Transcript

Escridge: Let’s call to order a [inadudible 00:00:03] meeting of the Charlestown Township Trustees. We’ll stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. 

[All in attendance stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.]

[00:00:25]

Escridge: I’d like to make a motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting. 

Lange: I’ll second that. 

Patrick and another [Perhaps Lange again or Escridge]: Yes.

Escridge: Yes. 

Forgacs: And then the financial stuff I handed out to you guys…obviously the payments for the listings and everything you guys had, but we need to start working on the budget ‘cause that’s going to be here in the next month. We have to start submitting that. So, I have current appropriations, comparisons of what we appropriated, and that real thick document was the worksheet that I am going to work on that shows the last four years. So, just something…I mean if you have any questions in particular you can ask, but I just thought you guys could start looking at those, ‘cause we’ll be doing that in the next few weeks. [00:01:06 inaudible] budget. And then on the bank reconciliation you saw, it’s four cents off. We do electronic payments for the State of Ohio taxes, and it attached it the payment for four cents more than it was supposed to. Okay? So, I haven’t had time and effor to find the four cents or go up to the bank but I will do that. I just actually found that today that it was four cents off. So, that drove me crazy. [laughs from various folks.] So, that’s just it for the financial stuff. 

Escridge: Yeah, thanks. Very good; very good. 

[00:01:38 inaudible.]

Patrick: And just to go on that, we’ve got to keep in mind if we’re going to be doing something for the cemetery, I don’t know if you’ve got any new estimates and stuff [00:49:00 inaudible]. We are going to have to put money money in the cemetery fund for the doing that work. And then also, I’ll be talking about later for the road work. But, I think we got plenty of money for the road.

[00:02:00 inaudible.]

Forgacs: Okay. 

Escridge: Alright, well we can started with new business. We’ll start with our guest. Typically what we do…we can start with Max here.

Patrick: He’s just here to observe.

Escrdige: Okay; alright.

Patrick: I think. You don’t have any….

Escridge: You don’t? Okay. Great; any of our other guests here? 

Someone: No

Escridge: Gary? Joe?

Tenny: Yeah, I just want to say thanks for the spring clean-up dumpster. I thought RIck was doing a heck of a job. It was nice to have a back-hoe there to help lift stuff up.

Escridge: That’s great. Yeak, no you’re welcome. Thank you. That was the first thing I was going ask [00:02:35 inaudible], how everything went with the dumpsters.

Grund: It was pretty good. [00:02:42 inaudible] It filled both of them full. I mean I had to beat them down.They’re gone so. 

Escridge: So they came and got them?

Grund: Oh yeah…I probably could have put a little more in one, but I didn’t want to keep them around. Next thing you know you get too [00:02:58 inaudible]–

Lange: [00:02:59 inaudible]…overflowing.

Someone: In Shalyersville they block them off. We drove by there yesterday, and they had a backhoe and a dumptruck at the drives and you couldn’t get in. So, nobody would do that. 

Escridge: Well, thanks for your work on Saturday. I saw you a few times down there and there was a steady stream of cars coming in. I mean what was it? 8:15 I think when I first saw you and there was three or four people pulling in, and Frank came on his tractor. 

Someone: I rolled in early but I’ll tell you what, you could tell it was going to be a line. 

Escridge: Yeah, and then I came back around twelve or so and I saw you I think and stuff was starting to stick out all over the plot and what not. I saw the neighbors came over with not too much stuff a couch and a couple things. 

Grund: This is the day in age of couches and box springs and mattresses. 

Escridge: Good, yeah, thank you. Anything else going on?

Grund: I got a phone call from Hanna road. There’s a dead dear by a mailbox. I told her I didn’t do anything with them. So, her husband moved it into the woods…I met with Mrs. Leeman [not sure on the spelling]. I didn’t argue with her. She wants me to move her husband two rows this way, West. I told her I wouldn’t do anything until the middle of summer…Fuel; if I fill them tanks up on that trailer, it’s 80 gallon, and the gas is five dollars a gallon for that [00:04:45 inaudible] tank. Is that going to be okay, or?

Patrick: He’s talking about his credit card, right? 

Forgacs: Or just, I think, overall, he’s just making sure you guys–

Grund: Overall.

Patrick: Yeah, I mean keep it in the garage so nobody can steal it–

Grund: Right.

