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Welcome to our new "Current News" page! We'll be using this page to post the most current newsletter, our Focus on Danbury Township article and timely information we need to communicate. As always, if you need to reach any of us just click on the "Contact Us" page for telephone numbers and our email address.
NEW STUFF! A brand-new Meadowbrook trail map is now available. Go to the "Land Preservation" link on this website. At the end of the last paragraph you'll be able to click and view the map (you can also print it). We'll have these maps available at the Meadowbrook parking area in the Spring.
DANBURY TOWNSHIP MEETING OVERVIEW
At the regular meeting of the Danbury Township Board of Trustees held February 24, 2010 the following business was conducted:
• Trustees held a joint meeting with the Lakeside and Marblehead fire departments. Discussion was held regarding the levy that is due to expire. Both departments were thanked for their service to the township.
• Charles Scott reported Jim Dress will be meeting with Fremont Fence to discuss dugouts. Jim will also begin working on a program for mandated sign replacement. Trustees will be reviewing various cemetery software programs.
• Marina del Isle was thanked for their donation of 60 chairs they no longer needed.
• Police Chief Michael Meisler reported 172 incidents to date in February.
• Zoning Inspector Rhonda Botti Sowers reported 5 permits processed to date in February. Zoning report recommendations will be discussed again at the next regular meeting.
• Trustees discussed the workshops they attended at the Ohio Township Association winter conference.
• The county prosecutor provided an opinion on conflict of interest regarding lawnmower purchases. The opinion contained a four-part test that must be met to prevent a conflict.
• ODNR approved the use of remaining Land and Water Conservation grant funds to be utilized for paving two ADA parking spaces and a connecting paved trail at Meadowbrook. Trustees will provide a 53% match to the 47% funding from ODNR. A quote was approved for paving in the amount of $8,913 from K.F. Ventures, the contractor who installed the original LWCF trail.
• Trustees will send information to the prosecutor regarding issues with the Meadowbrook boardwalk.
• The prosecutor provided recommended changes to the draft cell phone and credit card policies. Dianne Rozak will incorporate the changes for the board to review at the next meeting. The prosecutor also advised the township may contribute to a portion of the cost for road and drainage repair on SR 163 at Lake Point Park.
• Dianne Rozak presented plans from BEC Associates for a small parking area for fisherman at Meadowbrook. She will meet with the county building inspector to review floodplain requirements.
• Jim Dress will coordinate the installation of children at play signs requested by Lighthouse Bluffs.
• Bills in the amount of $47,329.77 were approved as was the 2010 budget.
• A lengthy discussion was held regarding the proposed administrative complex. Charles Scott will coordinate an inspection of the existing building by an architect to determine its potential for remodeling. Dianne Rozak will contact bond counsel for advice regarding the project options.
• A cemetery deed for Richard Philips was signed.
• Upon receipt of a check for $19,647.44 from Natureworks for a grant reimbursement trustees approved repayment of this amount to the general fund.
• Dave Hirt reported the District Health Advisory Council will meet on March 11 at 6 p.m. Dianne Rozak reported she and Commissioner Jim Sass will be on WPCR radio on March 3 at 3 p.m.
• Trustees held an executive session to discuss compensation and purchase of property. Trustees reconvened the regular meeting and approved a 2% pay increase for employees.
WINTER NEWSLETTER CONTENTS (December 2009)
LAND USE PLAN UPDATE….
The Danbury Township Land Use Plan will be updated in 2010. We are currently seeking 5 volunteers to join the committee to review and update this plan. These individuals should include a mix of property owners with interests in commercial, residential or agriculture. If have interest in participating, please call Dianne Rozak at (419) 798-4071 no later than February 1st. The project will require a few evening meetings.
THE RECYCLING BINS are located behind ownship Hall. They are accessible 7 days a week for residents only…NOT for businesses. What can I recycle? Aluminum beverage cans, books & magazines, clear and colored glass bottles & jars, corrugated cardboard that is flattened (but NOT pizza boxes!), newspapers with inserts, plastic bottles stamped only with #1 or #2, steel cans (rinse the cans and remove the labels).
