5/17/2012 - West Side Leader
     

At the May 8 meeting, the Sharon Township Board of Trustees said they would like to take a step back from doing small improvements to the Post Office on Sharon Circle. 

Instead, trustees are considering hiring a general contractor or architect to plan an entire renovation project, they said.

Resident Charlie Robinette said he believes the building has been “Band-Aided” for long enough and would like to see it given the attention worthy of a building on the historical register. 

“The exterior needs a lot of work,” he said.

While trustees noted at a previous meeting that replacing the copper gutters on the building with new ones would be cost-prohibitive, Robinette said he would like to see trustees hire a coppersmith.

Zoning Inspector Neil Jones said he recently ventured onto the roof of the building with a local coppersmith and found the gutter situation is not as bad as trustees thought and would not likely cost the $14,000 or $15,000 trustees were previously quoted.

A back section is missing, and some of the joints are leaking, he noted.

However, “the gutters are in very good condition,” said Jones. “The downspouts are even in good condition.”

Another problem he noticed while on roof is the chimney, he added.

Trustees agreed they would like to see the township hire one centralized person to come up with a complete project for the exterior of the building, taking into consideration the historical significance of the building.

Also at the meeting, Fire Capt. Dennis Miller, who serves as vice president of the Sharon Township Firefighters Association, thanked all who participated in making a recent fundraiser a success. 

Miller said about 6,500 people attended the event, held at the Thirsty Cowboy bar in Medina April 26, to support the association’s efforts to restore Old 132-1, Sharon Township’s first fire truck. 

The vehicle was first purchased by the township in 1950 and was reacquired by the firefighters association at the end of 2010, according to the association. The main priority in doing restoration work is to include custom adjustments that will allow the truck to accommodate the caskets of local public safety officers without having to tilt them.

Miller said approximately $22,000 was raised at the April 26 event, and the association is currently working with West Coast Customs, a luxury automotive restyling center in Corona, Calif., on the restoration project.

Funds for the restoration work are housed in an account earmarked solely to be used on the truck and will not include any additional dollars from the association, taxpayers or Sharon Fire Department, added Miller. 

Miller also noted several local businesses were approached about the project first, but the interest was not there.

“They’re not into the complete restoration of old vehicles,” he said.

Also at the meeting, trustees:

• approved paying $849 to the Medina County Emergency Management Agency for their first annual bill for a new countywide emergency notification system. While landline telephones will automatically be used by the reverse 9-1-1 system, county residents will be getting instructions soon on how to opt-in to receive alerts on their cell phones and other devices, said Fire Chief Rob Haas.

“The process has been long in coming,” he said. “It’s worth two to three times what we’ll pay for it,” he added;

• noted bids for a project to replace a culvert on Koontz Road will be opened at the board’s June 26 meeting, according to Trustee Ray Lurtz;

• approved spending $2,184 for an additional automated external LifePak defibrillator for the Fire Department;

• approved paying for the cost of one night of hotel bills for firefighters who attended a training conference in Indianapolis last month, contingent on the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office’s approval;

• congratulated the 15 Sharon firefighters who were recently recognized as Heartland Heroes by the American Red Cross of Medina County;

• retired into executive session during a brief portion of the meeting with Haas, to discuss discipline and returned to the public meeting, taking no action;

• noted air conditioning units are expected to be completely installed at the Town Hall by the end of the week, according to Service Director Bob Turek;

• discussed signs planned for the new helipad at Medina Municipal Airport. Jones said the two signs planned for the location would violate township zoning laws, though the airport is not bound to comply.

“The deal we cut with them is that they abide by all zoning rules and regulations,” noted Trustee Brian Guccion. “We have to stay consistent,” he added, asking Jones to follow up on the matter;

• heard complaints from residents regarding skateboarders on the gazebo in the park on Sharon Circle.  Trustee Kimberly Bolas Miller encouraged residents to contact the Medina County Sherriff’s Office to report violators; and

• noted the Memorial Day parade will kick off at 9 a.m. May 28 at Ruhlin Park, and Medina County Auditor Michael Kovack will be the speaker.

The next regular Sharon Board of Trustees meeting is set for May 22 at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building on Sharon Circle.

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