Patrick: You got to have gas.

Grund: Well, I just wanted to make sure it’s okay ‘cause it’s going to be $500. 

Patrick: Thanks Uncle Joe. [laughs among people.]

Grund: Yeah, ‘cause there’s only one place to get it and that’s Ravenna…I don’t know what it’s called now; Ravenna Oil.

Patrick: Nah, it’s some other–

Someone: It’s something else now. 

Patrick: Yeah, completely off the wall because it’s like farmore store or something because we still got an account and like…they—

Forgacs: [00:05:23 inaudible]. 

Someone: Yeah.

Grund: And that’s all I have. 

Escridge: Yeah, it’s amazing how expensive fuel is. 

Patrick: It’s not over with. 

Escridge: Okay, thanks Rick. Alright, we can get to the fire department then. 

Either Porter or Hanna: All I have is we’re on call number eighty-six. That’s only up two from last year. 

Escrdige: Great, great. 

Porter or Hanna: That’s it. 

Escrige, Lange, or Patrick: Suzie? 

Forgacs: I’ll make up for it. I got a few things. So, I had to do the American Rescue Plan reporting that they do periodically. They gave us kind of a long time to do this first report, but that was submitted. As far as our scheduled audit for 2020 and 2021, they like lots and lots of documents sent electorincially and of course you can only send so many. I’ve already sent twenty emails with attached documents. The date though, he wanted to do it today, and then he was sick. So, I am not sure when we are going to do the date. It has to be done by the end of the month. So, I’m pretty much ready. I did get the bills so I don’t know if we need to make a motion. They did decrease it because they don’t think our audit’s going to take anywhere amount…like the time…initially it was $5400 and now its $2700. 

Someone: Wow.

Forgacs: So, I [00:06:47 inaudible] it’s okay that we say thas was okay, but I guess…we probably just need a motion for me to do a PO for that. 

Patrick: I’ll make a motion. 

Lange: I’ll second.

Escrdige: Yes. 

Forgacs. Okay. So, the cemetery plan. Tim probably has some more information, too. I went to the conference in February. That was one of the programs I went, and I signed up to be notified when that grant opens. And, I know it’s a real short…it’s like only a thirty day window to complete. They’re hoping to give $2500 out to individual townships. And, it talked about what projects qualified, and they called it exceptional maintenance, and it includes mapping of cemeteries, improving access to sites, the head…the class of Rootstown is doing, pinning new sites, fencing trees, all that kind of stuff. It doesn’t include reasonable maintenance, purchase of land, expanding cemetery, and purchase of a columbarium, that I had to look up. 

Someone: What’s that? 

Forgacs: It’s a building that they can put urns and stuff in…So, I’ll just kind of…I don’t know how soon we’re talking about that survey and if—

Lange: Well, I called Lewis and Associates and talked to a woman there. What there going to do in order to…I told them we needed to get a price of what it’s going to cost. I told them around a thousand plots?

Someone: Yeah, approximately. 

Lange: Yeah, what they’re going to do…they’ll go off a satellite. 

Forgacs: Okay. 

Lange: And I told here there is no address. She kind of laughed. She goes, “most of them old cemeteries don’t have.” I go, “it’s in the 7000 block of Newton Falls road. And, so what they’re going to do is they’ll do a satellite and then get back to me with a price. And that would be…cause I told her around a thousand plots. 

Forgacs: Well, [00:08:46 inaudible] when this opens up, usually they say it’s around either June or July, and it’s…so I’ll just keep…and even if we can’t use it for or the other things…’cause we can even…it says for roads or improving access and all that kind of stuff so. 

Someone: That’s good. 

Forgacs: Let’s see what else. I did for…or no I did not forward this one yet. I figured you guys got this, but the thing we were talking about the health districts. I guess they’re meeting at the state tomorrow on that bill. So that was an email. NOPEC sent out an annual report if you wanted to look at it. I did forward that email about how there was scam artists going door to door saying they work for NOPEC so in case you get any calls. This is the Portage County Land Banks annual report [00:09:25 inaudible] if you guys want to look at that. I did send you that email; the local governments officials conference isavaible online. I’ve never gon to any of those but I’ve heard that those are very good classes. If you guys have any training certificates from 2020 or 2021 I will need those for my audit. They look at those. The fire department computers did come in. I don’t know if they were set up yet or not but I did deliver them to the station. 

