GOSHEN TOWNSHIP — The board of trustees approved the recently negotiated addendum to its police protection contract with Green Township in its meeting Tuesday.

Trustees voted unanimously to approve the addendum, which was negotiated in a joint session with the Green Township trustees on Jan. 2. The addendum will see Green Township pay $474,000 annually for police protection for a monthly rate of $39,500. This represents an increase of $40,000 from the $434,000 Green Township paid for police, or an approximately 9% increase. All other aspects of the contract will remain unchanged.

Trustees also opened the bids submitted for phase two of the South Duck Creek Road paving project which will pave from Garfield Road north to state Route 14, and from state Route 165 north to Diagonal Road. The township received bids from eight contractors, all of which came in under the engineer’s estimate of $221,375 with the low bid of $147,167.70 coming from Lindy Paving. Other bids included: $164,862.10 by Kirila Contractors; $173,080.10 by R T Vernal Paving & Excavating; $181,167.64 by Geauga Highway Company; $177,324.10 by Delta Asphalt Company Inc.; $185 635.40 by Shelly & Sands Inc.; $197,208.50 by Phillips Paving; and $172,529.90 by Barbicas Construction Company.

The bids still require review by the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office prior to being awarded, and as the township’s Ohio Public Works Commission project for the year work cannot begin until July.

During his report Road Foreman Adam Corll reminded residents that the annual cemetery cleanup day in the township would be March 17, and that if anyone has any decorations or other items on graves that are meaningful to them to ensure they are removed by Saturday, so they are not accidentally thrown away. Board of Trustees Chair Shawn Mesler also stressed the importance of temporarily removing the items, noting that in past items important to residents have been left and discarded.

“We have had previous incidents where they cleaned up and people were a little disturbed that things were taken off. So, if there’s things that are attached to your heat make sure they are removed,” said Mesler.

Trustee John Bricker said that he attended the annual Mahoning County Engineer’s meeting, and that the county would be repaving Calla Road from Seacrist Road to Stratton Road, and Stratton Road from state Route 165 to Middletown Road this year.

The board of trustees will meet next 6 p.m. April 8.