PHOTO BY MARIO GOMEZ / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
DISCUSSING TOPICS … Springfield Township Trustees discuss township business during their Aug. 12 meeting.
By: Mario Gomez
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
A meeting of the Springfield Township Trustees took place on Wednesday, August 12, at the township building.
Trustees Eric Creighton, Steve Planson and Ed Ruffer and Fiscal Officer Patti Rosebrock were present. Mike Short, maintenance superintendent, and Todd Burkholder were also on hand for the meeting.
Rosebrock gave the reading of minutes, and after a few corrections, a motion to accept the minutes was made by Ruffer and seconded by Creighton. The motion passed unanimously.
Todd Burkholder gave a zoning report to the trustees. A property owned by Pat Mossburg on Road 19, just east of County Road D, is being surveyed to be split up.
The owner is asking to split the land between a home and a wooded area. The Mossburg land was three separate parcels that were combined into one and covers approximately 60 acres.
The Merging Streams Food Pantry came to Burkholder to have him contact the township on a conditional use permit for a quasi-public building.
The area is the site of the former Living Word church and at the moment has a tenant living in the home on the property. The area, as a church, was not zoned but is now zoned.
Burkholder asked questions on the zoning issue, seeing if the parcel of land is classified as residential or agricultural. It was decided that the land would be zoned residential.
Rosebrock gave the fiscal report, stating that no deposits had been made since the last meeting and that a letter was sent out to the residents of Hickory Hills.
The letter states that Springfield Township has hired a contractor to reshape a portion of ditches to help with the drainage situation.
Culvert pipes are continuing to plug up, so township road crews are working to clean them out. The reshaping should rectify the issues. The project is expected to take place in the fall.
Trustees reported that a quote by Twisted Limb Tree Service was presented to the township for trimming and cleanup of trees on County Road 25.
The work is being done in coordination with German Township, with each township receiving quotes for the work.
Landowners in that area will be contacted to see if there are any dead tree limbs that need removed or cleaned up, and the township will take care of it.
The estimated date of service is sometime in November. Planson made a motion to accept the quote with a second by Ruffer, and the motion passed.
Mike Short reported that mowing is being done as the weather allows, but rain has delayed the work. Overgrown weeds and brush were brought to Short’s attention.
Short mentioned that the township no longer sprays to maintain the growth. A suggestion to spray in portions of the township at different times of the spring and summer months could help control the growth.
Ron Buda, project manager for the Williams County Engineer’s Office, approached Short to ask if there were any roads in the township that needed repainted.
Short noted that Road F50 is being chip sealed, so it will need painted at some point, but that most of the roads have visible lines.
The cost of painting could reach $1,000 a mile. Short said they could accept the bid but could pull out two weeks before if they decided to wait, and advised getting in on the bid to have F50 striped.
He also advised adding Road 23.50, from County Road C to Road B50, due to fading paint over nearly a half mile.
Creighton discussed the road manager job description further, with the other members agreeing to continue fine-tuning what should be included before coming to a final draft.
Creighton also brought to the township’s attention a demonstration of new tools that the Springfield Township Fire Department is trying out.
Tad Shindledecker, fire chief, said vans donated by Woolace Electric were used to demonstrate the versatility of tools used for emergency extraction that the department tested.
The department was recognized for participating in the Archbold Fire Department’s 150th celebration, when it sent two trucks for the parade.
A motion to approve the payment of bills and expenditures was accepted, and the meeting was adjourned.