Porter or Hanna: One is set up but we still haven’t got the monitors yet. 

Forgacs: Okay. And, then I did get a call about the gas line that [00::09:57 inaudible] Tim, so I figured you’d talk about that.

Patrick: Mhm

Escridge: I think I do have training stuff ‘cause I did all that online, those courses–

Forgacs: So, if you have any certificates just forward them to my email. Especially if you have anything on record management. That’s one of the things they always look [00:10:14 inaudible.] Just forward me any certificates from the last two years. 

Escridge: And the cemetery was $2500?

Forgacs: $2500 is what they’re hoping to make it…it was less than that but she was fairly confident at this conference that that approval was going to go through to increase the grants to $2500. There aren’t any matching fund requirements with that. Actually she said upto $2500; $2500 max. I’ll keep you posted though when I get the information.

Escridge: And you also said the Rootstown class too–

Forgacs: Well that’s one of the things–

Patrick or Lange: Does that interest you at all? 

Forgacs: I mean I think that’s how they’re putting it on…or maybe they were thinking that–

Grund: I don’t even know what that is. 

Escridge: The Gravesite Resotration and Managment class that Rootstown’s gonna do. It was going to do for free, but I think they’re asking now fifty bucks—

Forgacs: I’ve brought the [00:11:14 inaudible] I didn’t bring it with me this time, but it’s June 17th, it’s a Friday, half a day June 18th. It’s just talking about restoration and taking care of the stone and that kind of stuff. And, it’s fifty bucks a township. So, you can send as many people as you wanted if you had your whole cemetery crew with you. [laughs among the people]

Patrick: The whole crew? 

Someone: You, yourself, and you. 

Patrick: Me, myself, and I? 

Escridge: It’s something to think about. I mean I know we don’t necessarily do the restoration ourselves. I think they’re [00:11:35 inaudible] all sorts of stuff to do at the cemetery…could be a good–

Grund: We’ll see what the weather’s like and what I’m doing. 

Escridge: Yeah, okay. 

Escridge: Okay, good stuff. Thank you, Suzie. Tim?

Patrick: I’ll start with the Dominion guy. He just wanted to see if there was any type of permits or anything he needed. He’s just capping a gas line over at [00:11:58 inaudible]. He said…I told him our roads are fifteen ton roads. He said they’re not taking anything over there fifteen tons. I said there was no permit needed. He’s just doing away with some of the gasline we don’t use anymore. They’re capping it off right there at [00:12:14 inaudible; sounds like “Nettings,” but I didn’t find a road by that name.] I copied all you guys on the… I contacted… email… Great Lakes Construction for an estimate to replace the guardrail on Garret Road. I did go down and look at it when it was raining it is working great–

Lange: Yeah [00:12:28 inaudible]–

Patrick: The rock underneath is going to hold up. It’s going to do real well. The guardrail needs changed. I did ask him to look at it to see if we need to extend it ‘cause we got those reflectors up, and I tol him we want whatever the current specification and recommendation would be. So, waiting to hear back from them. I also contact Terry [00:12:53, not sure; maybe McCanse], it’s called D’Angelo Contracting Services. I wondered ‘cause I tried emailing them; it was a different name last year. 

Lange: Oh, for the spraying? 

Patrick: For the spraying yeah. So, he did give us a quote to spray our guard rails. Off the top of my head, I think it was $1100, but it’s $1300 now. I’d like to make a motion to get the spraying down on the guardrails ‘cause it keeps everything clean. 

Lange: I’ll second that. 

Escrdige: Yes

Patrick: Okay. I also talked with Jeff (00:13:23 not sure; maybe Durthick], about that Vair Road call, and I met him out there. We looked at it. He’s going to… I sent him an email so we have a paper trail on it. He’s going to present it as [13:31 inaudible] he didn’t see a problem with it. I told him since we’re tearing the road out, I said I don’t know if we really need it, but I’d like to do that. He said he didn’t see a problem with it. I said I’d rather you send me an email that I have a record of it. And, he’s going to get back to me on that. I also talked with Bill [00:13:47 not sure; maybe Lecoyis]. He’s still trying to figure out what the cost and the availability is for these pumps. I said we need to get it done. The thing still only goes to 15 miles an hour which means it’s low on power. It’s 50% of the pressure it’s suppose to have. I said “Bill we got to get it fixed.” I will keep pushing on him. If we don’t get some good answers here soon, I might call Middlefield Kubota. I’d rather deal local.

