Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
August 13, 2024
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Diane Belden on Tuesday, August 13, at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room of the administration building.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, William Rofkar, Matt Montowski, Shelly Garcia, John Gangway, Kevin Johnson, William Baker, Dorthy Baker, Lisa Murphy, Mary Jane Porozynski and Kevin Baron.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Matt Montowski made a motion to approve the July 23, 2024, Board of Trustees regular meeting minutes as presented. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve and pay the bills, including the payroll, in the amount of $202,349.68 (that included a payment of $96,483.01 to the Ottawa Co. Engineers for the paving of Norma Dr., Balliett Dr. and Catawba Woods). Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
The TOPS program sent a thank you card along with a donation of $100 for allowing them to use the Community Hall for their meetings.
A reminder that there will be a gathering for Tuskegee Airman, Harold Brown on August 15-17 at his grave site at the Catawba Island Cemetery for his 100th birthday.
The garden club requested three dates for 2024 & 2025 for use of the community hall for their art classes and plant sale. They requested the trustees waive the fees. All trustees agreed to waive the fee.
An e-mail was received from Libby Zivkovic stating that she comes to the Catawba Island Cemetery often to clean the headstones of her family’s graves. She stated that she is aware that many families cannot get to the cemetery to clean their loved ones headstones and she wanted to know if she would be able to clean others headstones as well. The trustees stated that they have no issue with her cleaning her family headstones, but would not be able to allow her to do so with others if she did not have permission.
An e-mail was received by the Park District of Ottawa Co. stating that they are planning their Second Annual Outdoor Hiking Challenge (which will run from September 3rd – November 30th) and one of the destinations this year will be Catawba Point Preserve. They are asking the trustees if they would allow them to list that site in their program this year. All trustees agreed that they are welcome to do so.
Brochures received from Mid-Ohio Cemetery Services to advise as to what services they offer and see if the township would be interested in other alternatives to what we currently have.
A Right of Way Permit was received from Ottawa Co. Engineers Office regarding work by Columbia Gas at 4899 Schoolhouse Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452.
A letter from Amanda Bohlman was received regarding her neighbor’s property at 2875 N. Trillium Lane. She stated that the empty lot is full of weeds that are encroaching on her property and damaging her yard. And that trespassers are using the property to fish, often leaving trash and creating a nuisance. The trustees stated that this is an issue for the HOA in her development. They request that she contact her HOA and advise them of the issues she is having.
Maintenance
Supervisor, Kevin Johnson, stated that the compost grinding has begun and is going very well.
He also stated that the water pump project at the cemetery has been completed and they will begin clean up as soon as possible by clearing the mud and planting grass.
William Rofkar said that the project was done in-house and they did a great job on it and it was a very nice improvement to the cemetery.
The maintenance department will move into roadwork soon once the traffic slows down for the season.
Fall clean-up dates will be September 27th & 28th.
Police
Chief Gangway stated that Bash on the Bay is next week and they will have all officers on duty for that as well as the Labor Day Weekend.
There will be a 5K on September 15, 2024 from 10:00am- 11:00am and they are requesting road closures for Twin Beach and Carolina. Trustees agreed to the closures.
Chief also stated that he is looking into replacing one of the older police vehicles and asked the trustees if he should get quotes now for something to be purchased in 2025. After a brief discussion, it was agreed that quotes should be gotten and they can discuss at the next couple of meetings.
The Drug Take-Back Program will be October 26, 2024.
Fiscal
Fiscal Officer, Shelly Garcia, reported that the township received the second half real estate property tax settlement with a net distribution of $772,069.08. The second half manufactured home settlement was also received with a net distribution of $2,665.76.
Shelly Garcia also advised the trustees that Diane Schaefer (Perkins Township) will be coming to Catawba Island Township in the next week or two to assist in helping complete the resolution to certify the amounts and rates determined by the Budget Commission as estimated by the Ottawa County Auditor.
New Business
Matt Montowski gave the July Zoning Report. There were 17 permits and 5 variances issued for a total of $2,034.44 collected.
Matt Montowski stated that he is still talking to the Equalis Group and they came out to measure the surfaces of the tennis, basketball and shuffleboard courts for possible resurfacing. There is also a possibility of getting outdoor mats for these surfaces which might be a better option. The trustees will wait for Equalis to get back to them with their estimates to see if either option is a possibility.
Diane Belden gave the EMS/Fire report for July. There were a total of 34 calls for service. 25 EMS calls and 9 Fire.
Lisa Murphy asked Diane if she had the EMS/Fire numbers for July 2023. Diane stated that she did and would give them to Lisa after the meeting.
Diane Belden stated that the Pickleball Fund Raiser for Hazel Brown last week was very well attended and was a nice charity event.
Matt Montowski made a motion to adjourn the meeting. William Rofkar seconded the motion.
All voted aye. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 a.m.
The next meeting will be Tuesday August 27, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
___________________________ _____________________________
Diane Belden, Chairman Shelly Garcia, Fiscal Officer