Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
January 24, 2023
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Matt Montowski on Tuesday, January 24, at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room
of the administration building.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, William Rofkar, Matt Montowski, Karen Shaw,
John Gangway, Kevin Johnson, Dan Barlow, Ernie Wylie, Brad Schwan, Jack Madison,
Bryan Baugh, William Baker, Matt Oddo, Carl Sorgen, Greg Strayer, Ann Rumpf, Jim Stouffer,
and Randy Riedmaier.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve the January 10, 2023 Board of Trustees regular meeting minutes as presented. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Diane Belden made a motion to approve and pay the bills, including the regular payroll and the
fourth quarter fire department payroll, in the amount of $145,206.53. The total includes a payment of $32,250 to the City of Port Clinton for fourth quarter EMS and a payment of $40,005 also to the City of Port Clinton for the 2022 EMS runs over the contract agreement. The total includes a payment of $26,505 to Focht construction for continued work on the West Harbor Boat Launch, a payment of $3,326.70 to Lexipol for the annual law enforcement policy manual, and a contribution of $3,250 to the Ottawa County Drug Task Force. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Fiscal
Diane Belden made a motion to approve a Then and Now Purchase Order to Lexipol in the amount of $3,326.70 from Police fund account 2191-210-420 for the annual law enforcement policy manual and daily training bulletins. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve a Then and Now Purchase Order to the City of Port Clinton in the amount of $40,005 for the purpose of paying the 2022 EMS contract overage and utilize American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds from account 2273-230-360. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried
Correspondence
A letter from David Wonnell requesting to use the Community Hall for the Catawba Island Historical Society Spring Speaker Series event scheduled for Wednesday, May 24.
Trustees agreed the CIHS could use the Community Hall as requested and waived the rental fee.
A letter from the Catawba Island Club requesting to rent the Community Hall and parking lot for special events four weekends in 2023 plus an additional Saturday.
Trustees agreed to rent the Community Hall and parking lot to CIC as requested for $1,300 total.
The 2022 Ottawa Regional Planning Annual Report.
Zoning
Matt Montowski said Zoning Commission member Lewis Mindlin would like to step down.
Matt Montowski made a motion to accept Lewis Mindlin’s resignation from the Zoning Commission. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Matt Montowski made a motion to appoint Zoning Commission Alternate Matt Gottron to fulfill Lewis Mindlin’s unexpired term on the Zoning Commission through December 2023 and appoint David Wonnell Zoning Commission Alternate with a term also expiring December of 2023. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted Aye. Motion carried.
Matt Montowski said Danbury Township is holding a free training session for Board of Zoning Appeals members and invited any Catawba Island BZA members interested to attend March 9.
Matt Montowski presented a proposal from MT Business Technologies/ComDoc, Inc. to lease a Xerox color copier for $173.67 per month for 63 months or purchase the copier for $5,475.
Matt Montowski made a motion to purchase a new Xerox color copier from Com Doc, Inc. for $5,475 and approve a monthly service and maintenance agreement for $51.20 as presented.
Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Maintenance
Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Johnson presented a quote from Lacal Equipment for $5,367.16 for parts to rebuild the leaf vacuum.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve the purchase of leaf vacuum repair parts from Lacal Equipment for $5,367.16. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Kevin Johnson presented a quote from JVS Garage Door for $9,660 to replace the storage barn sliding doors on the front side.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve the purchase and installation of slider replacement doors at the compost barn from JVS Garage Door for $9,660 per provided proposal. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Diane Belden made a motion to contract with Bill’s Implement for the annual Mower Lease Trade In program for a total of $6,900 for two mowers; a 48” mower for the cemetery and a 61” mower for use at other township locations. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Fire
Diane Belden said the final EMS invoice was for 127 runs over the 409 runs contracted and charged at $315 per run for a total of $40,005. She said beginning in 2023 the new minimum contract base will be 450 runs at $375 per run for an annual EMS service fee of $168,750 to be billed in quarterly installments of $42,187.50. If the annual number of EMS runs exceed 450 the township will be invoiced for the additional runs at the per run charge.