Lange: Yeah. 

Patrick: But–

Escridge: That’s the next nearest dealer or the—

Patrick: Yeah, it’s the one I know that does it…equipment—

Escridge: Right. 

Patrick: And they’re very spot on. I mean they come and pick-up; take things back. I mean [Lecoyis] has been pretty good. Maybe they’re overwhelmed with everything going on; shorthanded. I’m just going to stay after him on that. And, the other thing…I brought you guys the current bid…or the current estimate from the engineer for South Knapp Road. It’s went up like a good 20%. 296 back in 11/04/2021. So, that was only eight months ago or something like that…seven months ago. It’s 352,643.86. I don’t think we need the inspection services but I think we need to leave that in there incase we need any extra money. I would like to make a motion to approve that. So, what that means, Suzie, is that we would have to [00:15:27 inaudible]. I plan on filing for OPWC money, and it’s a 50% max. So, you’ll have to set aside 50% of that money, and we need to have a resolution for it to put in with the application saying that we put this money aside. 

Forgacs: Okay. So, you want to make this a resolution? 

Patrick: Yes, I would. 

Forgacs: Okay. Alright. I need a second. 

Escrdige: I second that. 

Forgacs: Okay, so we’ll do a roll since it’s a resolution. Adam?

Escrdige: Yes.

Lange: Yes.

Forgacs: Tim?

Patrick: Yes. 

Escridge: The power company was going to pay for a certain [00:16:18 inaudible] part of the—

Patrick: This has nothing to do with the power company. This is stopped where the power company was it. 

Escridge: Right, okay. So, they’ll pick up  from there to Route 5? 

Patrick: Yes, where they left off to Route 5, that’s what [00:16:33 inaudible] yes. 

Escridge: Yeah, wow, it’s gone up a lot. And, it’s probably [00:16:39 inaudible] all the–

Patrick: Well, it’s all oil based–

Lange: Right.

Patrick: Everything about construction has to do with whether it’s fuel for the equipment and everything else. So, yeah, it’s the biggest increase I’ve seen in the twenty years I’ve been here. But, I hate to say it: It’s just going to keep going up. I’m hoping we get OCWP money ‘cause if not, we’re probably going to have to look at using some of those funds we have and just paying for it because roads…I don’t want to let it deteriorate. 

Lange: Right. 

Escrdige: So, that was my next question for you is if we don’t on that [00:17:12 inaudible]–

Patrick: We’d have to look at using some of that recovery money we’re allowed to use now and do it. And then the last thing I have is I plan on over the next few weeks to go just inspect all of our culverts and see if theres anything else we need to bid out for when we bid out the Vair Road. I’d like to bid them all out. There’s only a few. We’ve already done South Knapp. We’ve actually done North Knapp. Right, Ricky? Is there another one near? Or, is that the only one?…I know there’s a couple…two or three on Middle Knapp. But, either way, I’m going to go look at them all; see if we’ve got anything…if we’re going to bid it out, nothing’s going to be getting any cheaper. I will try to do it all at once. They may all be okay; I don’t know, but I will get that done. 

Escridge: Yeah, okay. Great. Thanks.

Grund: You caught me off guard, Tim. I was…I can’t think of any; just that one. 

Patrick: Yeah that one which we replaced. 

Grund: Yeah. 

Escridge: Very good. Alright, Bruce? 

Lange: Larry Jenkins called. The other day he was on his way to a conference down in Columbus, and they have all the bid sheets together and ready for the bridge there on Newton Falls Road. But, that money isn’t released until July 1st. So, they can’t send anything out for bid until July 1st. So, they’ll plan on sending all that out for the bid, and hopefully starting in the Fall on the bridge there. 

Forgacs: Have you guys driven by? I went down there last week just to look at it. Oh, yeah. It’s just a huge gap. 

Lange: I went down there right after. And, yeah it would have left a mark if you would have hit that. 

Someone: I think I drove down over it the day before they shut it down because I noticed one side was like abig hole [00:19:10 inaudible]. And, the next day it was shut down, so. 

