Bolivar fire chief reports spike in crashes on State Route 212

At the Sept 11 meeting of the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees, Bolivar Fire Chief Shawn Lynch said the department has seen an increase in motor vehicle accidents on state Route 212, particularly from the bridge across the Tuscarawas River to the Massarelli Baseball Complex. 

“There’s no rhyme or reason, or specific day of the week that’s worse, but the accidents have increased dramatically,” said Lynch. He asked if trustees thought the Ohio Department of Transportation would be willing to conduct a traffic study in the area. 

“We weren’t called out for all of the accidents because some had no injuries, but there has been a significant increase and we’re trying to prevent injuries,” Lynch said. 

Firefighter Roger Bethel told trustees he recently performed an inspection on Ladder 109, which the township purchased in 2022, and found a good deal of rust on the ladder and in other areas of the truck body.

Bethel said the paint is still under warranty, but apprised the board that he is having trouble getting the manufacturer to schedule a date for service, but he will continue to call so the truck does not end up out of service.

Public comments

Builder Justin Reidl expressed frustration with the Army Corps of Engineers regarding a pool project at a home on state Route 212. Reidl said the Corps green-lighted the project, which includes an in-ground swimming pool and a retaining wall, but now that the project is nearly complete, the Corps has told him to stop the work. 

According to Reidl, the Corps now says the project is encroaching on flow easements. Trustees said they sympathize with Reidl but there isn’t anything they can do since it is an issue with the Army Corps. Reidl stated that he understood, but he just wanted trustees to be aware of the situation.

After the meeting, Reidl said the Corps waited until the project was three quarters complete before sending anyone out to do a land survey.

“Now we’ll have to move and redo the whole retaining wall, so we’ve wasted probably $9,000 worth of material, and that’s not fair to my business or to the homeowner. 

Reports

Perry Myers, road supervisor, said a concrete pad has been poured for the generator, which will be installed in a week or two, once the concrete has cured. Myers also said he spoke to people from Marathon Oil about their work on Ridge Road. 

“They were only going to fix part of the pipe that was under about half of the road, but they decided to fix all of it,” said Myers. “It makes sense, but it means the road will be closed for another week or two.”

Zoning Inspector Ron Weekley said a new official map of Wilkshire Hills parcels is ready to be approved at the next meeting. He also said there is still an open seat on the Board of Zoning Appeals. 

Trustee Matt Ritterbeck said he received two reports about a property falling into disrepair on North Orchard. Ackerman said he has also received calls about the same property. Weekley will look into the matter.

Voting and announcements

Trustees approved a resolution to realign permanent appropriations to reflect increase in revenue amounting to $86,021. 

Chairman Mike Haueter requested an executive session, after which trustees voted to hire Betty Milliken as administrative assistant at a rate of $20 per hour with a tentative start day of Sept. 22 and a six-month probationary period. 

Haueter also reported having received a letter notifying businesses in the Industrial Parkway area that AEP will be using low-flying helicopters to repair their transmission lines from Sept. 22 to Sept. 24. 

The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees meet the second and last Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Lundenberger Hall, 10867 Industrial Parkway NW in Bolivar. All meetings are open to the public.