PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
DYNAMIC DUO … Trustees Bert Brown and Mark Trausch review and sign financial documents at the close of the meeting.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
On Tuesday, May 19, the Florence Township Trustees met at 6:00 p.m. Trustees Bert Brown and Mark Trausch were present as well as Fire Chief Allyn Luce and Dan Ankney.
Trustee Don Imm and Fiscal Officer Courtny Osborn were absent. After the meeting was called to order, the Pledge of Allegiance was said.
Chief Luce provided several fire department updates to the trustees. He first reported that the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP), which provides essential resources for equipment and training, has officially opened.
Luce noted they have been waiting for the application window and are now prepared to move forward.
Continuing with training updates, Luce said the department would be conducting driver training later that evening. He also reported being in contact with the general manager of V-Rod, a new manufacturing facility in town.
Because the plant handles hazardous materials, it will fall under the oversight of the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Luce expects to tour the facility in June.
Luce then asked about the status of the department’s contract with Superior Township, noting that crews recently responded to a call in a gray-area location, called in by a passerby.
He added that, from the department’s standpoint, the arrangement works either way. Because Fiscal Officer Osborn was absent, the contract status could not be verified at the meeting. Luce said he expected an invoice to be coming and would follow up with Osborn directly.
Before wrapping up, Trausch checked with Luce to confirm the Chicken BBQ would return on Memorial Day.
Luce said it would start once the cemetery observances conclude and run until everything is sold. He noted the event remains a strong community tradition, and would again be a drive-thru.
Brown then turned the meeting over to Paul Green for roadwork updates. Green reported that a new instrument panel had been installed in the tractor and was functioning properly.
He noted that the first round of mowing is complete and that he plans to begin dura patching the following day. Green has also been out cleaning up areas disturbed by recent fiber-optic installation work.
He added that the larger potholes will be addressed with cold patch. Green and the trustees also reviewed the remaining chip-and-seal plans, identifying several priority sections along the state line totaling roughly three miles.
Green reported he was having a hard time getting quotes, possibly due to fuel prices. The trustees agreed that at last year’s pricing, around $14,000 to $16,000 per mile, the three miles could be done.
Green confirmed with both trustees present that Northwest Township could get cold mix at $105 per ton. He also noted that there may be an interested party in the old dump truck, and he proposed two scenarios for payment.
One would be more service driven, allowing the township use of specialized equipment like a bucket truck in exchange for the dump truck.
The other would be to ask $8,000 to $10,000 to recoup expenses for the recent repairs. Both trustees agreed to table the topic until the next meeting, so all the trustees could discuss.
Trausch brought up that maybe they should start looking into sandblasting the new dump truck. Brown and Green agreed.
A few local businesses were discussed, but the trustees would need some quotes before making any formal decisions.
As both trustees reviewed invoices and checks, Trausch made a motion to accept the minutes from the previous meeting. Once completed,
Trausch motioned to adjourn the meeting at 6:40 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 2, at 6:00 p.m.
