Trustees approve purchase of fire gear
The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees approved the purchase of additional fire gear for the Bolivar Fire Department during its Feb. 6 meeting. Robert Eddy of the fire department told trustees a 50/50 matching grant for the gear had been received and that the uncovered cost would be $9,500.
Trustees voted to allocate the money out of a residual fund set aside for such purchases from fire levy monies collected.
In other business trustees approved allocating $150,000 toward paving township roads in 2024. Perry Myers, assistant road supervisor, said the decision about which roads to pave was made based on a review of current road conditions, repairs performed in 2023 and budgetary constraints.
Roads scheduled for paving include Indian Hills, Fisher and Gibbler roads. Other township roads will be repaired as needed throughout the year.
Trustees also approved spending $375 for door lettering to be installed by M&K Engraving and voted to donate a plotter printer to Project Lead the Way.
Reports
Administrative assistant Martina Mann reported progress on the cemetery records project, saying she has completed digitizing years 2002-11.
Trustee Don Ackerman reported another accident occurred at the intersection of state Route 212 and North Orchard, which is County Road 103. The cause this time was reportedly sun glare.
Chairman Matt Ritterbeck reported receiving a request from the Zoar Community Association to take care of mowing at Fort Laurens in 2024. Ritterbeck acknowledged this is something the township has done for several years and asked trustees to consider approving the request at the next trustees meeting.
Ackerman issued a reminder to all township residents to pitch in and help keep the area clear of trash.
“Sometimes we as residents have to own up to taking care of what we have,” he said, saying he stopped to pick up a bag of trash that had been lying along Fort Laurens Road for about two weeks. “Probably 1,000 people passed by that trash, and I did too. But then I thought, 'Why isn’t it my responsibility? It’s not somebody else’s job; it’s our job. It’s everybody’s job.'”
Public comments
Ron Crilley of Strasburg came to the meeting to thank the trustees for their work on keeping roads clear. Crilley recently retired as a UPS driver and said of the more than 80 townships he had driven in during his 40-year career, Lawrence Township was the best at keeping roads clear and in good condition.
Township resident Nikki Moore asked about the recent sale of the Masonic Temple along North Orchard. She was told the property had been sold, but trustees have yet to be informed about the purchaser.
Courtney Wallace, branch manager of the Bolivar Library, provided a year-in-review report on visitors and programs in 2023.
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.
