Long meetings are not uncommon for the Berlin Township Board of Trustees.
Earlier this year, trustees met for five hours on Feb. 27 in the township hall, 3271 Cheshire Road, Delaware.
Meghan Raehll is trustee chairman, Ron Bullard is vice chair, and Ken O’Brien is the third trustee.
“O’Brien expressed his concerns with the hogweed and mosquitos, especially around the railroad tracks” to new Delaware Public Health District Commissioner Garrett Guillozet, who had introduced himself at the meeting. “Guillozet said they are revamping their mosquito program this year by expanding the number of traps and focusing on larva pre-treatment versus solely on treatment at springtime,” the minutes said. “In 2023, they will be working on engaging with townships on how nuisance investigations are handled. They will be communicating more regularly when they receive complaints about locations of solid waste or other public nuisances and will quarterly update townships on the status of those specific complaints.”
O’Brien was then named Berlin’s representative to the DPHD’s District Advisory Council, which met on March 23.
Also at the meeting, Jeremy Moss was hired as a part-time firefighter; and Tyler Bagley was moved out of the rover position and into a regular full-time firefighter position. There was also discussion on apparel policy.
The bulk of the meeting was devoted to the trustees going through the township’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan “page by page and made significant changes to the wording. This will continue to be discussed and revised by the board of trustees on March 27, 2023, at 7:00 p.m.”
Also on Feb. 27, “Raehll has concerns that residents are not being contacted when they reach out with questions regarding Fairview Cemetery,” the minutes said. “Raehll wants to get the Fairview Cemetery sign replaced and/or restored.”
The March 13 trustee meeting went 7 hours. It began with public comment from a resident concerning the Sycamore Trails subdivision. The trustees provided guidance but said they “do not get involved with homeowner association matters,” the minutes said.
A public hearing was held for the Peachblow Crossing development.
“The site they are proposing for a zoning amendment is located behind the frontage lots of the northwest corner of Piatt and Peachblow Roads,” the minutes said. “They resubmitted a traffic study December 2022 and that their engineer is good with the conclusions and is waiting for final engineering plans. The two items to come out of the study, is that there will be no vehicle access to Peachblow Road and there will be a north bound left turn lane on Piatt Road. They are proposing 77 single-family lots on 49.06 grossed acres. The density gross is 1.56 and the density net is 1.84 units per acre. There is 43% open space which is 21.1 acres. All the lots are a minimum of ¼ acre and that includes an 80-foot-wide minimum lot width, which complies with the zoning requirements. The development plan and text comply with the zoning resolution along with the comprehensive land use plan. There are no divergences being asked for. The plan that is being proposed was approved by all members of the zoning commission on March 6, 2023.”
Next, there was a lengthy discussion regarding the plan between the trustees and the applicant, with 20 conditions for approval made by the trustees. After more than two hours, the hearing was recessed so the applicant could revise their amendment. An hour later, the trustees approved the resolution.
Separate discussion concerned heavy truck damage to Ford and Winter streets, as well as water buildup on Winter Street, and a sewer line issue in front of the fire station. The trustees approved spending $25,000 to cut and remove dead trees along the roads.
There were also three executive sessions, which included collective bargaining. However, “no decisions were made, and no actions were taken.” Old business included grant writing and building access policy. There was continued discussion on Fairview Cemetery, as well.
The March 13 meeting included a payment software presentation by Township Zoning Inspector Jacob Bon, and the assistant zoning inspector position was declared vacant. Also attending the meetings were Berlin Fiscal Officer Claudia Smith and Fiscal Officer Assistant Theresa Taylor.
For more information, visit www.berlintwp.us.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
