The regular meeting of the Board of Township Trustees, Newbury Township was called to order at 7:30 p.m., June 1, 2011, with all members present. Minutes of the meeting of May 18, 2011 were approved upon a motion by Mr. Skomrock, a second by Ms. Blair, and a unanimous affirmative vote.

A bid opening was conducted for the Asphalt Resurfacing of a Portion of Burton Heights Boulevard (TR136); results were as follows:

Bidder Bid
Barbicas Construction Company, Inc. $110,329.00
Kokosing Construction Company $104,550.68
Ronyak Paving $ 94,382.96
It was announced that bids would be reviewed for completeness/correctness by the County Engineer's office prior to final bid award.

A bid opening was conducted for the Newbury Township Energy Improvement Project, funded from the NOPEC grant; results were as follows:

Bidder Category Location Bid
Burton Sheet Metal HVAC Town Hall $ 7,395
HVAC Iron Man $ 6,865
Door Works Doors Town Hall $ 4,347
R.D. Jenkins Electric Lighting Fire Department $14,500
Iron Man $ 6,000
Town Hall $ 5,000
Garage $ 9,000
The Mullet Company Doors Town Hall $ 4,025
Ms. Blair said she would have Project Manager Chip Hess review the bids, and she would also review the bid process with Assistant County Prosecutor Susan Wieland to confirm legal compliance.

Representatives Paul Lehtonen, Operations Manager and Giselle Felice, Business Development Manager were present from the Orwell Natural Gas Company to describe the planned installation of gas lines along Snow Road to serve residents of that road and the Burton Lakes area. Ms. Felice said that this project came from a response to a request from a Burton Township resident, and the company then determined that there was sufficient demand for natural gas to serve new customers to proceed with plans to install a gas line extending from Messenger Road along the east side of Route 44 north to Snow Road, proceeding east along Snow Road into the Burton Lakes subdivision. It was estimated that the entire project would take about three to four weeks, with a start date in July. Mr. Lehtonen emphasized that the company follows all ODOT notification and signage regulations, and that they will be working with the Geauga County Engineer's office to coordinate the road-related activity. Mr. Lehtonen also described to Mr. Fagan in response to his question the process for installing shutoff values at specified intervals to facilitate shutoff of line segments if ever necessary in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Tony Westin, a Newbury resident experienced in slate roofing addressed the trustees, offering to re-roof the one side of the Newbury Center cemetery mausoleum roof which currently lacked slate roofing, providing labor and materials at no charge. The trustees accepted this offer, and expressed appreciation to Mr. Westin for his offer and contribution to the township.

Road activity reported by Mr. Hollis included ditching on various roads, work on Parkview in preparation of repaving, repair of berms, mowing of roadsides, and repair of cemetery grass and bases. At the request of Mr. Hollis, Mr. Skomrock moved that the township purchase a 2011 Caterpillar Model 430E Backhoe Loader for $57,248 net of trade-in of the old unit, with this price reflecting the 34% discount off list price under the 2011 Ohio State Term price list. Ms. Blair seconded this motion, which passed by unanimous vote.

Zoning activity reported by Ms. Endres included an application and a conditional use approval for a winery at the former Americana location located on the south side of Rt. 87 between Auburn Road and Elm Drive. Long-term plans include further development of this property to begin growing grapes as an agricultural use. It was reported that a number of Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals members would be attending a training session in the near future. Ms. Endres also reported that she had been able to photograph an individual unloading what appeared to be household refuse at the recycling bins next to the Legion Hall, during the Memorial Day Legion picnic.

Verizon has contacted Ms. Endres regarding their plans to install additional cellular transmitting equipment on the tower near the corner of Sperry and Rt. 87; Ms. Endres is investigating their status to see if they qualify as a public utility, and she has asked Verizon for evidence of structural analysis documentation for the planned additional equipment, to ensure that the tower and the supporting wires can safely handle the additional loading of this equipment.

45 Fire calls for May were reported by Mr. Fagan. Mr. Bill Skomrock Sr. expressed his appreciation for the work of the Fire Department during the Memorial Day festivities and year-round. Ms. Wishart reported cemetery activity for May. May financial summary information was presented by Mr. Lair.