MEADOWBROOK MARSH… has quickly become one of the most popular places around! We now have several paved trails for walking, hiking and biking as well as mulched and grass walking trails. Dogs are welcome (on a leash) and have been abundant! Meadowbrook will be a perfect place for cross county skiing as soon as we have now. Remember, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the trails. Meadowbrook is located on Bayshore Road approximately 1/2 mile west of Dempsey Access.
Our Road Department does a tremendous job of clearing our township roads during the winter. On rare occasions, the snow plow may hit a mailbox. If you live on a township road and this occurs, call the Road Department and they will arrange for repair or replacement.
(419) 734-4091.
BRUSH DROP-OFF & LEAF DROP-OFF NOW CLOSED
Details about these services for 2010 will be provided in the spring newsletter.
CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING
Once the holidays are over, take advantage of our free live tree recycling. Bring your tree to the fenced area behind the Township Hall garage and it will be recycled!
SENIOR CITIZEN WATCH PROGRAM
Did you know the Danbury Township Police Department conducts a daily watch program for our senior citizens? To sign up for this free program, call the Danbury Police at (419) 732-2549.
HOUSE WATCH
Going away for awhile or the winter? Call the Danbury Police before you leave. They’ll have you complete a short form with your contact information and will keep an extra eye on your house while you’re gone. (419) 732-2549.
The Peninsula Helping Hands has been formed to provide a monthly meal for area residents. Local churches, civic groups and individuals have come together to prepare this meal. If you are unemployed, retired, a senior citizen, on a fixed income or just trying to stretch your food dollars, please come and share a meal and fellowship with your neighbors. The meal is served at the Danbury Senior Center, 8470 East Harbor Road on the second Saturday of each month--January 9, February 13, March 13 and April 10, 2010 from noon until 2 p.m.
PLEASE REMEMBER
To think twice when you drive on ice...especially black ice. Always allow extra time to get where you need to go.
The “Current News” button on our website www.danburytownship.com features this newsletter, press releases & other pertinent information that occurs “in-between” our quarterly newsletter mailings.
Trustee Meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the lower meeting room at Township Hall located at 5972 Port Clinton Eastern Rd. Please join us!
Contact the Trustees
John Englebeck: (419) 798-5735
Dave Hirt: (419) 732-2703
Dianne Rozak: (419) 798-4071
Effective January 1, 2010 Charles Scott (419) 734-4703 will replace John Englebeck as trustee.
Fiscal Officer
Fiscal Officer Shelley Seamon can be reached at (419) 732-3039 or (419) 732-6615.
Zoning Office Hours
Monday thru Friday 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday (419) 734-6120 (the office is closed on legal holidays)
JANUARY 2010 FOCUS ON THE TOWNSHIP
This is an article provided by Trustee Dianne Rozak to inform residents of township activity and business that comes before the Board of Danbury Trustees.
Danbury Township experienced a very busy and successful 2009. As part of an aggressive move to receive available discounts from the Bureau of Worker’s Compensation we adopted a drug-free workplace program, established a safety committee and began participation in the Ottawa County Safety Council. First-aid training was provided to our employees along with CPR and AED refresher training for our police department. We’ve completed several of the ten steps necessary for our safety plan of action, developed safe work procedures and will soon have a safety manual ready for our employees. Earlier in the year we selected The Collaborative, Inc. as our architectural firm to explore the development of a new administration facility at our property on Bridge Road (SR 269). In line with that plan we purchased additional acreage and now own fifteen acres on the site. We will have ample room for building as well as future expansion. Public meetings with the architects are continuing. We are treading carefully with this project. Without access to a crystal ball we are unable to fully project what will happen with some of our future income sources including local government funding. Our intent is to explore all possibilities for proceeding by utilizing our existing revenues yet still maintaining an adequate reserve. Our police department was able to purchase a new vehicle, seven new police vests and adopt a police policy manual. It is always interesting to provide year-end comparisons on police activity. We ended the year with 4,477 incident reports which is 149 more than the prior year. This number is inclusive of all police activity. On the increase from 2008 to 2009 was breaking and entering, DUI, disturbances, prowler calls and drug possession. Also on the rise was the request for house watches. Incidents on the downturn include civil disputes, vandalism, investigative follow-up, verbal traffic warnings, criminal damaging and trespassing, domestic violence, underage consumption and speeding.
