Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
November 23, 2010
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Gary Mortus at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room.
In attendance were Gary Mortus, Matt Montowski, William Rofkar, Karen Shaw,
Dan Barlow, John Gangway, Herb Roder, Tim Steinbauer, Ann Miller, Jim Root, and Jack DeVore.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
The minutes were read from the November 9 meeting of the Board of Township Trustees. William Rofkar made a motion to approve the November 9 meeting minutes as amended, seconded by Matt Montowski. All voted aye.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve and pay the bills in the amount of $31,114.02 seconded by Matt Montowski. All voted aye.
Correspondence
The following correspondence was received by the township and read:
A letter from Frank Harmon of Ohio Insurance Services Agency, Inc. regarding changes with the Healthcare Reform.
A letter from Erin Patton of Ohio Public Entity Consortium highlighting the benefits of a Wellness Program for employees.
A letter from Diane Belden regarding the cemetery and in particular the American flag flown and spotlighted in the Veteran’s Memorial.
A check was received from Andy and Marlene Benko in the amount of $200 as a donation to the Cemetery Fund with a note of thanks for the cemetery’s beauty.
A check was received from First Energy in the amount of $66,666 for the Electrical Aggregation Incentive approved by the voters in May of 2010.
Attendees
Tim Steinbauer, Water Craft Officer for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, gave a presentation regarding their proposal for creating a marked Idle Speed/No Wake zone for Catawba Island between Catawba Island State Park and Catawba Island Club Marina entrance. The Township Trustees agreed they were in favor of the proposal and welcome public comment.
Herb Roder spoke on behalf of the Ottawa County Board of Election. He said he is a county inspector for the elections on Catawba and the other precincts in Ottawa County. Herb Roder made a suggestion to improve the lighting setup on each of the voting booths at the Community Hall. The Township Trustees agreed to improve the lighting on the voting booths.
Ann Miller asked the Township Trustees if she could disinter her deceased husband and move him from one area in the cemetery where she currently has two spaces to another area in the cemetery and purchase two additional spaces. Ann Miller said she feels she was misinformed about the area surrounding her present grave sites and requested she not be charged for the cremation disinterment. She also said she felt she should not have to pay the difference for transferring her present two sites to two new sites even though there has been a price increase. Ann Miller said she understands she would have to pay the new price for the two additional sites. Gary Mortus said although different than discussed at the last meeting, he proposes the township swap her two lots at no cost and sell her two additional lots at today’s price and absorb the cost of the disinterment. The Trustees agreed to run the proposal past the County Prosecutor for legal verification and get back to Mrs. Miller in the future.
Jim Root said he has paint on his vehicle that he believes occurred on Twin Beach Road a few weeks ago. He said there were no cones of any type on the road and he did not see any paint trucks in the area. Jim Root said he has called Oglesby out of Norwalk, but he has not received anything from them yet.
Jack DeVore said he also had paint on his vehicle and followed through with Oglesby and received a letter from National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford. He read the letter aloud. Jack DeVore stated he was rejected, he is angry, and he has called an attorney. A brief discussion took place regarding the situation. Gary Mortus said he is going to stop in personally at Oglesby in Norwalk and discuss the situation. William Rofkar said the Trustees need to be on record that they are not happy with what has taken place and how Oglesby has handled it.
Fire and Safety
Fire Chief John Gangway said the estimate to repair the transmission and oil pans on engine 222 was $2,200. The Township Trustees agreed the repairs should be made.
Maintenance
Dan Barlow stated they picked up the beet juice and are ready for winter snow removal.
Dan Barlow said he has an appointment with a representative from MasterMind to discuss a software program that would allow the township to maintain our sign usage and make certain we are in compliance with the reflectivity code.
Dan Barlow also stated all the trucks are up and ready.
Dan Barlow said after the bids were let for the new drapes at the Community Hall, Young’s Floor Coverings and Draperies said they were not able to get the drapes they had quoted at the price they had quoted. He said Young’s gave him another quote for a different set of drapes. Dan Barlow said due to the change he has reopened the bids and would like to wait and come back in a couple weeks with new quotes.
Dan Barlow spoke in response to the letter received by Catawba Island resident Diane Belden. He stated the reason the American Flag was down for an extended length of time recently following inclement weather was due to the ends being torn and the flag was sent out for repairs. Dan Barlow also stated the township normally has a spare flag on hand but did not at that time. The Township Trustees agreed to leave the flag up all year long and evaluate the situation. Dan Barlow also stated the township does have a spare flag at this time.
William Rofkar asked Dan Barlow to order a replacement sign for the new Fiscal Officer for the sign in front of the building. Dan Barlow stated he is also going to correct and change the lighting on the sign in front of the building.
A brief discussion took place with Dan Barlow regarding the lighting on the front of the building and how the lights do not operate on the same sequence. Dan Barlow said he will look into the situation.
Other Business
Matt Montowski said Zoning is running smoothly and Walter Wehenkel will be returning soon. Matt Montowski said Jim Shelly of Janotta and Herner requested a letter in regard to setback easements for Marine Max. The Trustees discussed the request and agreed to send a letter denying their request expressing we have no intention of selling or building on the property at the township launch ramp.
Matt Montowski said the Zoning Commission would not meet in November due to a lack of business. He said they will meet in December to hear a rezoning case.
The Trustees agreed the tree placement in the cemetery was good.
The Trustees asked Dan Barlow to have the sink holes filled in along the north edge of Cemetery Road.
Matt Montowski received correspondence from Gwen Smetzer of the Port Clinton Power Squadron regarding a grant they have received for promoting boat safety. He said the Power Squadron would like to put up a 4 x 6 aluminum boat safety sign at the Catawba Island Boat Launch Ramp. The Trustees were in agreement the sign could be erected as long as it does not create additional maintenance and the township has the discretion to remove the sign if it becomes a problem. A suggested possible location is the side wall of the restroom building.
A discussion took place regarding the grinding, resurfacing and painting of the township’s portion of Sand Road. Gary Mortus expressed he is not happy with the way the county left Sand Road and the repairs need to be made. The Trustees agreed other roads to be taken into consideration for resurfacing are Appell, Delwood, Roger, Muggy, Karwood, and Linda.
Matt Montowski read aloud an article from the Sandusky Register regarding Port Clinton and golf cart regulations dated October 25, 2010. William Rofkar and Gary Mortus said they believe it is a bad idea to allow golf carts on Catawba Island.
The Trustees agreed to purchase a new computer and printer, preferably local, for the Zoning Office not to exceed $800.
The Trustees asked Karen Shaw to set up a meeting in January with Ohio Insurance for township employees.
William Rofkar made a motion to reimburse our Catawba Island Township Volunteer Fire Department and EMS members $200 each for fuel and mileage expenses for 2010 and pay individual member stipends of $100 for Fireman, $125 for Fireman/EMT, $175 for Lieutenant, $200 for Captain, and $250 for Chief. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye.
The Trustees agreed to conduct interviews for a township secretary in the coming weeks.
Matt Montowski made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by William Rofkar. All voted aye.
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Gary Mortus, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer