Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
December 10, 2024
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Diane Belden on Tuesday, December 10, 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, Lisa Murphy, Dorthy Baker, William Baker, Jack Madison, Mary Jane Porozynski, Lori Letterhos, Dan Barlow and Scott Hines.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Matt Montowski made a motion to approve the November 26, 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 payroll, in the amount of $76,091.26. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
A thank you card was received by a Catawba resident stating they would like to thank the Township Trustees, Maintenance Dept., Fire Dept., EMT’s and Police Dept. for doing such a wonderful job.
A Letter from the CIT Historical Society was received thanking the Trustees and Maintenance Dept. for helping install 15 storm windows in the Catawba Museum at the Union Chapel. They also thanked the trustees for their on-going support of the museum.
E-mail received by a resident asking if it was too late for leaf pick up. This was forwarded to the maintenance supervisor.
Letter from Susan Rogers regarding Cedar Meadow Preserve. She is suggesting the Parks Board possibly put markers on the post that correspond with that on the map to better help navigate through the preserve for those who are not familiar with the surroundings. A copy of this letter was made and will be given to the Parks Board.
Notice from Ottawa Co. Sanitary Engineers Office regarding the upcoming water line construction project. They state the need for improvements and what improvements will be forthcoming. They supplied a map as to where the project improvements will be taking place.
A reimbursement check was received from the owner of 1510 NW Catawba Rd. for the demolition and clean up of the trailer located on that property.
Letter received from Thomas Catalano requesting a third-party assessment of the Catawba Island Emergency Services. Mr. Catalano stated that he would not be able to attend this meeting as he would be out of town, but stated that he would like to attend the January 14, 2025 meeting to discuss this issue further. Per his letter, he is requesting a third party look into, and give an expert opinion on the possibility of the township bringing in their own EMS. There was much discussion on this topic between the trustees and the audience members that were present. Diane Belden stated that this issue has been brought up many times and they would be glad to answer any questions. However, the current response times are under ten minutes, and that doesn’t count the Police Dept, Fire Dept or First Responders who are already there. Matt Montowski stated that there is a lot of mis-information in the letters that are received and what is put out on social media. The numbers show that this is working.
Scott Hines asked if they would be willing to conduct an independent study? Diane Belden stated that she would be in favor of someone coming in to see how well things are working and maybe put this to rest. William Rofkar stated for Catawba to put EMS into place would cost millions of dollars, and we don’t have that kind of population here. He stated that before he would be able to say yes or no to a study, he would need more information regarding it. All trustees agreed to continue this at the January 14th meeting if Mr. Catalano attends.
Maintenance
Supervisor Kevin Johnson stated that they received a bid from A.T. Emmett to install more power to the bubblers at the maria docks for a permanent fix so the docks would not have to be removed each year. The bid was for $4,933.00.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve the proposal from A.T. Emmett as presented. Matt Montowski seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Kevin Johnson stated that the new furnaces are being installed in the administration building.
Fire
Chief Gibbons stated there were a total of 20 runs for the month of November. 6 Fire and 14 EMS.
Santa will be on the fire truck on December 21, 2024.
Police
Chief Gangway stated the new officer started today. He stated that a cell phone and taser will need to be purchased for the new officer. He asked if a PO would be needed for these purchases and estimated the cost would be about $1,000. No PO will be needed.
Parks
Matt Montowski brought up the grant proposal that Vicki Wheatly from the Parks Board has been working on. She submitted an email outlining the details of the grant. They are seeking approval to install 6 outdoor pieces of trail equipment at Heigel Park. This would possibly be phase one. This is a cost share request with Catawba Island Township. The total cost of this project is $51,217.70. The grant requested from Ottawa Co. is $40,974.16 and the cost share with Catawba Island is $10,243.54. Jack Madison then presented a map detailing where this would be located at Heigel Park. All trustees agreed that this would be a great addition to Heigel Park and the township. Vicki is asking that the trustees make a motion to approve this resolution.
Matt Montowski made a motion to approve Resolution 1210-2024 for Parks District 2025 Parks Improvement Grant as submitted. William Rofkar seconded the motion. A roll call was conducted. Diane Belden: Yes, William Rofkar: Yes, Matt Montowski: Yes
All voted aye. Motion carried.
New Business
Matt Montowski stated there were 13 zoning permits, 3 variances and 1 amendment issued for the month of November for a total of $2,651.68.
Matt Montowski stated that there were 52 new homes built in 2024 in Catawba Island Township.
Diane Belden stated that Wreaths Across America will be Saturday December 14, 2024 at 11:00am at the cemetery.
William Rofkar made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Matt Montowski seconded the motion.
All voted aye. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 10:12 a.m.
The next meeting will be Tuesday December 24, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
___________________________ _____________________________
Diane Belden, Chairman Shelly Garcia, Fiscal Officer