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Boardman township moves forward with plans for new historic district
BOARDMAN
The township is moving forward with plans to convert donated property into a community space.
Township officials have been working for some time on plans to turn an 11.1-acre property on Raupp Avenue, donated by Clarence R. Smith Jr., into what will be part of the Southern Park Historic District.
The other part of the district will be the 8-acre Southern Park Historic Stables property on Washington Boulevard, donated by longtime Vindicator writer Janie Jenkins. Jenkins maintained the stables for decades before her death in 2012.
Township trustees Monday opened bids for projects that will extend sanitary sewer and waterlines from Washington to Raupp, and bring the stables’ restrooms into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The seven bids that came in for the first project ranged from $174,738 to $422,191. Bids for the second project are $43,546, $49,400 and $51,700. Engineering firm MS Consultants Inc. will review the bids and come back to the board with recommendations.
A $250,000 capital-improvement grant from the state, which the township obtained last year, will cover part of the project cost.
Boardman Park is working with the township on the project.
In other business, Zoning Inspector Sarah Gartland presented to the board some planned zone changes, the highlights of which include: regulation of clothing donation boxes; a ban on ownership of roosters, and new stipulations for residents who own chickens; and some new rules for electronic signs used for advertising.
Trustees also expressed a desire to make a zone change that would prevent placement of satellite dishes in residents’ yards.
The changes will undergo further revision.
Also, the board authorized renewal of its annual maintenance agreement with Tele-Solutions Inc. of Boardman, which operates the township’s internal phone system, for a cost of $5,537.
The board also authorized an agreement by which the county prosecutor’s office serves as the township’s law director, for a cost of $75,000; and renewal of the township’s liability insurance with the Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority statewide insurance pool, at a cost of $114,342.
The next township trustee meeting will take place at 11 a.m. Dec. 28 at the township administration building, 8299 Market St.