Lange: And then Abe Best went ahead and sprayed the pavilion and cemetery. Did you get that invoice? 

Forgacs: [00:19:26 inaudible]. 

Lange: I’d like to get ahold of [00:19:29 not sure; maybe Safco] to check out the AC for the townhall…service the AC for the townhall and the fire station for the upcoming hopefully warm summer…warm dry summer. Did you find out when the little league’s going to be done? 

Someone: July 1st. 

Lange: July 1st? 

Grund: Yeah.

Lange: Okay. I talked with Jimmy the other day, and he was asking. I said I was going to find out when it was done. So, the bleachers are together now right? 

Grund: Correct. Brett and his coaches put them together not the dumpsters Saturday but the Saturday before that. 

Lange: Right. So, I’ll let Jimmy know. And, we’re going to do the pads for the two sets of bleachers, the pad for the portapotties, pads for the player bleachers…player benches, and the two pads for the playground. 

Grund: The other thing you need to be doing now is the basketball backboards. I don’t know who you want to do that. I know it’s too much for me to handle by myself. 

Escridge: Yeah, how would we do that? I was going to bring that up ‘cause…that’s beyond you and Rue? You’re thinking right? I mean that’s–

Grund: I don’t know.

Patrick: We’ll just have to all work together and do it. I have–

Lange: Do you have [00:20:58 inaudible]–

Patrick: I have a lift–

Lange: Oh, lift? 

Patrick: I have a lift that we could probably bring down. I got a–

Lange: [00:21:05 inaudible].

Patrick: Yeah, no a regular lift.

Lange: Yeah, right. 

Patrick: I had an electric one that a…I got an all terrain one/. I just got to make sure I got a trailer big enough to bring it—

Lange: Oh. 

Patrick: But that’d be the easiest way: go right up under [00:21:20 inaudible] and just do that. 

Lange: Oh, yeah, absolutely. 

Patrick: But I’ll donate the lift and help. We just need to put it together. 

Escridge: Great, thanks. I was going to suggest that we get one ach others’ shoulders and get–

Forgacs: Teamwork. 

Patrick: Just as long as you’re at the bottom, then I’m good with it. 

Lange: I also touched base with Brett on the racetrack. And, I even checked on the clerk of courts, and he hasn’t received anything. When I talked with him, Brett, he did find another address for Jeff Allen. He thought maybe he coil adjust take it over to the jail and serve it…And then I also talked to him about the Frank Jackson property. He still hasn’t gotten any feedback from anybody with that corporation. And, he said there was another thing he could do…he was checking into some other thing he could do to force their arm. He was going to get that taken care of and get back to me. It would be something through our zoning. I don’t want to…I want to get it cleaned up, but I don’t want us to have to clean up. I don’t want to push to the point to the next thing you know we’re spending a tone of money–

Patrick: That’s going to be costly. I didn’t understand why anybody bought that. 

Lange: I don’t either. And, maybe that’s why they’re not paying attention now. And then, to do the striping on the roads. Did we…all we did was the center stripe when we striped them didn’t we?

Patrick: Yeah. 

Lange: We didn’t do any berm–

Grund: I think you did the whites and the yellows. 

Lange: Did we do it all? 

Someone: And Newton Falls Road gets the whites. 

Lange: Well, I’m talking about ours. 

Grund: The county did it for $800 bucks back then. I’m sure it’s–

Lange: Well, the last time we had it done, we payed for that survey that the engineer has. He has the survey. I don’t know if we have any passing lanes. 

Patrick: We do not. It’s all double yellow. 

Someone: I think–

Patrick: The last time we did not do the white lines because we didn’t–

Lange: [00:23:48 inaudible].

Patrick: Most county roads don’t do them. I know Rick like them cause he says it helps, but I don’t how you can see them when the snows on them anyways for plowing. 

Grund: Well, as long as you get one line there it helps a lot [00:24:00 inaudible] center—

Lange: I don’t know I remember this right or not, but we did the double yellow because of liability…was it because of liability issues as far as an accident…[00:24:11 inaudible] investigate whether somebody crossed the line or…

Patrick: I don’t know that. I mean we’ve always just tried to keep them somewhat. We don’t do them every year. 

Lange: No–

Patrick: When they get really bad we do ‘em. And, I thought we just did the center line. Now, keep in mind that those roads we chipped and sealed a few years ago; those were the last ones that got the lines. I don’t think the county would do them for us. That John True won’t do anything. 

Lange: Right. 

Patrick: I mean he–

Someone: Well the last.

Patrick: They’re busy…they don’t have enough man power to do any stuff—

Lange: Did they spray them the last year. 

Patrick: No, the last time—

Lange: We contracted it–

Patrick: We contracted it through the people who did the chip and seal. 

Lange: Oh, is that [00:25:03 inaudible] was.

Patrick. Yeah. I mean I can look into getting prices. I have no problem doing that. 

Lange: I mean I can’t…I don’t want to do anything until we get to the point we’re ready to do them all. And, if we’re doing South Knapp…

Patrick: Well, I’ll tell you this. If we get approved for the OWCP money, that wouldn’t be until next year. 

Forgacs: Well South Knapp, that’s part of the [00:25:30 inaudible].

Patrick: I know that’s what I’m saying but that’s not until next year. So we’d be in the same boat as the county is with the July 2023 of being able to use our money. So, that’s what we’re [00:25:45 inaudible] now. If we don’t get approved for that, then we’re going to have to try and do something ourself but I don’t…whether we stripe it or not, I see that road getting stripped…I mean it does need to be done before winter. 

Lange: That’s all I got. 

Escrdige: Okay. So, we would be applying now for the work to be done July 2023.

[00:26:09 inaudible, seemingly affirmation from people]

Escrdige: Yeah, okay. 

Lange: Now, I think the bridge though is the money gets released July 1st of this year. 

Patrick: Yeah, but they applied for it last year. That’s what they told us when they shut it down “I hate to tell you this but this is all going to be OCWP money and that won’t be ‘til next year so–

Lange: Yeah.

Escride: So maybe they’re…obviously this is going up a lot they’re building some of that future…right…they’ll stick to this if they…

Patrick: No, that’s an estimate. What ever they bid, they bid. This has nothing to do…

Lange: Hopefully—

Patrick: This is hopefully it’s within 10%. 

Lange: Hopefully…yeah…that contingency picks up the difference. 

Escridge: Okay. I hope that works out because then it’s just going to keep going up. 

Patrick: [00:26:67 inaudible] fuel goes down to a buck eight-seven a gallon we’ll be a [00:26:59 inaudible].

Escridge: I used my fuel perks the other day…I had a dollar…and it brought it down to $3.15 or 3…Alright, thanks Bruce. You mentioned the railing on [00:27:16 inaudible] culverts. Are there any other railings that we know of or maybe it’s something–

Lange: Guardrails…

Escridge: [00:27:21 inaudible] guardrails that are kind of–

Patrick: Not that I know of. I was thinking about that when I went and looked at the one. The only thing would be like that bridge on Esworthy [Road] which the county was planning on doing something with that over the next few years.

Lange: Right.

Patrick: That’s a county bridge. It’s not our bridge. I don’t think so though. South Knap…we upgraded those twenty years ago when we paved the road–

Lange: …fixed that slide and paved the road.

Patrick: Yeah, no…it was before we fixed the slide. That was the first road I think I ever paved when I started as trustee in 2001 or something like that. So, but it needed guiardrails uploaded. I don’t know…there’s none on North end are there? 

Grund:..None on our Knapp road.

Lange: I think that’ s it.

Someone: That’s it.

Patrick: But I’ll look when I go check culverts. 

Escridge: And then…okay thank you. And then the spraying, I know we did it last year…do we do that every year: the spraying of guardrails or is that…has to be done…okay. [00:28:02 inaudible] salt and everything eats those away…or–

Lange: What’s that?

Escridge: The spraying.

Patrick: Those guardrails are from the—

Lange: No the spraying…we’re spraying for weeds.

Patrick: Oh, the weeds.

Lange: We’re not spraying the guardrails. We’re spraying the weeds. 

Forgacs: [00:28:27 inaudible].

Escridge: Oh I thought it was painting. Gotcha. Okay.

Lange: No.

Patrick: Keeps all the trees and stuff from growing up [00:28:53 inaudible] kill it off. 

