RICHFIELD TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
APRIL 6, 2006
7:00 p.m.
Richfield Township Trustees
Richfield Township Trustees
April 6, 2006

The Richfield Township Board of Trustees met for a regular meeting on April 6, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. with the following in attendance:

David Wyatt, Trustee Vice Chairperson
Laurie Peters Gilmore, Trustee
Linda Bowmer, Township Administrator
Laurie Pinney, Zoning Inspector
Dale Canter, Richfield Police Chief
Frank Gindraw, Rising Valley Park Board

Chairperson Shano Cica-Mraz was not in attendance due to the death of a family member.

A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to approve the minutes of the March 2, 2006 meeting. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance.

A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to approve warrants #11997 through 12044. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance.

Ms. Pinney provided the Fiscal Officer report. Representatives from First Merit were at the township office this morning to set up the online banking system for direct deposit of payroll. Direct deposit of payroll will be available to all employees and officials beginning with the April 11th or 25th payroll. The Auditor of State has sent a questionnaire and list of Independent Public Accountants to start the 2004-2005 audit process. Recommendations from other communities have been sought regarding choice of IPA and the information will be returned to the AOS.

Mr. Canter provided the Police Department report. The written report for 2005 is ready. Everett Road has had a speed reduction from 55 mph to 45 mph approved for a limited length of roadway within the township. The calls in March were 908 for the village, 113 for the township. Three new cars have been ordered for the department. Three members of the department will be attending a competitive pistol-shooting match, which is good training for real-life event simulation.

Mr. Stopak was not in attendance at the meeting because he is in Columbus placing the order for a new fire engine. He provided a written report giving the March calls as 7 fire and 21 ems for the township. Ms. Gilmore asked Ms. Bowmer to contact Mr. Stopak and request him to attend the next regular meeting to provide his complete report.

Ms. Pinney provided the Zoning report. The Summit County Board of Health is going to be working with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health in offering outfall mapping as required by the EPA NPDES Phase II permit. The Board of Zoning Appeals has denied an application for an area variance for an accessory building that has already been constructed. The township has a history of litigation with the applicant and legal counsel will be contacted to proceed with enforcement. If legal action is necessary, the Trustees will be asked to appropriate funds for this matter at a future meeting.

The Parks report was provided by Mr. Wyatt. The soccer fields at Rising Valley Park will be used somewhat less than they have been in the past. Mr. Gindraw raised the issue of having drinking water available at the park. The cost and process to have a drinking fountain installed would be extensive. Another alternative would be to have a vending machine installed with soft drinks and bottled water. Metal bars could be put around a machine to discourage vandalism. The Park Board is continuing to look into the possibility of having a plaque installed with names of former board members. The replacement door for the south restroom at Rising Valley had been approved at a cost of $400, but the estimate has increased to $700. A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to approve an increase to $750 for the door replacement. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance. The Cleveland Metroparks staff ordered three of the gate openers. A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to provide the three openers at no charge to the Metroparks. The motion passed with the unanimous approval of those in attendance. A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to purchase five tables at a cost not to exceed $300 each to replace existing tables at the park. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance.

The Road Department report was provided by Ms. Gilmore. Approximately two-thirds of the Boston Mills Service Yard addition has been completed and the township has received two estimates for HVAC for the building. A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to hire Bedford Heating to install heating and cooling at an amount not to exceed $4280. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance. The department is considering putting a chain-link fence around the property after a recent theft of a contractor’s equipment at the site. The Boston Mills site will be used as a water stop for the Sweet Corn bicycle ride in July, as will the Rising Valley Park.

The Administration report was provided by Ms. Bowmer. An advertisement has been placed in The Richfield Times May issue for the brush chipping program. Chipping will be done three times this year, starting with the second Mondays in May, July and October. The County of Summit Engineer will be hiring summer interns. The Akron Zoo is giving free tickets to Richfield residents to visit the zoo on May 6. A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to declare the 2002 Chevy Silverado dually as surplus property. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance. The Village of Richfield is planning on switching from Health Watch to another provider, but the township will stay with Health Watch. Joe Stopak will provide further information on the continued servicing of our Healthwatch clients at the next meeting. April 29 will be the Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Project Pride community cleanup day and will run from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Announcements – The JEDD Board met on March 27. Mr. Wyatt took Ms. Cica-Mraz’s place on the board since she was unable to attend this meeting. Jim Smith was appointed Chairman of the board, Mr. Wyatt is Vice-Chair, Kyle Ryan of FedEx is Secretary and Mike Lyons is Treasurer. The bylaws and collection of income tax were authorized at the first meeting.

A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt to go into executive session at 2:31 p.m. to discuss the sale and or acquisition of property. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance.

A motion was made by Ms. Gilmore and seconded by Mr. Wyatt at 3:45 p.m. to go out of executive session and adjourn. The motion passed with unanimous approval of those in attendance.

This page last updated on: 05/30/2006

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