Warrants approved by signing prior to or at this meeting:
Check # Date Payee Amount
27501 6/1/2011 Reliance Standard Life Insurance $ 559.18
27502 6/1/2011 Windstream $ 299.04
27503 6/1/2011 Newbury Printing Co. $ 28.00
27504 6/1/2011 United Healthcare Insurance Co. $ 11,740.46
27505 6/1/2011 Geauga County Maple Leaf $ 65.60
27506 6/1/2011 Speedway SuperAmerica $ 394.08
27507 6/1/2011 Sidley Inc. $ 12.40
27508 6/1/2011 Osborne Concrete & Stone Co. $ 3,754.91
27509 6/1/2011 PNC Bank $ 467.84
27510 6/1/2011 Kimball-Midwest Inc. $ 289.43
27511 6/1/2011 All-Ways Flasher Service Inc. $ 118.81
27512 6/1/2011 Patsy Keyes $ 220.00
27513 6/1/2011 Delta Dental $ 674.31
27514 6/1/2011 Geauga Concrete Inc. $ 181.30
27515 6/1/2011 Tractor Supply Co. $ 66.97
27516 6/1/2011 Dominion East Ohio Gas $ 305.12
27517 6/1/2011 Chagrin Oil & Gas Co. Inc. $ 1,628.94
27518 6/1/2011 M.T. Business Technologies $ 8.90
27519 6/1/2011 Verizon Wireless $ 34.65
27520 6/1/2011 Waste Management of Ohio Inc. $ 13.75
27521 6/1/2011 APA Ohio-Cleveland Section $ 400.00
27522 6/3/2011 David J. Lair - DL $ 1,376.58
27523 6/3/2011 John H. Mansfield - JM $ 735.90
27524 6/3/2011 Jas. Rick Phifer - JP $ 1,328.24
27525 6/3/2011 Marge Hrabak - MHR $ 235.74
27526 6/3/2011 Randal R. Hollis - RH $ 1,558.58
27527 6/3/2011 Randal O. Hollis - ROH $ 1,122.82
27528 6/3/2011 Timothy A. Mansfield - TM $ 1,214.30
27529 6/3/2011 William J. Skomrock, Jr. - WS $ 663.80
27530 6/3/2011 Treasurer of State $ 843.54
27531 6/3/2011 Ohio Public Employees Deferred Comp. Pro $ 1,460.00
27532 6/3/2011 Ohio Public Employees Retirement System $ 7,882.76
Total: $ 39,685.95
EFT transactions processed prior to or at this meeting:
Trans# Date Payee Amount
E00523 6/3/2011 Ann A. Wishart $ 618.68
E00524 6/3/2011 David A. Snively $ 712.32
E00525 6/3/2011 Douglas J. Zimperman $ 1,199.56
E00526 6/3/2011 George Mansfield $ 1,196.85
E00527 6/3/2011 Janice M. Blair $ 748.80
E00528 6/3/2011 Karen E. Endres $ 304.51
E00529 6/3/2011 Marcia J. Mansfield $ 143.48
W00053 6/3/2011 Middlefield Bank $ 3,383.05
Total: $ 8,307.25

Mr. Snively discussed a draft letter proposed for mailing to area residents regarding a prohibition against trespassing with ATVs onto township property. Sheriff McClelland has offered to send out a reverse 911 call to area residents as a follow-up action a week or so after the letter is mailed.

It was announced that the township Cleanup Day would be held on June 4th, with Senior Cleanup Day occurring on June 6th and 7th. Mr. Snively reported that he had participated in planning for the Health District Health Survey to be conducted in the near future.

Ms. Blair reported on the Oberland Park dedication on Memorial Day, and expressed thanks to Newbury Kiwanis, Newbury Volunteer Fire Department, Geauga Concrete, Sidleys, Ironman Supply and others for their assistance in final preparation of the park area and pavilion. She also noted that Ironwood Landscape did landscaping around the rock, and Roger Mezak handled the final assembly of the picnic tables. She expressed hope that the $2500 donated from Ralston could be used to purchase grilles to be placed around the pavilion.

Ms. Blair provided an update on the planned sale of Grange Park. She is working with some commercial real estate developers who have offered to provide proposals for assisting in the sale. Mr. Skomrock expressed his support on the plans for the sale of this property, saying this is the right thing to do, and that this will provide the resources to fund the maintenance of Oberland Park for at least ten years or more. Ms. Blair expressed her hope that community organizations including Kiwanis and the recently discussed formation of a chamber of commerce might assist in this regard as well.

Mr. Skomrock said that there were 207 incidents reported for May by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Department, including a number of traffic stops on Route 44. Mr. Skomrock brought up the issue of planned rental of a boom mower for use in mowing Burton Township roadsides, acknowledging Burton Trustee Jim Dvorak who was in the audience. Mr. Skomrock stated that the goal was to arrive at a rental rate that was fair, covered the costs of operating the equipment including labor, and was attractive to Burton Township in comparison to an equivalent rental from a private firm. Fuel would be handled by providing a fully-fueled unit, and having the unit fully fueled by Burton prior to return. It was decided that the best method of handling this work would be to provide the mower with an experienced operator and bill Burton Township at an hourly rate at $75 per running hour, based on the hour meter on the vehicle. Mr. Dvorak responded that this appeared to be a good offer that he would discuss with his fellow trustees at their next meeting.

Mr. Snively brought up the issue of firearms prohibition within township buildings. Having consulted with the Prosecutor's office for clarification, the response was that according to ORC Section 2923.126, the township shall post signs prohibiting firearms in township buildings. Mr. Skomrock moved that the trustees adopt Resolution 2011060101 prohibiting firearms within township buildings. Ms. Blair seconded this motion, which passed by unanimous vote.

This meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m., upon a motion by Mr. Skomrock, a second by Ms. Blair, and a unanimous affirmative vote.