Police
Police Chief John Gangway presented a quote from Statewide Ford for a 2023 Police Utility.
Trustees discussed the purchase price of the car and related equipment and tabled the conversation until the next meeting.
Parks
Brad Schwan said the Park District of Ottawa County is accepting applications for the Parks and Trails Improvement Grant again this year and the deadline is February 24. He said there are two projects the Catawba Island Parks Board think would enhance the Cedar Meadow Preserve. Brad Schwan said there is a new emphasis on combining literacy and outdoor education and awareness by a system called StoryWalk Trail where children’s storybooks are integrated over a distance of trails and allow for stops along the trail to read a book. He said Put-In-Bay has a StoryWalk Trail and he has talked with them about everything needed. Brad Schwan said about 22 displays would be needed to implement in Cedar Meadow Preserve. He estimated the total project cost would be around $7,200.
Matt Montowski said the Parks Board also discussed a swampy area in the preserve and the possibility of putting a raised boardwalk over the 200 to 300 foot area but it is in the wetlands. He said engineering is required and it would need to be approved by Black Swamp. Matt Montowski said he reached out to Mannik and Smith Group to get pricing on engineering and permits needed as the cost could be significant but he is going to meet with them to discuss.
Jack Madison said the Parks Board is still looking into resurfacing the tennis courts at Heigel Park.
New Business
Diane Belden made a motion to allow Chris Scott to return to work from unpaid leave to full time status with restrictions effective February 1, and return with full benefits and a 10% wage increase as was approved for full time employees in January. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Matthew Oddo, from Precision Monuments and affiliated with Walker Funeral Homes, presented a plan for a memorial wall in the cemetery. He said he has been working with Skip Sorgen on the idea of a memorial wall made from poured concrete and possible mounting formats for granite panels. Matthew Oddo said the township would sell a space on the wall and then bronze, sandstone, or laser etching are options the customer could purchase, personalize, and have installed on the wall to memorialize a loved one.
Skip Sorgen discussed a drawing representing a 25 foot section of wall that would allow for 44 memorial panels 12 x 24 inches on each side of the wall or a total of 88 panels. He said the height of the wall is yet to be determined or if the wall would have a flat top or a pitched top. Skip Sorgen proposed a six foot walkway around both sides of the wall and said the base would come up a foot and cove inward in order to keep equipment off of the granite panels. He said the wall can be extended in separate 25 foot sections if needed in the future.
Matthew Oddo said the township would need to approve a contractor to build the wall. He said individuals will purchase the granite panels from Precision Monument and they will then design, engrave, and deliver panels to the township for installation by township personnel.
Trustees agreed to meet with Skip Sorgen in the cemetery to discuss a location for the wall.
Matt Montowski said he talked to Todd Bickley about preparing an invitation to bid for design build for the upgrades proposed for the veterans’ area in the cemetery but now they may need to consider if the memorial wall and veterans’ area upgrades should be bid together.
Jim Stouffer said they are working on the Fairway Cottages and working to clean up the area adjacent to the cemetery. He said they are beginning to plan for how the two properties will fit together with a landscaping plan. Jim Stouffer said he anticipates there might be an architecturally designed fence treatment so he reached out to Tom Evans who built the wall at the entrance to the cemetery along Cemetery Road. He said they may try to incorporate that look and style of stone into their landscaping presentation. Jim Stouffer said any structure would be on their property but he wanted to assure they will not construct anything before communicating the PUD landscape proposal to Trustees. He said he understands the cemetery is an important part of the community and they want it to be an aesthetically beautiful place.
Diane Belden made a motion to adjourn the meeting. William Rofkar seconded the motion.
All voted aye. The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
___________________________ _____________________________
Matt Montowski, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer