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Lake Township Trustees spent their last meeting of the month responding to citizen concerns about plans to build an oil well on property near the Industrial Excess Landfill. The board also sent letters to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to express their concerns.
Trustees also agreed to send a notice to the owners of a Uniontown property at 13300 Tippecanoe Ave. NW to remove "junk vehicles" from the property.
According to township legal representative Charlie Hall, the cars violate zoning regulations. Owners have 14 days to remove the vehicles or to provide proof to the township that the cars should not be classified as junk.
Uniontown Police will receive bulletproof vests thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will pay for half the cost.
A resident asked Trustees for information on the township noise ordinance. President John Arnold responded to the request by making a comment supporting regional police protection. "If we had a township-wide police department, we'd actually have a police department with some teeth to deal with things like this."
During department discussions, Uniontown Police Chief, Harold Britt spoke of several recent arson fires that resulted in $480,000 damages and six home break-ins within the last month. Britt said two residents have been arrested in connection with both cases.
Trustees passed a resolution to limit public comment to three minutes per person. Under the new measure a resident may not speak more than once per meeting.
Two community members spoke during the meeting. They were concerned with Lake Township Issue 6 that seeks to expand the Uniontown Police district to provide township-wide protection except for within the village limits of Hartville. The issue was passed by voters Nov. 8.
Brenda and Charles Heisroth, of Uniontown, criticized the issue's campaign literature and the purpose of the proposed services.
“As a taxpayer, I feel like we need to have more info about this issue,” Brenda Heisroth said. “It seems to me that...there would be a duplication of services and expenses being used for equipment and uniforms that are not needed. This is a small town and I don't see why we would need bulletproof vests or more police. I think this campaign information is full of hyperbole and false truths, and voters need to stop listening to this."
Police Chief Britt spoke as a representative of the Citizens for Lake Township Police committee. Britt said there is a “dire need” for local police control and protection. He said current police response has been slow. He also said that of 200 police officers killed last year, six are from Ohio. Britt also criticized a plan to give control to the sheriff department.
Lake Township Trustees spent their last meeting of the month responding to citizen concerns about plans to build an oil well on property near the Industrial Excess Landfill. The board also sent letters to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to express their concerns.
Trustees also agreed to send a notice to the owners of a Uniontown property at 13300 Tippecanoe Ave. NW to remove "junk vehicles" from the property.
According to township legal representative Charlie Hall, the cars violate zoning regulations. Owners have 14 days to remove the vehicles or to provide proof to the township that the cars should not be classified as junk.
Uniontown Police will receive bulletproof vests thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will pay for half the cost.
A resident asked Trustees for information on the township noise ordinance. President John Arnold responded to the request by making a comment supporting regional police protection. "If we had a township-wide police department, we'd actually have a police department with some teeth to deal with things like this."
During department discussions, Uniontown Police Chief, Harold Britt spoke of several recent arson fires that resulted in $480,000 damages and six home break-ins within the last month. Britt said two residents have been arrested in connection with both cases.
Trustees passed a resolution to limit public comment to three minutes per person. Under the new measure a resident may not speak more than once per meeting.
Two community members spoke during the meeting. They were concerned with Lake Township Issue 6 that seeks to expand the Uniontown Police district to provide township-wide protection except for within the village limits of Hartville. The issue was passed by voters Nov. 8.
Brenda and Charles Heisroth, of Uniontown, criticized the issue's campaign literature and the purpose of the proposed services.
“As a taxpayer, I feel like we need to have more info about this issue,” Brenda Heisroth said. “It seems to me that...there would be a duplication of services and expenses being used for equipment and uniforms that are not needed. This is a small town and I don't see why we would need bulletproof vests or more police. I think this campaign information is full of hyperbole and false truths, and voters need to stop listening to this."
Police Chief Britt spoke as a representative of the Citizens for Lake Township Police committee. Britt said there is a “dire need” for local police control and protection. He said current police response has been slow. He also said that of 200 police officers killed last year, six are from Ohio. Britt also criticized a plan to give control to the sheriff department.
"Just because you have one police department doesn't mean you have better service," Britt said. He told the couple to look up information from other police departments that have attempted to implement this sort of system, including departments in Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky.
Charles Heisroth interrupted Britt several times to the trustees. "I want to hear the trustees' answer, I don't want to hear the police chief's response."
Trustee Ellis Erb encouraged the Heisroths to meet with Britt privately.
"We have incident after incident within the township, and if you would listen to our chief, he would share with you proof...evidence...about accident after accident where it takes 30-60 minutes for someone to show up because of lack of staff, " Erb said, "The calls come, but they don't get always get answered. I invite you to talk to the police department, sit down in Britt's office and let him show you."
The next meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Lake Township Hall, 12360 Market Ave. North, Hartville. Meeting minutes can be found on the township web site.
