5/3/2012 - West Side Leader
     

Peninsula Mayor and Boston Township Assistant Zoning Inspector Doug Mayer followed up with Boston Township trustees on two issues raised earlier concerning service from the Peninsula Police Department.

Mayer presented trustees at the April 25 meeting with a letter he addressed to the Union Cemetery Association, the caretaker organization for Boston and Cedar Grove cemeteries. The letter indicated the village police force will continue to open and close cemetery gates on a daily basis. Boston contracts with Peninsula for police protection services.

Mayer’s letter said village legal counsel deemed the courtesy was allowable. Mayer, however, said there may be cases where the police are busy with other calls, so the gates may not be opened and closed at sunrise and sunset. The letter advised the cemetery association to check the cemeteries on days when services or events are scheduled.

Mayer’s letter to Peninsula Police officers, which was attached to the cemetery association correspondence, instructs the officers to open the gates at sunrise and check for vandalism and to patrol the cemeteries to ensure all visitors have left before the gates close at sunset. The instructions were initialed by police officers.

Mayer also told trustees that village police said they had not enforced no-parking signs on Main Street in Boston because they believed they were “informational only” signs. A letter to Mayer from Sgt. Daniel Renz, acting Peninsula police chief, said officers thought the signs were erected by the Summit County Engineer’s Office as a “courtesy” to a Boston trustee.

Trustees said they authorized erection and enforcement of the signs at a regular meeting with a vote, which makes the signs enforceable. Trustees said they would give Mayer and the police department a copy of the minutes for the meeting in which the action was taken.

Trustees also noted five people — one adult and four juveniles — were arrested for trespassing at the Boston Cemetery April 22.

Mayer said the alleged trespassers, who live in Mentor and East Cleveland, claimed they were visiting Helltown and took a shortcut through the cemetery.

The cemetery experienced vandalism of nine grave markers earlier in the month, trustees said at a previous meeting.

Fiscal Officer Joanne Noragon asked trustees to consider creating a formal policy on compensatory time. She said the township personnel manual does not address the issue, and she has become uncomfortable with the manner in which comp time currently is managed. Trustees said they would begin work on a policy that could be added to the manual.

In other business, trustees:

• acknowledged Boston Mills Road at the Boston Store will be closed Oct. 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to all but local traffic for the Towpath Marathon;

• noted a public hearing will be set for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s sewer plant along Riverview Road to discharge into the Cuyahoga River;

• noted Copley Township has donated pagers to the Valley Fire District;

• noted Boston Heights has requested a quote from the Valley Fire District to perform fire inspection services, according to Trustee Amy Anderson;

• approved a memorandum of understanding with the Summit Soil and Water Conservation District for consulting;

• approved the purchase of new flags;

• accepted Cargill as the supplier of road salt for the 2012 winter season; and

• disallowed a permit for the June 14 Buckeye Trail 50K as its organizers did not meet required deadlines, according to Noragon.

The next regular Boston Township Board of Trustees meeting will be May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the administrative offices at Boston Township Hall, located at the corner of Main Street and Riverview Road in Peninsula.

• Judge favors Fairlawn in Rothrock Road case
• County Council OKs raises for Clerk of Courts staff
• Highland Square issues remain tabled by Akron Council
• Gate Lodge greets crowds for Founders Day
• New Copley police station back in discussion
• Pallotta fills Ward 3 vacancy on Falls Council
• Budget cuts inevitable if Norton charter amendment passes
• Peninsula seeks new part-time road employee
• Richfield Council withdraws pay increase proposal
• Richfield trustees consider options for administration offices
• Demolition program addressed at Granger meeting
• Firestone student achieves Eagle Scout rank
• West Side News & Notes
• Green may go paperless
• Junior ROTC Cadets practice leadership skills
• City buys Sisler Field
• Springfield plants demonstration garden
• County Council OKs raises for Clerk of Courts staff
• South Side News & Notes