Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
May 26, 2020
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Matt Montowski on Tuesday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, Matt Montowski, William Rofkar, Karen Shaw,
Dan Barlow, John Gangway, Will Moore Jr., Louie Wargo, Kevin Gibbons, Ann Rumpf,
Nancy Kern, Tom Kern, John Pekar, and Randy Riedmaier.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Diane Belden made a motion to approve the May 12, 2020 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 last payroll, in the amount of $65,668.88. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
A letter from JoEllen Ruehle regarding a neighboring property located at 4805 E. Johnson Avenue in need of immediate attention due to two foot tall grass inhabited by various animals including snakes.
Trustees agreed to forward a letter to the property owner.
A letter from the Catawba Island Historical Society expressing a desire to spearhead the nomination process to apply for the Union Chapel to be recognized in the National Register of Historic Places. The Union Chapel is owned by Catawba Island Township and the CIHS would like the approval of Trustees in order to proceed.
William Rofkar made a motion to allow the Catawba Island Historical Society to apply for the Union Chapel to be recognized in the National Register of Historic Places. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
A letter from the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineering Department regarding the infiltration/inflow at the West Harbor Boat Launch. The letter expressed appreciation for the prompt attention to the sanitary sewer service noting the service has been re-monitored and the issue from July 10, 2019 has been corrected.
The Annual Report for 2019 from the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners.
An email from First Energy regarding the First Energy Ohio Smart Meter. First Energy has started the process of implementing smart meters throughout Ohio. The exchange process will start in Catawba Island at the end of June. In total, over the next three years, 700,000 smart meters will be installed for commercial and residential customers. Catawba Island, Port Clinton, and the islands were chosen as the first communities for the modernization of the electrical infrastructure.
Fire
Fire Chief Kevin Gibbons said Jeff Kennedy will soon start back up with his fire school training that was put on hold due to COVID 19.
Kevin Gibbons said the new fire hose from Finley Fire, approved late last year, will be delivered in the next week.
Kevin Gibbons said the fire department will be taking one or two fire trucks to the parade for the Port Clinton High School Seniors on Wednesday, May 27.
Maintenance
Maintenance Supervisor Dan Barlow said there is a cross over drain plugged on Muggy Road that needs to be jetted out by Adkins. Trustees agreed while Adkins is clearing the drain at Muggy Road they will also run the lines at the catch basin on Weyhe Road that gets backed up occasionally.
William Rofkar said there is gentleman on Carriage Lane in Colony Club that is pumping water out of his crawl space onto and across the road to the lake. William Rofkar said he will make contact with the home owner regarding the situation and suggest alternative options for draining at his expense but he cannot continue to drain water across the public road.
Police
Police Chief John Gangway said he will take a police car to the parade for the PCHS seniors on Wednesday.
New Business
Ann Rumpf of Basin Drive expressed concern about her road in Gem Beach eroding.
William Rofkar said Trustees are aware of the situation and they are looking into the matter. William Rofkar said they are not sure who is responsible for fixing the problem as Trustees feel it is on Gem Beach property. He said Trustees have been in contact with the Ottawa County Engineers Office as well as the Ottawa County Prosecutor in an effort to determine who is responsible.
Trustees said they appreciate all the volunteer work the Catawba Island Garden Club does in the township and agreed it is nice when we can work together with community members.
William Rofkar said he received an email from Pat O’Sullivan of Catawba Bay regarding the flooding issues at the end of Muggy Road. William Rofkar said he and Dan Barlow met with Pat O’Sullivan and explained it is the same issue discussed with Donald Shrock of Catawba Bay at the June 25, 2019 township meeting. The cause of the problem is due to the high lake water level restricting the Catawba Bay pond system gravity flow outlet. It is the responsibility of Catawba Bay to correct the situation due to it being caused by the pond system with an insufficient outlet.
William Rofkar made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Diane Belden seconded the motion.
All voted aye. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
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Matt Montowski, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer