Ritterbeck, Ackerman sworn in at township meeting
At the Dec. 28 meeting of the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees, chairman Don Ackerman administered the oath of office to Matt Ritterbeck and Ann Ackerman. Ritterbeck was elected to a three-year term in the Nov. 7 election while Ann Ackerman was elected fiscal officer, also for a term of three years. Both terms began Jan. 1.
Ritterbeck reported receiving a letter from Tusky Valley Director of Operations Mark Murphy via email. He said the letter was sent to inform trustees the district has asked Lesko Associates, the architect for the new school, to issue a bulletin to Hammond Construction that the playground equipment at Bolivar Intermediate School should remain, at the request of trustees and Bolivar Village Council. The equipment was originally scheduled to be removed when the school building is razed in the spring.
Ritterbeck also reported having submitted the grant application for purchasing a Bobcat utility vehicle for use at the cemetery, on the trails and in other applicable areas.
Roads
Chuck McNutt, road supervisor, asked trustees to start thinking about which roads they want to pave in 2024 if the plan is to solicit bids through the county. He said the deadline is in February. McNutt and Perry Myers, assistant road supervisor, will make a list of roads in need of work for trustees to amend or approve.
Don Ackerman asked McNutt and Myers to keep a close eye on road conditions at build sites during winter weather. He said mud is accumulating on the Olde Orchard construction site. Myers said there is a similar issue at a job site on Konrad Kohl Road, and the builder has been required to lay 18-inch pipe to assure proper water drainage.
In other matters
Trustees discussed several future needs to address issues at the Lawrence Township building. It was agreed to look into obtaining a water softener as lime scale and minerals are collecting on plumbing and causing toilet leaks and other problems.
McNutt said he believes trustees should consider purchasing a generator to keep power on in the building during outages. “During a winter storm, if we don’t have heat and the truck’s brakes are frozen up with ice and snow, we can’t thaw them out.”
McNutt also said a generator system could be useful to the community. If power were to be out for more than a day, the building could serve as a warming center during winter storms or a cooling station in summer heat. Trustees asked McNutt to obtain quotes on a generator system.
The need to replace carpeting in the building also was discussed, as was a need to purchase new garage doors as recommended by McNutt. The doors have become rusted from road salt from the salt truck.
Ann Ackerman asked Bolivar Fire Chief Shawn Lynch to begin finalizing budget numbers for the 2024 fire contract.
Trustees agreed to maintain two hoppers for the compost site through the winter months when ice and wind can bring down tree limbs.
The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees meets the second and last Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Lundenberger Hall, 10867 Industrial Parkway NW, Bolivar. All meetings are open to the public.