Escrdige: I remember that on Knapp…South Knapp right? That was the…it was all grown up–

Patrick: It was bad. We used to try keep up with it with a weed wahcker. But, it’s just too much, and we talked to the county, and the county gets some spray over here. And–

Escridge: And they use that high powered stuff that can kind of–

Patrick: Whatever they do, if they don’t kill it you call them and tell them…they come back and spray it ‘cause like I said: the first time they did it, they had to spray them twice to kill that stuff out of there but it was a lot bigger growth. Now, it’s nice and clean–

Lange: Yeah, if we keep up on it. 

Patrick: …we keep up on it once a year like the county does–

Lange: Right.

Patrick:…it’ll stay good. 

Escridge. Perfect. Okay. Good. And, then I saw the [00:29:36 not sure; maybe pairing] in here. That all looks pretty good, right? Anyone have any feedback from anyone on that. 

Lange: No [00:29:43 inaudible].

Escridge: [00:29:44 inaudible] pretty smooth and quick. And those are the only roads that we’re going to have them do right, until–

Patrick: Well, they’re going to do some crack sealing. They quoted crack-sealing on what? Middle Knap I think.

Forgacs: Hanna. 

Patrick: Hanna? 

Lange: Yeah. 

Escridge: Gotcha, okay. And that was bout the same amount, right? I think.

Patrick: I think so. 

Forgacs: Seventy-five hundred? 

Patrick: Seventy-five hundred. 

Lange: Yeah.

Escridge: Yeah, okay. So they’ll let us know or there–

Patrick: They’ll do it sometime over the summer. 

Escvridge: Okay cool.

Patrick: I mean that isn’t anything…the truck [00:30:16 inaudible] have to get done first. 

Lange: Right. 

Escridge: Right. Okay. 

Lange: And the crack-seal, that’s for the winter.

Patrick: Yeah we have to have it done before winter to keep that—

Lange: We don’t want that moisture to get there and then freezing and popping.

Patrick: Right.

Escridge: Well someone was saying that Ohio has such bad roads compared to states that are more Northerly, and the reasoning…and I guess you would know this ‘cause of your line of work…it’s the freezing and then unthawing so many times. Whereas like if you live in Canada for instance, it gets…it freezes for the year and stays cold for the year. If you live down South it doesn’t get cold. It’s those middle states that get the–

Patrick: Oh yeah, the freezing, the water, it heats up, and then watter gets down underneath. 

Escrdige: We had an Acitivity Committee Meeting for the Memorial Day Parade and got everything sorted out there with all the who’s going to speak and stuff and read and what not. We’ll have the speakers all put together, we’ll work with the…I think in the Fire Department. We’ll put the bigger one down at the parade. What else did we go over? I think we kind of finalized.

Forgacs: Let’s see. So–

Escridge: You’ll be good with the Dairy Queens? I told my sone that you’ll be giving Dairy Queen cards.

Forgacs: So Michael Herman is our confirmed speaker. 

Lange: Have you talked to the Sheriff? 

Patrick: I have not talked to Bruce. I need to talk to Bruch but he said…

Escridge: And what? I’m sorry what did he say? 

Forgacs: Just that Mike Herman is our confirmed speaker, and the pastor is going to do the invocation and the post–

Patrick: And, I’ll get a hold of Bruce, the Sheriff, to make sure he can get us a couple deputies to block off the road.

Escrdige: [00:32:06 inaudible].

Lange: If they can get us one for Esworthy this year, that would be great. ‘Cause I flew down there and had my truck parked sideways acrossed the parade last year. 

Forgacs: And then the other thing just to be coming up…Community Yard Sale June 10th and 11th, that we always put in the newspaper, the Activity Committee, and on the sign, and on Facebook…And, they’re actually going to buy some balloons to tie on mailboxes this year ‘cause usually I make maps. So, like whe you stop at the first one you can kind of see.

Patrick: The balloons sounds like a good idea.

Lange: Yeah.

Escrdige: Yeah, I like the balloon idea. I was going to mention the bleachers. I got here; they looked really nice. The lights that we were going to put out here in front of the…is there any movement on that? Who’s working on that? 

Forgacs: You mean the security? 

Escrdige: Yeah.

Lange: Oh, the cameras? 

Grund: I [00:33:03 inaudible] he was supposed to give me a quote, and I don’t have it yet. 

