Seasons Greetings!

I would say Merry Christmas, but I’m two days late for that.  Oh well, still early enough to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

It’s snowing right now, and we’re supposed to get 3-5″ tonight, so be careful out there.

Catching up with a little township news:

The new fire station/administrative building is quickly nearing completion.  The exterior is done except for landscaping and the final layer of asphalt on the driveways and parking lots, two things that have to wait for spring, and the interior looks better everyday.  There is paint on the walls, tile on (some of) the floors, heat and electricity – almost all the amenities of home.  We still need sprinkler systems in some of the rooms, carpeting, furniture, and more.  It will probably be February before we move in, with an open house to follow.

We have a new stainless steel bed dumptruck/snow plow in the road department.  The stainless steel bed should keep it from rusting out from the salt.  The truck was paid for primarily with reimbursement funds from FEMA for our expenses following Hurricane Ike.  Kudos to Fiscal Officer Melanie Cochran for keeping such good records, enabling us to document and claim the expenses.

The $1.325 million grant for the Styer Rd. Bridge Project is being moved up to the first half of next year.  The county engineer has already started preparations for it, and plans to tear the bridge out over the creek as soon as school is out in June.  He hopes to have it back open before school starts back up in the fall.  It will be another summer of inconvenient driving in the area, but that bridge really needs replaced.  We will also be paving Styer, Stratmore, Lemay, and Weinland, and replacing catch basins, curbs and gutters, and fire hydrants.  This project should really spruce the plat up.

The township’s annual closeout meeting will be held thisTuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the township building, 11300 W. National Rd.  This meeting is required to close the books for one year and prepare for the new one.  We do so in strong financial standing.

May the peace of the season keep your house warm and your family close.

Posted by Nancy

Congratulations to New Chief 3

Congratulations to Jen Cotterman, who was appointed to the position of Chief 3 at the trustees meeting Nov. 10.  Jen has been with the department for ten years and has most recently been serving as fire marshall.

Chief Jacob King congratulates Jen Cotterman upon her appointment to the position of Chief 3.

Chief Jacob King also deserves congratulations.  He was recently appointed Fire Chief at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Congratulations to Chief King and Chief Cotterman for the advancements in their careers.

Posted by Nancy

Road Reports

At their meeting this morning the county commissioners voted to approve an engineering contract for geotechnical investigations for the Styer Drive bridge.  This is the first step toward getting the bridge replaced next summer, at the same time Styer, Stratmore, Weinland, and Lemay will be milled down and repaved.

 The commissioners also declared the statutory speed limit on Lower Valley Pike between Merrymack and 1/2 mile east of Union Rd. excessive and unrealisitc, and are awaiting review of studies to determine what the new speed will be.  We were unaware they were doing this, but the number of accidenst and fatalities on Lower Valley Pike has been a concern at the County Transporatation Department for several years now.  They have been especially concerned about the Union Rd. intersection.

The new streetlights on Main St. in Medway are now lit going east from Spangler Rd., and will be lit going west later this week.  The engineers office is looking into the possibility of adding poles on the south side of the street in the east section, which we thought was part of the original plan. 

The road crew is picking up leaves in Park Layne, and will be doing so for awhile.  Just keep raking them out to the curb as they fall.

Posted by Nancy

Leaves, Parties, and Progress

Sorry it’s been so long since an entry was posted.  It’s been a hectic few weeks around here, what with the elections and all.  It’s been nice weather to walk the neighborhoods and knock on doors, but it takes a lot of time and effort and the blog has suffered.

Let’s catch up with some news.

First, ELECTIONS.  Everyone probably knows by now that the incumbents, Nancy Brown and David Finfrock, are returning.  Don Minton and Dick Zsambok were strong candidates and ran admirable campaigns, and we look forward to their involvement in township issues in the future.  Good communities are made stronger by interested citizens coming forward to serve.

