6/21/2012 - South Side Leader
     

COVENTRY — Despite some resistance, the Coventry Township Board of Trustees is applauding residents’ overall cooperation in the new trash removal program.

Out of the 4,300 residents of Coventry, less than 100 requested to opt out of the township-wide trash aggregation and recycling program set to kick off July 1, announced Board Chairman Tom Seese at the June 18 meeting.

He expressed satisfaction with how many residents signed up for the new program, designed to save residents money on their bills for trash removal and spare the roads from the wear and tear that results from multiple garbage trucks traveling throughout the township each day.

Seese said the trustees had to find a solution to the number of heavy trucks creating road damage in the township. If the trash aggregation were not established, then residents could have been asked to give more of their tax dollars toward road work in Coventry. He added tax dollars also will be saved by Republic Services offering free trash and recycling pickup at all township facilities.

He said at least 75 percent of residents are going to see a savings by having a single trash hauler serving the township, with the average homeowner currently paying $22 a month for trash pickup.

The service levels being offered range from $2.12 to $11.20 a month and include recycling, Seese said. Regardless, there are some residents who don’t want any service at all, he added. Seese said township officials received numerous calls from residents wishing to keep their own trash removal plan in place. He explained the township collected 81 applications from those wishing to opt out of the program and all but three were accepted. He said there are some who reportedly never paid for trash and others who took their trash to the home of a friend or relative in another community for pickup.

Trustee David Calderone said he did receive some phone calls from disgruntled residents but appreciated their “civility.”

He said some residents still need to heed the mailers sent out by the township and opt out or select a service plan before July 1, however. Residents who fail to select a service level before July 1 automatically will be enrolled in the unlimited service plan, he explained.

For more information on the trash plans and to enroll for service, residents should contact Republic between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 800-247-3644, he said.

The trustees were able to piggyback on New Franklin’s waste-hauling contract with Republic and recently signed a five-year agreement for trash pickup in the township, beginning next month.

Also during the meeting, a group of residents from the area of Cottage Grove Road and Elmo Street came to draw attention to a situation taking place in their neighborhood. Numerous residents reported displeasure with the recent responses by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office to disruptive behavior being displayed near their homes and asked that more be done to stop it.

“There are things we can do and can’t do by law,” said Sheriff’s Office Lt. Doug Smith to the 25 residents who came to discuss the issue.

Calderone said the group of neighbors met with Smith after the meeting, and he provided guidance on how best to deal with their situation.

“He also pledged to look into it further to see what, if anything, could be done to alleviate the problems from a law enforcement standpoint,” he said.

Also during the meeting, Zoning Inspector George Beckham reported Coventry has 55 abandoned properties to add to the land bank being created by Summit County to obtain grant money to fund the demolition of vacant and blighted homes.

“Other communities have twice as many. We are not at the top of the list,” he said.

Additionally at the meeting, the board approved legislation supporting an ordinance by Summit County Council to address panhandling in the county. [See “County Council considers pandhandling ordinances” in the June 15, 2012, edition or visit the archives at www.akron.com.]

The board also heard from John Rogers, treasurer of the Portage Lakes Fireworks Association about this year’s fireworks, set for July 1 at 10 p.m. at Mason’s Point, off Turkeyfoot Lake Road. He said July 3 is the rain date for the fireworks.

Rogers also said donations still are being accepted to help fund the display. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 26923, Akron, OH 44319 or made at www.portagelakes.com, he said. George Ayers Insurance, Dano’s Lakeside Pub, Dusty’s Landing, Dietz’s Restaurant and Cole Industries also are accepting financial donations for the fireworks, Rogers added.

He added the Portage Lakes Boat Parade also will take place July 1, at 1 p.m. It will begin at Kieffer Marine, 252 Portage Lakes Drive, and end at Portage Lakes State Park.

The Antique and Classic Boat show will take place June 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the docks at Harbor Inn and Hook Line and Drinkers, both located on Portage Lakes Drive.

The next regular Coventry trustees’ meeting is set for July 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 68 Portage Lakes Drive.

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