The regular meeting of the Board of Township Trustees, Newbury Township was called to order at 7:30 p.m., March 3, 2010, with all members present.   Minutes of the meetings of January 30, February 3, February 17, and February 27^th were approved upon a motion by Mr. Snively, a second by Mr. Skomrock, and a unanimous affirmative vote.

The first order of business was a discussion regarding the proposed design for the Oberland Park pavilion.  Susan Walker-Meere described the design, a Federalist style with wood and stone typical of the local area.  The pavilion will be of wood construction, but the corner posts would have a stone facade on them.  The pavilion is designed to be 30'x32' in size, with a provision in the foundation for future installation of a fireplace.  The proposed location for the pavilion is approximately 150’ east of the Auburn Road right-of-way, and 30' south of the main driveway.  It was noted that of the 88 acres of Oberland Park, 20 acres was being developed as the active area, with recreational fields, the pavilion, and a proposed preschool playground area, with the remaining acreage to be for passive park usage.  One of the purposes of the pavilion is to provide shelter for visitors to the recreational fields.  The originally proposed pavilion size was 24’x32’; the proposed larger size will prove much more usable at a relatively small increase in overall cost.  A number of area landscapers have offered their services to professionally landscape the area around the pavilion.  The timeframe for completion of the pavilion is currently estimated for fall of 2010.  In discussion the materials of construction, Mr. Skomrock said that a design that minimizes ongoing maintenance is of utmost importance.  A majority of the Park Board members preferred dimensional shingles for the roof, while some favored a metal roof.  Mr. Mezak said that dimensional shingles would cost about 20% less, and would be easier for volunteers to install than would be the case with a metal roof.  Mrs. Blair moved that the trustees approve the design as presented, with issues such as materials of roof construction to be decided later.  Mr. Snively seconded this motion, which passed by unanimous vote.

Road activity reported by Mr. Hollis included application of cold patch, installation of new blades on three trucks, miscellaneous repairs, two funerals, plowing, cindering, and servicing of fire extinguishers.  It was announced that the annual Clean-up Day would be held on Saturday, June 5^th.   The idea of coordinating scrap tire pickup and assistance to seniors on that day was discussed. 

Mrs. Endres noted that the Geauga County Board of County Commissioners would be reviewing a proposed change to county planning regulations governing lot splits at tomorrow’s morning session.  Regarding the All-Erection Crane case, it was reported that All-Erection Crane has appealed the 11^th District Court of Appeals’ decision in favor of Newbury to the Ohio Supreme Court.  The Neighborhood Stabilization project in Kiwanis Lake is progressing, with one house on Laural Drive recently taken down.  There is a possibility that the program may be expanded to other Newbury properties outside of Kiwanis Lake, including a couple of homes on Ravenna Road.  Mrs. Endres has provided the trustees with recent updated information regarding zoning fees currently in effect in neighboring townships, and will continue her analysis, with a hoped-for goal of simplifying the zoning fee structure.

It was reported by Mrs. Endres that the Zoning Commission is interested in having a seminar specific to Commission issues, and she asked that the Trustees voice their support for such an event with the County Prosecutor.  Mrs. Endres said that Speedway and Blockbuster Video are looking at installing DVD rental kiosks on the outside of the Speedway building.  Given the level of congestion in the area, Mrs. Endres expressed her concerns, but is unsure of the actual regulatory control that the township has for this proposed activity.  Mr. Skomrock questioned the authority and actual need of the township to be considering regulation of what is essentially a vending machine.

Fire Department activity reported by Mr. Fagan included 90 calls year-to-date, and 32 calls for February.

Mrs. Wishart presented the February cemetery report, including 2 funerals.  Mr. Skomrock related a conversation with a resident who questioned the recent change in plot reservation policy for Newbury residents, with a half-price ($600) fee now being charged for a resident to reserve a specific plot ahead of time.  Mr. Skomrock told the resident that he would bring this concern up to the full board.  The other trustees and Mr. Skomrock agreed that the recently-enacted changes in cemetery regulations which included this new provision should remain in effect for a period of time before more changes are considered.  It was additionally concluded that even with this new provision, Newbury’s policies toward provision of cemetery plots for residents are more generous than any other township that the board is aware of.  As a Safety issue for tonight’s meeting, it was noted that certain sites near the southwest corner of Munn Cemetery would be unsafe to dig, due to topographic and drainage issues.

Mr. Lair reported that the February month-end bank reconciliation and financial reports had been completed, with copies forwarded to the trustees.  A continued drop in interest income was reported.

Mr. Skomrock provided the Sheriff’s Department 9-1-1 report for February, with a total of 254 incidents, of which many were weather-related.  Mr. Skomrock provided a cemetery landscaping update, and the trustees agreed that a final decision would be made at the next meeting, to be held on Thursday, March 18^th due to a scheduling conflict.  Ms. Blair moved that the board accept the quotation from John Suvak of ScapeAbilities for the annual maintenance of landscaping around the fire department and town hall.  It was noted that a maintenance contract would not be needed in front of the former police station, as building tenant Iron Man Contracting has agreed to handle landscaping there.  Mr. Snively seconded this motion, which passed by unanimous vote.

Mr. Snively reported that Chagrin River Watershed Partners group was having a roundtable discussion on March 30^th.  Mr. Snively also reported that current auction bids for two surplus township trucks on GovDeals were going very well; these auctions are set to conclude next Wednesday.   Mr. Snively also reported that Mike Stone of the County Engineer’s office had submitted estimates of cost to the township for proposed 2010 paving projects, including Oak Tree, Clover Lake, Parkview, Guinevere, King Arthur, Valley, Lela Lane, and Pekin.

Ms. Blair discussed the NOPEC “Powering Our Communities” grant program, which will provide a minimum of $50,000 to each NOPEC community for energy conservation projects.  Correspondence received since the last meeting was reviewed by Ms. Blair.  The trustees briefly discussed possible nominees for the CIC Salute to Community and Industry.  This meeting was adjourned at 9:28 p.m., upon a motion by Mr. Snively, a second by Ms. Blair, and a unanimous affirmative vote.

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Jan Blair – Chairman                          William Skomrock, Jr. – Vice Chairman

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            David Snively                                      David Lair – Fiscal Officer