Second, LEAF PICKUP.  We have had questions about the leaf pickup schedule, and the short answer is there isn’t one.  Well, there is, but it is very informal.  The road crew starts with the upper plat, since rain washes those leaves down the hills and into the gutters quicker than it does on the flat ground of the lower plat.  They try to get the big piles first, so rake your leaves out into the gutters and they will come by and vacuum them up.  They will keep making passes through both areas until either they have gotten all the leaves or the weather has turned so bad they have to convert the trucks into snow plows.  Don’t worry if we drive by your house and your leaves aren’t raked out – we will be back.  We ask that you get them out as soon as possible though, so the guys can get done before the bad weather hits.

Third, the FIRE STATION.   The progress is amazing, and the masonry work is almost done.  I need to go take a picture of the front now that the office part is done, but here is one of the back.

It is going to be a beautiful building.  It has doors now and can be secured at night, which is good.

Fourth, HALLOWEEN PARTY.  Every year the fire association puts on a party immediately after Trick or Treat for anyone who wants to come, and this year was another success.  The highlight of the evening is always the costume contest.  Here are a few winners, unfortunately without names.

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather this week, and are getting everything ready for the inevitable winter snow and slush ahead.  Soak up the sun and store it for later!

Posted by Nancy

Issue 5 On Ballot Nov. 3

Bethel township will have a renewal levy for Police on the ballot November 3.

Issue 5 will ask whether you want to renew a 1-mill levy to keep police officers in the township.  We currently have Deputies Evans and Kerns, Clark County sheriff’s deputies we pay to work only in Bethel Twp.  The sheriff has several similar agreements bringing additional deputies into other townships and the city of New Carlisle.

Issue 5 will not raise taxes or cost additional money if passed, but will continue the current level of funding.  We ask that you carefully consider the issue as you vote Nov. 3.

Projects Coming Together

It’s been a busy year around Bethel Township, with most of our projects delayed for one reason or another and coming together late in the year.

• Our new cruiser is finally in and in service.  Deputy Kerns really likes it.
• The new dump truck/snow plow is being fitted with hydraulics and other extras, and will be ready in about five weeks.  Just in time for winter.
• Road repairs, including edge overlays and chip and seal, were done on Bischoff Rd., Musselman Rd., Lammes Lane, Osborn Rd. and others in September.
• Over $2 million in improvements to Gerlaugh Rd., done under the jurisdicition of the Clark County Engineers Office,  fell behind early in the spring and never caught up.  The project is thankfully almost done.  The final layer has been applied and it has been striped, but there is still work to do with driveways, connecting roads, etc.
• The Medway street light project, being paid for with grant money and also under the jurisdiction of the County Engineer, wasn’t started until September.  There was considerable trouble working around undersground utilities, but the foundations are all in place now.  The poles should go up soon.
• Starting work on the new fire station was held up earlier in the year by the banking crisis, leading to the bond pool we were working with falling apart.  Security National, our local bank, came to our rescue with very favorable rates and the project is now on track for completion in January.  There have been weather delays, and rain still causes problems for is masonry and site work (excavation, parking lot, sidewalks, etc.)

Speaking of the new fire station, it is coming together fast.  The walls are framed in throughout the entire building, some of the windows are in, masonry is complete on the north wall and across the back of the main section of the building, and the drywall will be going up soon.  It is exciting to watch it change from day to day, week to week.

The rooms are framed in , waiting for drywall

We can see the various rooms now, the hallways, etc.  It takes an architect’s drawing to figure out what is what, though.

 

 

The metal liner in the bay area will keep it bright in there.  There is no second floor in the bay, so it will be insulated above this ceiling.

There are two grey stripes on the building, each two blocks thick.

The masons are keeping the finished product hidden working on the back of the building first.  You can see the finished end of the building as you head south on Lake Rd. though.

The asphalt for the parking lots will not be installed until late in November so there won’t be heavy trucks driving over it right away.  By then most of the heavy lifting will be done.

It won’t be long till we’re planning an open house so everyone can see the beautiful new building.  If you have any suggestions send them our way.

Masonry Exterior Beginning to Appear

The lower runs of masonry are now installed on the fire station.  I couldn’t get a picture of it though, because the workers covered everything with plastic to keep it from getting rained on while the mortar sets. 

