Catawba Island Township Board of Township Trustees
Meeting Minutes
July 25, 2023
The regular business meeting of the Catawba Island Board of Township Trustees was called to order by Chairman Matt Montowski on Tuesday, July 25, at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room
of the administration building.
In attendance were: Diane Belden, William Rofkar, Matt Montowski, Karen Shaw,
John Gangway, Kevin Johnson, Dorothy Baker, Bill Baker, Lisa Murphy, John Broska and
Doug Coppeler
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all.
Diane Belden made a motion to approve the July 11, 2023, Board of Trustees regular meeting minutes as presented. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
William Rofkar made a motion to approve and pay the bills, including the last payroll, in the amount of $77,975.42. Diane Belden seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Correspondence
A letter from Catawba Island Club requesting to use the Community Hall parking lot July 29 for special event parking.
Trustees agreed the Catawba Island Club can use of the Community Hall parking for a fee of $100.
A letter from Joy Riedl requesting a total of five cremation burials in a single grave because remains would be comingled and only result in the interment of two urns.
Trustees agreed, under the unusual circumstances, to allow the interment of one additional burial per grave space.
A letter from the Ottawa County Engineer’s Office regarding Round 38 SCIP and LTIP.
A letter from Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State, regarding the statewide ballot issue and where to find more information.
A thank you note from Patty Wildman for the retirement party and support over the years.
Maintenance
Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Johnson said road paving is done at the north end and maintenance personnel completed the berm stone. He said road striping will be completed with the rest of the township roads.
Kevin Johnson said he is requesting bids for grinding mulch at the compost facility.
Kevin Johnson said one of the maintenance trucks is in need of repair and he will get the truck in for an estimate.
Kevin Johnson said the contractor is working on the HVAC at the Community Hall and they hope to be completed soon.
Fire
Diane Belden reported Port Clinton EMS responded to 21 calls in April, 48 calls in May, and 51 calls in June for a total of 120 EMS calls responded to in Catawba Island the second quarter with an average response time of 9 minutes and 33 seconds.
Parks
Jack Madison said the Park District of Ottawa County is going to promote a “Hike Ottawa County” outdoor hiking challenge. He said the challenge will include the Cedar Meadow Preserve.
New Business
Matt Montowski said the Veterans’ Memorial Area project is underway.
A discussion took place regarding an upgrade to the interior design and the medallions to be placed in the surrounding wall.
Diane Belden made a motion to purchase seven 16” military medallions from Coldspring at a cost of $655 each plus shipping. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Diane Belden made a motion to approve a change order with Masonry Construction in the amount of $5,700 to upgrade the design to include stamped concrete in all the interior area inside the stone wall of the Veterans Memorial project. William Rofkar seconded the motion. All voted aye. Motion carried.
Matt Montowski said he received email correspondence from Doug Coppeler related to vacated property development and his concern with invasive plants and rodents now encroaching his property on Konker Road. Matt Montowski also said that on May 17 Regional Planning issued a one year extension to the owners to develop the property due to extenuating circumstances.
Doug Coppeler said under the Ohio Revised Code the Board may apply for abatement. He asked if that has been done and if not why not.
Matt Montowski said Trustees do not tell developers how to handle property that is under development.
Doug Coppeler said the weeds have grown so high they have propagated over his split rail fence. He said the weeds are mitigating up Konker Road reseeding on lawns and he cannot control them. He said the Trustees have the wherewithal and authority to have the property cleaned up.
Matt Montowski said the property is under development.
Doug Coppeler said the ORC does not provide for that type of extenuating circumstance and Trustees have the authority to go in and clean it up or have the owners clean up the property. He asked if the Trustees have looked at the property and made a determination as it has been left in an undesirable, unhealthy, and unsafe condition and he has requested the Board to look into the matter.
William Rofkar said the Board has not made a determination but we have all looked at the property individually. He said the property is a permitted construction site through the county and he is not in favor of doing anything about it. He said it is unfortunate what happened and that it is that close to your backyard but if the original owner had not passed away we wouldn’t be in this situation.
Doug Coppeler said the circumstance is irrelevant. He said it is not being taken care of and the Trustees have not made a determination that it is a nuisance. He asked when Trustees would decide.
Matt Montowski said it doesn’t matter what we think. He said the owners have a permit to develop the property and they can do whatever they want.
Doug Coppeler said that is as long as it is not considered a nuisance.
William Rofkar said he has to go by the law and look at what we are going to commit ourselves to if we embrace cleaning up a project that is under construction. He said we would spend a lot of money to do so and if I were the developer and have my permits and if the township cleaned it up and billed me for it I would go to court and I do not think it would hold up in court.
Matt Montowski said we can send them a soft letter to request they address the issue.
Dorothy Baker asked if the township keeps track of people requiring EMS service that come off the ferry from Put-In-Bay.
Diane Belden said yes when individuals arrive at Catawba Island they are part of our numbers.
Bill Baker suggested Trustees consider widening the road from Crogan on the west edge all the way from the north gate of Miller parking near the Catawba Inn down to the corner. He said the foot traffic out into the middle of the road has been a little concerning.
Trustees agreed that is a good suggestion and they can discuss with the County Engineer.
Kevin Johnson said the first row of ferry parking could be removed to allow for a walking lane.
Trustees agreed that is another option to consider.
Lisa Murphy asked why a POW medallion is not included in the new Veterans project.
Diane Belden said there will be a POW flag included in the center. She said a POW is a member of one of the branches of service represented by the medallions.
John Broska said he has a cottage at 2393 N. Catawba, Skyline Park, and there is a group of barges owned by Ken Gill Construction docked along their marina pier. He said Ken Gill does not have written permission to be there and it is a commercial entity in a residential area. He said now one of the barges is derelict and sinking. John Broska said Ken Gill is not doing active work at either one of those parks and his view of the bay is blocked by the unsightly barges.
Matt Montowski suggested John Broska speak to his association and write Ken Gill Construction a polite letter. He said John Broska could also discuss with the zoning inspector.
Diane Belden made a motion to adjourn the meeting. William Rofkar seconded the motion.
All voted aye. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 10:05 a.m.
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Matt Montowski, Chairman Karen Shaw, Fiscal Officer