By: Melanie Williamson
The Vermilion Township Trustees met for a regular meeting on Wednesday, May 3.
Township Fire Department update: Chief Frank Triana was present to update the trustees. He reported that between April 19 and April 30, there were 141 runs, which included 15 EMS assists, two gas leaks, and one vehicle fire.
VASU was at the station on Friday, April 21, and installed a new light bar on 842. Triana received the annual maintenance agreement for VASU Communications. The cost of this year’s agreement is $3,675. He explained that like the year before, if they pay the entire amount up front, there is a 5% discount.
On Saturday, April 22, Lt. Stu Kolesar and firefighter Brian Akers attended a water shuttle exercise with Huron Fire Division in Huron Township. Six departments from Erie County participated in this exercise. On Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, Lt. Mike Willard and Firefighter Howard Hillen attended VFIS driver training and are now driver trainers for fire apparatus. All personnel will have classroom refresher training every other year and hands on driver training annually.
On Wednesday, April 26, Finley Fire Equipment was on site and flushed hydraulic hoses, replaced o-rings, and reinstalled the hydraulic tools on 842 and 822.
Triana also reported that he spoke with Statewide Ford and the new 800 has been delivered and they are currently working on the retro-fitting.
Zoning administrator update: Building official Robert Kurtz reported that as the weather gets nicer, people need to make sure they are mowing their properties. He already issued nine high grass letters. He also reported that they have the preliminary site plan and preliminary building drawing for the township garage, which are being reviewed.
Lawn mower bids: The trustees opened the sealed bids submitted for the lawnmower being sold during the meeting. They received a total of eight bids, and chose the highest which was for $651.01. The trustees approved a motion to accept that bid.
Service hour program: Kurtz followed up with the Erie County Sherriff’s Department regarding their community service program. He reported to the trustees that they can get two volunteers; one male and one female, who each need 100 hours of community service. They are able to pick up trash, paint, and other similar tasks. The township is able to set the hours they would be there to volunteer.
Township building lights: The township received quotes to replace all the exterior high pressure sodium lights with LED lights. The quote includes 12 wall lights, six pole lights, two ceiling lights in the doorways, two flag pole lights, and the four lights on the mast in the back would be replaced with two new lights. The total bid for all those lights was $12,620.
Trustee Chris Decker asked the other trustees if they wanted to continue moving forward with the LED lights. Trustee Ron Dickel responded that it will save money down the road and the lights won’t get any cheaper if they wait. Kurtz added that the new LED bay lights had 73% better efficiency that the old lights. A motion was made and approved to move forward with the LED lights.
Salt contract: The trustees voted to approve a salt contract for the 2017-2018 season of 200 ton, which comes with a requirement that 90% be accepted.
Upgrades to township property: Kurtz collected quotes to have the front sidewalks and parking lot replaced due to the worsening condition of both. For the sidewalks, the lowest quote came from Miller Excavating for $3025, which included the new sidewalk and five 6” concrete ballards to go by the transformer and generator.
The lowest quote for the parking lot was from Griffith Paving in the about of $10,300, which included 2” asphalt, a rise to the catch basin, smooth transition to driveway, and striping. Kurtz reported that in the back lot, there are five spots that need cut out and replaced. The lowest quote for that portion of the job came from Miller Excavating in the amount of $1225.
Trustee Charlie Trinter asked if the handicap spot in the front parking lot needed to be wider. Kurtz responded that they were okay until they repaved the lot. Trustee Decker asked if there were other bids, and Kurtz responded that there were three bids and the ones presented were the lowest. After a brief discussion, the trustees passed a motion for the parking lot and sidewalk.
Township investments: Fiscal officer Brenda Zsebik reported that the two certificates of deposit owned by the township mature in early May, so a decision had to be made regarding what they would do. The new interest rates being offering by Huntington were noticeably lower than the previous interest rates they had been given. Trustee Trinter asked if they were given a reason for why the interest rate was so low, and Zsebik responded they were not. She went on to explain that she spent time with a representative from the bank to see if there was a better option; possibly moving the money to a savings account, but there were no options with a better interest rate available to them. After discussing it a bit further, the trustees passed a motion to reinvest the money for a period of six months.
Future meeting: The next regular meeting will be Wednesday, May 17, at 8 a.m.
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