We have expanded our playground equipment at our heavily used township athletic complex. Our thanks are extended to the Peninsula Youth Athletic League for their gracious donation of $1,500 toward future improvements which could include dugout shelters. The money will be put to good use for our sports teams. While we would like to install restrooms at the complex it is just not possible since the county sewer line does not extend past township hall. A wonderful addition this past year at Lakepoint Park was a covered walking bridge. Less than an hour after it was installed visitors were already using it! Many thanks to our maintenance staff and Deb Burley Biro for keeping up the lovely garden at Lakepoint as well as the beautiful plantings at Battlefield Park. They are enjoyed by many. The planting of cosmos flowers at Sackett cemetery has become an annual tradition. We look forward to our volunteers again assisting with this project in early May. Our website has been updated to include a Current News button which features an overview of the most recent meeting, notices of special meetings and the current newsletter which is mailed quarterly to residents. Soon each of our departments as well as the elected officials will be provided with their own individual township emails for your ease of use in contacting everyone. This information will be added to the township website as well as published in the spring newsletter. Meadowbrook continues to progress quite nicely. This past year we installed 3,000 feet of paved trails, a new boardwalk and new parking area. These projects were made possible through funds received from three separate ODNR grants saving the township well over $100,000. I’m in the process of applying for yet another grant for 3,855 additional feet of paved trails and would appreciate your wishes for success. Notification will occur in fall of 2010. To date we have received six separate grants for Meadowbrook improvements that have provided us with over a half-million dollars in federal, state and local funds. Our maintenance staff continues to do an outstanding job of mulching and re-mulching our trails as well as maintaining the entire preserve. We’ve sponsored several well-attended public events there including wild mushroom hikes and a moonlight lantern tour. The preserve is being used regularly by many residents and visitors. Our thanks go out to WSOS as well as the Port Clinton Kiwanis, both of whom conducted clean-up days at Meadowbrook. We also received a grant from the Joint Solid Waste District for a second recycling container which is located at Danbury Township Hall. This year was the 40th anniversary for Jim Dress working at the township. Jim and his crew do a tremendous job with our roads, parks and especially snow plowing. We thank them for their sincere dedication and feel most fortunate to have such a great staff. Earlier last year we were pleased to learn that after our recent State audit we were again citation free for 2007 and 2008. Mandatory audits are conducted every two years. We also recently introduced new performance review forms for supervisors and employees.
Activity in the zoning department mirrored the economy with only 144 permits processed during 2009. Permits for new dwellings and commercial buildings experienced a 20 year low. Interestingly, additions and accessory buildings including docks and pools have remained relatively consistent when compared to the last twenty years. Since 1990 the highest years ever for new dwellings were 2000 and 2001 with 79 permits issued in each of those years compared with only 15 new dwellings in 2009. A noticeable overall decrease began in 2007 and has continued. The second half of 2009 brought a number of rezoning requests for the purpose of future commercial development which is a promising sign. A slowdown in permit activity afforded time to devote to several major improvements. The first was conversion of the zoning resolution to an easily searchable, electronic Clearzoning format. The new format has received a tremendous amount of positive comments and is available on the township website www.danburytownship.com. Another is conversion of all zoning forms to a PDF fill-in format. The process should be completed soon and the forms will be available through a link in the zoning resolution as well as on the website. The third major undertaking was the purchase of a document management program. Following training last year the arduous task of scanning 35 years of zoning documents into a searchable digital format will begin this year.
As we said a fond farewell to John Englebeck as trustee and Rhonda Botti Sowers as fiscal officer, we also welcomed new fiscal officer Shelley Seamon and new trustee Charles Scott. John and Rhonda’s many years of dedicated service contributed to the excellent financial position our township currently enjoys. Dave Hirt and I look forward to working with Shelley and Charles to pave the way in this decade. At the end of January our board will host the Ottawa County Township Association quarterly meeting where we will present a program on transparent communication tactics to our fellow trustees from across the county. I have again been requested to present a workshop at the February conference of the Ohio Township Association where I will have the privilege of addressing trustees from across the state. The program will encompass a detailed overview of our accomplishments here in Danbury. Dave, Charles, Shelley and I have our plates full with projects and we anticipate another outstanding year in Danbury Township.
Current News
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