~ KEEPING NCT RESIDENTS INFORMED SINCE 2005 ~
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#439Â Â Â MONDAY JANUARY 25, 2016
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COIN TOSS = AMICABLE AGREEMENT
~ 1878 SILVER DOLLAR CHOSE NEW TRUSTEE ~
Brent Sommer’s planned resignation (retirement to Florida) was made known to me last May (2015) at which time he met with John Romanik and me to inform us of his retirement plans and his desire for John to replace him. Rich Reville was informed of our choice but as time went on he chose a member of the Zoning Board but that person eventually declined Rich’s offer. Last fall, Rich chose Russ Mazzola thus creating a stalemate between our choices.
Brent sent us his resignation on December 14th with an effective date of December 31st. In his letter, Brent wrote in part:
“My only request is that as you appoint someone to my position that has shown their desire and interest in Northfield center by dedicating themselves and their time in the past. We have a number of people on the Board of Appeals or the Zoning Board that are qualified and have proven that their heart is in the right.”
Brent’s resignation set in motion a legal time frame of 30 days in which Rich and I had to appoint a replacement or a judge would do it for us! By the second week of January, we still had a stalemate but Rich and I were determined that we would not let a judge make a decision for us. We finally scheduled a meeting to resolve the stalemate once and for all.
Rich Reville called a Special Meeting to order on Monday, January 11th at 6:31PM with Rich, Andy LaGuardia, John Romanik, Russ Mazzola and myself in attendance. After taking care of some routine business we went into executive session to discuss the appointment of our replacement Trustee.
We began the meeting with my review of the timeline between Brent Sommer’s first mention of resigning, which was told to John and me on May 4, 2015. After going over the timeline I gave everyone the only three choices facing us to keep the decision out of the courts. I told them that either one of them could voluntarily drop out or they could toss a coin or Rich and I would remove both of them from consideration and then pick a third party. After some discussion both John and Russ agreed to a coin toss. I then presented an 1878 Morgan silver dollar for the toss. We all agreed to have Andy LaGuardia conduct the toss. At 7:05PM, Andy tossed the coin in the air and John called heads. The coin landed on our table and spun for about ten seconds and when it finally fell over it was heads! John won the toss!
We all decided to publically announce that we came to an “amicable” decision. We ended the executive session at 7:10PM and went back into regular session. We then had John verbally resign his position on the BZA and then passed resolution number 16/01-11D appointing him to the office of Trustee. I then administered the Oath of Office to him. The meeting adjourned at 7:14PM.
The reason that I publicized this was because the ‘rumor’ about the coin toss got out and both Russ and John decided that it was best to explain their “amicable agreement.”
DON’T TAKE YOUR WATER FOR GRANTED
During the past week we learned about the lead contaminated water in Flint Michigan, which resulted in a STATE OF EMERGENCY declaration and the ongoing problems with water in Sebring, Ohio. Several residents asked me about what they could do if we were faced with an emergency water situation in our area. As most of you know, we have been victims of numerous water outages due to water main breaks and, of course, the historic electrical blackout back in 2003 that resulted in a water outage for 1.5 Million of us!
The following is an excerpt from my “EMERGENCY AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS GUIDE”* that I’ve continually updated and published since 2001:
WATER
Water and food are the two most important elements in any emergency preparedness plan because without them, nothing else matters! Any disaster or emergency situation can disrupt access to one or both. You can survive without food for many days but without safe drinking water, you will become very ill and could die within days.
We are fortunate to live in an area where water is quite plentiful but not necessarily potable (drinkable). Therefore, if you have the means and knowledge to filter and treat water, a large storage plan is not necessary but at least one gallon per family member per day should be included in all preparedness plans. Properly cleaned food-grade plastic jugs such as two-liter pop bottles are ideal for storing small amounts of water. Do not use old milk jugs or chemical containers since the plastic may be permanently contaminated with bacterial or chemical residue.
In the event you need water and have not stored any, there are alternatives. You will find that the plumbing in your house, including the pipes, water heater and toilet tank(s) (not the bowls) could hold up to 70 gallons or more of perfectly safe drinking water. Toilet tanks should not be considered if you use in-tank cleaner/deodorizer tablets!
Surface water in streams, ditches, ponds, lakes and rain water collected in rain barrels can easily be treated for drinking and cooking purposes through boiling, filtration or chemicals. Filter straws, pump filters and gravity filters are readily available on line or at most outdoor and camping outlets. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a “Big Berkey” filter (www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com ) A bottle of regular (unscented and non-whitening) Clorox bleach containing at least 6% Sodium Hypochlorite can treat hundreds of gallons of water considering that ½ teaspoon will treat five gallons of water after standing for 30 minutes. Just a quick note on filters – Those screw on kitchen sink filters only remove large particles and offensive colors and odors. Most do NOT remove bacteria, heavy metals, etc.
A water crisis can occur in our area even though no local disaster is occurring. During the massive power outage on August 14, 2003, the news media was warning that the Cleveland, Ohio water system only had a two-hour reserve of water because the pumps could not work without power. Cleveland services most of northern Summit County! When that reserve ran out, the water flow stopped for over 1.5 million people. No drinking water and no toilet flushing water. With adequate warning, bathtubs and sinks can be filled to supplement your drinking and washing water and provide for toilet flushing. The latter is something most may not think about right away but believe me, it won’t take long before lack of preparedness in this area becomes a very noticeable problem.
