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GOSHEN TOWNSHIP -- Township trustees provided updates on the township's paving projects in its August meeting.
Trustee Shawn Mesler provided unfortunate news on the status of the Stratton Road paving project, noting that the township had only received two bids for the project. Of the two bids, one had to be thrown out due to failure to meet the bid specifications, and the contractor who placed the second bid was refusing to travel to obtain mandatory materials. As a result, the project will have to be re-bid from the start, delaying the project until next year. Trustees Chairman John Bricker requested a price comparison for new black top and chip and seal for the project.
The news regarding the project was not all negative, however, as Mesler said that the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the grant funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission that would have covered 31% of the overall cost of the project will still be available to the township for the project next year.
Other potential road projects in the township were also discussed including: Malmsberry Road, which is not wide enough to qualify for OPWC funding and would cost an estimated $128,000; Smith Goshen Road from Middletown Road to state Route 14 at an estimated cost of $40,000; and Duck Creek Road from U.S. Route 62 to state Route 14 at an estimated cost of $335,200, or $174,200 and $161,000 for the first and second phase, respectively, as a two-phase approach.
Trustees expressed concerns about the current proposal for a two-phase approach to Duck Creek potentially leaving a seam in the middle of the road. Trustees decided to request a revised estimate for a two-phase plan which would use the crossroad as the breakpoint between phases.
Should the trustees decide to pursue OPWC funding for any projects they will need to complete their application prior to the end of the month. Fiscal Officer Michele Barratt noted that the township currently has $250,012.64 available for road projects from the township's share of the Mahoning County sales tax for roadway improvement, with an additional $166,675.09 from the tax to become available Jan. 1, 2024.
Mesler suggested the township commit to the potential Malmsberry Road and Smith Goshen Road projects as part of the county engineer's black top bid, suggestion that the board saw fit to approve, with motions to bid blacktop for the project with the engineer and to adopt a resolution to enter into an agreement with the engineer's office for the joint bidding process both unanimously approved.
In her report Barratt announced that the township had received $435.33 from the National Opioid Settlement Trust and is scheduled to receive another $675.29. In accordance with the regulations of the One Ohio Recovery Foundation, these funds must be used in their entirety for opioid remediation efforts.
During his report Police Chief John Calko announced the department had received a pair of financial awards from the state of Ohio. Calko said that the department had been awarded another grant for the purchase of bullet proof vest in the amount of $837.99. Calko also said that the township had been awarded $23,086.40 to be divided between six officers who have been employed with the district since 2021 as retention bonuses as part of the Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention and Resilience Program. This program was created to address first responder burnout caused by understaffing and overall job stress and distributes approximately $35 million in retention incentives to more than 10,000 law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS personnel from 309 agencies across the state.
During his report Calko also requested a motion to accept the resignation of Jordan Hefner effective July 28, who accepted a position with the Trumbull County Corrections Division. Trustees made and approved the motion unanimously.
Other financial matters approved included: the transfer of $2,000 from the General Fund to the Township Parks Fund in accordance with the 2023 budget; updates to the township lighting assessment; and a resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the Budget Commission authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the Mahoning County Auditor; and the approval of a bid from Mike Christy for $800 for the removal of a tree on the property line of the township and a resident, and a bid from Woolf Stump Grinding for $300 to grind and remove the stump for a total of $1,100, with the resident paying half of the cost for the project.
The trustees will meet next at 7 p.m. Sept. 11.