Here’s a picture of them working on it Thursday.  They were rained out Friday, but came back Saturday to finish it up to the bottom of the windows.  There will be a contrasting stripe next, and they are waiting for that block to arrive.

Pictures of the Fire Station

These pictures are a few days old, so out of date already.  They show how quickly the building is progressing, though.

First, the front of the station.  The fire chief’s office will be to the left of the front door and township administration will be along the front to the right.  There will be a large meeting room behind the township offices, and living quarters for the fire personnel will be behind that room.  Other fire department offices and operating rooms will be behind the chief’s office.

Here is the back of the building.

There’s a lot of work going on inside, so let’s take a look.

The floors have been poured throught the entire structure.  (The floor is wet because the roof is not finished and this was taken after a rain.)  The door opening is where the main entrance will be, and the windows are where the township’s administrative offices will be located.  The township administrative area will occupy less than 8% of the building.

The fire wall is being installed between the bay area and the office area…

and electrical wires are being run before drywall installation begins.

This picture was taken in the bay area, which will be finished off with a metal ceiling.

We have had a few questions about why a wood structure instead of steel, and the answer is cost.  Both are rated for the same wind shear factor, but there is quite a cost differential.  This construction saves your tax money.

The building will be finished off with a masonry exterior, which should be going up shortly.  The main color is called “Mahogany,” and the contrast color is a light ecru (sort of cement colored).  It should be very attractive when it is finished.

Posted by Nancy

What a Difference!

What a difference a week makes.  The picture in the last post was taken last week, and on Tuesday of this week the concrete floor was poured in the living quarters/office section on the right end of the photo .  By Thursday it was framed in and almost completely under roof.

That section is as long as the bay area, and the building now looks immense.  It was too dark to take a picture when I went by this evening, but I will try to get one tomorrow and post it.

It’s moving along rapidly, and will be a tremendous asset to our township when it is completed.

Township News

1.  Construction on the new fire station is moving right along.  The living quarters and office area are mostly framed in, the bay is wrapped in Tyvek, the wells for geothermal have been drilled, and it won’t be long before the whole thing is under roof.  This photo was taken over a week ago, so the framing on the north side is much further along than it shows.

2.  Someone drove through Medway Park earlier this week, destroying two pear trees and several shrubs and damaging a utility pole.  A local resident saw the flatbed semi in the parking lot of the Country Store, then watched him drive right through the park rather than maneuver his rig back out onto the street.  Didn’t get a license number, though.  Dan Studebaker has donated new trees and bushes to repair the park, and we will do the work next week.  Thanks, Dan!

3.  Next Saturday is New Carlisle’s Airplane Parade.  Don’t miss it, as it is a unique parade followed by a street festival and carnival rides.  There will be a Cruise In on Friday evening.

4.  We will be doing our final brush pickup of the season the week of October 5th.  If you have any brush to put out be sure to call 845-1341 the week before and give us your address so we can get everything cleaned up for the end of the season.  After that pickup the guys will be changing equipment around and getting ready for leaf pickup in Park Layne.

5.  Our grant application for $1.3 million dollars for paving Styer, Stratmore, Weinland, and Lemay next year and replacing the Styer Rd. bridge near Raynor Park has made it through two rounds of review and been sent to the state for final approval.  We are definitely excited at the likelihood of getting all that work done next year, even if it means road closures due to construction again.

6.  Speaking of road closures, it seems like Gerlaugh Rd. will never be finished.  The contractors are having to haul out soil and put down a good base for the final section in front of Park Layne.  There just wasn’t much of a base there.  It is taking longer to finish it than expected, but eventually…….

7.  Meanwhile, a layer of chip and seal was put down on Old Bischoff Rd., and other roads are being repaired with wedges and skim coats.  All these methods prolong the life of the road and save tax money.

8.  Finally, the township will have a renewal levy on the ballot this November.  It is a 1 mill levy for police, and helps pay for two full-time deputies in the township that are provided by the Sheriff’s Department.

Posted by Nancy