SALEM –The Salem Township Board of Trustees approved a pair of contracts for a new construction project Tuesday night.

The trustees a entered into contracts with J&M Carpentry LTD to lay a foundation for and build a new storage building at the township supply yard utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The contract for the foundation has a cost of $21,320, with the construction to be completed no later than Oct. 21. The contract for the construction of the storage building has a cost of $46,700, with the construction to be completed no later than the Oct. 28. The new building will be used for storing ice control aggregate for winter use and will be a three-sided building with an open front. The building will also have four-foot concrete walls in its’ interior to prevent the aggregate from sticking to the walls and allow road crews an easier time loading during the winter.

Other business included the passage of a resolution approving the June 30, Bank Reconciliation and Cash Summary by Fund Report; a resolution approving the renewal of liability and property insurance for the Township with the Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority; and a resolution to adopt the proposed budget for 2023.

Fiscal Officer Dale Davis also received a letter from the Columbiana County Engineer informing the county of a change in how calculations of the Ohio Department of Transportation Location Based Response System mileage report would be calculated changing Salem Townships mileage from 42.27 miles to 41.7 miles. Davis also received a letter from the Leetonia Volunteer Fire Department, containing their reports for the second quarter of 2022.

The trustees also discussed the need to address the ongoing issue of damage on the Salem Township side of Cunningham Road between state Route 344 and Salem City limits. Trustee John Wilms noted that the road requires patches and work on a yearly basis. Trustees discussed the matter with Road Foreman Jason Entrikin, who suggested installing more berms in the area as “most of the problem is all the water in the area”. Entrikin and the entire Board agreed that finding an outside contractor would be difficult, however, Trustee Wilms requested an estimated width and length of the damaged area from Entrikin to begin attempting to do so. The Board and Entrikin also agreed that something would need to be done before fall. Entrikin said he would attempt to get estimates both of the entirety of the damaged lane, and of the worst problem areas. The board and Entrikin agreed to attempt to develop a response plan for the issue before the next meeting.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be July 26, at 7 p.m.