Water shortages and the quality of water continue to be a concern due to drought conditions, contamination and infrastructure failures. Thousands of people in Toledo saw their water contaminated last year from toxic algae and in January of this year, Flint Michigan is suffering from lead contamination. And just this week, right here in Ohio, the town of Sebring made the news with lead and copper contaminated water!
The frequency of major water main breaks has risen dramatically in just the past few years due to the age of the pipes and the escalating demand for water. Experts won’t admit it but the truth of the matter is that these problems will continue to rise and get worse as time goes on!
*I would be happy to send the full version of this guide to anyone. Just send an email to TrusteeBuescher@aol.com and request “Your Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Guide.”
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q >>> – I talked with you a few times on the phone about the land where the soccer field was proposed. I live on rolling Brooke and back up to the woods. Do you have any news or update on any new developments or purchases on that land that might affect our view of our backyard?
A >>> – I am not aware of any plans at this time. However, keep in mind that some of this land is developable and can be developed sometime in the future.
Q >>> – It was mentioned in the Newsleader that if we get [Kimble’s] trash cans, trash pickup will only be every 2 weeks. This is not acceptable to the residents on Cherry or Beachwood.
A >>> – That would not be acceptable anywhere in our Township. However, your information is wrong. Trash pickup will continue to be EVERY WEEK but the recyclables will be every other week. A calendar with pickup dates was mailed by Kimble to all residents using Kimble’s service.
Q >>> – Is it true that our fire department is planning to unionize? I heard this from some friends and just wanted to know if there is any truth to it?
A >>> – The answer to your question is yes. Everything is preliminary. Our first meeting with the union will be this week. There will be more to report down the road.
Q >>> – Are we becoming a trash depot? I find the trash piles along old 8 to degrade our community and is unacceptable. What are you guys doing about this?? What’s wrong with these people??
A >>> – The large pile that was in front of 9114 Olde Eight, which was responsible for numerous complaints is almost completely gone. We ‘persuaded’ the owner to rent a dumpster and clean up the mess. The full dumpster was recently removed and the few remaining items will be removed this week. The owner of the other mess at 8801 Olde Eight, who does not have an account with Kimble, is being served a legal notice to remove it in three days or we will remove it and bill them. If the bill is not paid, the amount will be put on their property tax duplicate! As to what’s wrong with these people …… Your guess is as good as mine!
YOUR GENERAL COMMENTS
I was quite pleased to read in your recent newsletter that the Meijer chain is interested in locating within our area.
In my opinion, it would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I have had the opportunity to shop at other Meijer stores in Ohio and have always found them to offer quality products at a reasonable price. Some of the sales they offer are extremely outstanding. Stores are always neat and clean; and the staff has always been helpful to me when I was in need of assistance.
Perhaps it is time for our residents to have more than one selection for the majority of their food shopping (unless you want to venture to Hudson, Brecksville, and surrounding areas to find stores other than Giant Eagle). It will be most interesting to see how this possibility of competition plays out.
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I understand & share your concern about the closing of Sagamore’s ER. I have used it myself when my mom was visiting in from out of town. However, your email did not mention the TWO brand new Emergency Rooms that are currently under construction only a few miles west on Route 82. I am confident that these ER’s will be able to provide MUCH greater services and higher level of care that the free-standing Sagamore Hills ER ever could have provided. It boggles my mind how one interchange (Routes 77 & 82) can justify two brand new ER’s, but the fact remains they are under construction and, in my opinion, will quickly overtake the ER-of-choice market given their state-of-the-art technology and additional services they can provide, ultimately strangling the free-standing ER of it’s already low volume in the very near future. Sagamore simply won’t be able to compete.
Progress has its casualties … but I’d rather have two larger options that can provide much higher levels of care only ten minutes further away than an interim ER that is so limited that in most cases likely has to stabilize & transport to those that are 30 to 45 minutes away. I DO appreciate your consistent newsletter. I truly find it a greatly valuable asset to our community. Thank YOU for your consistency.
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I would like to post a reply to the individual that wanted to know why Jeff Mather was included in the memorial service. I spoke with one of his best friends and until 6 weeks ago he was living a pretty normal life. The friend described it as if, Jeff woke up one day and his brain was broke. Why is it if someone contracts cancer we grieve, but if they contract a mental illness we judge? Only God knows what was going through his mind at the time of the incident. No one knows if he meant to kill his family or just himself. Let’s stop being judgmental and instead pray for those left behind with their grief.
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Regarding the anonymous comment about how disgusting it was to include the father in the Mather memorial service, perhaps this person has never experienced the helplessness and devastation either directly or indirectly caused by mental illness. This display of ignorance was highlighted multiple times by the various comments to the articles in the media, both online and in print.
Henry Harff
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Thank you,
Paul G. Buescher
Northfield Center Twp. Trustee Vice-Chairman
Northfield Center-Sagamore Hills Fire Dist. Board – Chairman
330-467-9451
TrusteeBuescher@aol.com
www.northfieldcenter.com
AMATEUR RADIO STATION N8HHG
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