Nelson Township Trustees met for their regularly-scheduled meeting last week at Pixley Park. The meeting was called to order and the minutes were read and approved with corrections amended.
Under the current Ohio law, the township’s gas well, located at Pixley Park, is required to have a fence around it; the trustees have been looking into the matter and find that the fence is the township’s responsibility. Mr. Leonard stated that he contacted the gas company about requirements for the fence and they suggested a 40 ft. x 80 ft. fence with a man gate and a truck gate. The estimate for the project is about $700 - $800, plus the cost for posts and hardware.
The early estimate for a website is about $1800 to get site up and running, with a monthly maintenance cost of $5-$7 for hosting the site, plus the cost for a site manager. The website idea will be tabled until further notice due to the expense of project. Mr. Leonard also reported that he was still getting reports from residents about U.S. Liquids.
Trustee Bill Wilson reported problems with the NOPEC Grant arose causing them to withdraw their application. When the township originally applied for the grant they were told that bids were not required but after conferring with county prosecutor, they have been advised to seek bids for all contracts awarded with grant monies. Because of this issue, they currently have withdrawn their application temporarily. They will re-apply for the grant when the issue is resolved.
Tom Allen from the Pixley Park Committee inquired about using the township garage to store materials for the baseball field construction. The board agreed to allow the garage to be used for storage. Mr. Allen stated that they will have spent almost $23,000 on the park once the ball field is completed. He also stated that L&P Machine of Nelson has graciously donated the back stop for the ballfields and they will be dedicated on October 10, 2010.
The board opened the floor up for resident comments or questions. One resident asked if there were any other options of getting the problem of U.S. Liquids resolved sooner. The trustees stated that all the legal paperwork is in the hands of the Attorney General and until a ruling is made there isn’t much that can be done. Another resident questioned the latest advertisement for a concert at the Quarry Park that claims music all night long when zoning only allows music to be played until 11 pm. Another resident also stated that the park is always playing music all night long. Trustee Leonard addressed the issue by stating the sheriff is aware of the situation and is working on it.
The guest speaker Ranger Gene Strom from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was unable to attend and will be rescheduled to discuss a park watch program. The trustees meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month at Pixley Park at 7:30 p.m.