Escridge: Okay. You’re on it. Okay, thank you. I had just thought about this the other day, and I wrote it down. Up there at the park where we put in the new fence. So, if you can imagine it, it would be the farthest East spot that you can park in our parking lot. 

Lange: The SouthEast corner that fence–

Escridge: Someone got stuck there during the easter egg hunt. And, Bruce had mentioned, I think it’s a great idea, that there’s like a 15×15 foot section there of the grass that kind of curves right there…that we would just remove that grass and make it all gravel. So, then the parking lot would be just a rectangle shape…’cause people want to park there. And then, I drove up there the other…I forget what night it was..I came up here and I couldn’t believe how many people were here for the girls’ softball game. 

Lange: Yeah.

Escridge: I mean every single parking spot was full and it was all full down the road on this slide of the street. 

Someone: Yeah.

Escrdige: Yeah it was amazing. 

Lange: [00:34:06 inaudible] a lot of people out there for those ballgames. 

Escrdige: Yeah, and the park looked really nice…everything…the yard and everything looked really good. And, someone was parking there, and I thought of it. So, I don’t know, would we do that? Can you scrape that off with the…I don’t know something to think of. We’d fill in some material there. 

Grund: I can do it, it would probably just be mid summer. 

Escrdige: You’ll–

Lange: It’s an area you’re mowing, and it ends up being an area which after during the Easter Egg Hunt–

Forgacs: [00:34:44 inaudible]

Patrick: I’ll give you grindings from my place. 

Lange: Yeah.

Patrick: I’ll donate the grindings. So, you just got to get it dug out, and you can come to the shop and get whatever you need to put it in there. Next time you have Craig up there, if he’s doing something in the neighborhood, have him do it if you need him to. Have him use our backhoe though. 

Grund: He’ll probably have to help me with these graves…moving this grave so.

Patrick: Yeah, well, when he’s doing that, let’s try to do it all at once.

Grund: Yeah. ‘Cause he’s got the [00:35:16 inaudible] bucket. ‘Cause I have to go down the side. So we need the cables down and go all the way around like a one foot bucket. So, you get the cables down there to pick the casket, the vault up to move it. 

Patrick: Why are we moving this? 

Grund: She says I put it in the wrong place. I don’t think I did. But, I am not going to argue with her. Do we not need to check that out close and make sure we’re where we’re at? 

Someone: The question is, does she own both plots? 

Grund: Well no, she owns the two where its at now she got deeded off. But, she says when him and her came down there, they picked out [00:36:08 inaudible]. They never gave me any money for it. Well, he died a month later. And, she called me on a Friday, and I said, “You need to come down here and look at it.” Well, she was too upset. Well, that was the Saturday before the blizzard come…the first one. Well, I dug it ‘cause I thought I was right. She says I’m wrong. 

Patrick: What does the deed say? 

Grund: Well the deed says where it’s at now…Suzie hasn’t filled one out for where they at now. 

Forgacs: I’ll look at the records, ‘casue you always write on the receipts. I’ll look and see. 

Lange: Well, just make sure I go in the right spot. 

Forgacs: We’re going to put you upside down on your head. 

Patrick: Well, I’m going to be in a jar, you won’t have to worry about me. 

Escridge: So, I got a call from a resident. They noticed that it looked like a new tennant moved into the basement of the house next to the racetrack, but the rental that’s on the property of the racetrack… I think they rented out to a couple of people. And, I think we looked into that before. That’s an approved rental. I think–

Patrick and Lange: [00:37:31 inaudible].

Lange: Back when Kennedy’s house was still there.

Grund: That’s been a three-apartment building–

Escridge: So this is–

Patrick: We still haven’t foud…I mean they…that’s the place they tied into that line and just ran out there.

Escrdige: Yeah, okay.

Patrick: That’s still in the health department’s hands. 

Escridge: And then the last thing, the voting here on May 3rd seemed to go relly well. I had a good turnout of volunteers. All the same people who have been doing it for a while. It seemed like everything looked nice and orderly. It seemed like a good flow of people. So, I just wanted to comment that that went well. And, that’s all that I have. So, we’ll make a motion to pay the bills. 

Lange: I’ll second. 

Patrick: Yes.

Escridge: And, anything else for the betterment of Charlestown that I missed? Great. Alright, we’ll make a motion to adjourn. 

Lange: Second.

Patrick: Yes. 

Max Swartout
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