Amherst Township recycled the following quantities through the “Blue Bag” program (1st quarter):
0.9
tons of aluminum cans
4.6
tons of bi-metal cans
8.7
tons of glass
2.5
tons of HDPE plastics
2.0
tons of PETE plastics
19.5
tons of newspapers
There were no dumpster days in the first quarter, therefore no scrap metal.
For questions concerning the “Blue Bag” program, contact BFI at 458-5191 or David Urig at 988-8256.
Dumpster Days
Amherst Township has set the following dates for “Dumpster Days” in 2006:
July 6, 7, 8
October 5, 6, 7
Hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Please note: NO TIRES WITH RIMS! NO PROPANE TANKS!
Drop-Off Hours for Yard Waste!!
Brush, limbs, grass clippings, and leaves may be brought to the rear of the Amherst Township Garage at the following times:
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mon – Fri
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Saturday
Amherst Township Residents only
I.D. will be checked
No Commercial
The garage is located at 7530 Oberlin Road.
Newspapers, cans, glass, and 1's & 2's plastics can be placed at your curb in blue bags for Allied pick-up. Newspapers should be “blue bagged” separately.
Compost & Wood Chips Available
Free compost and wood chips are available from the Township. If you are interested, contact John Szefcyk, Road Superintendent, at 988-5833.
Have a problem? Complaint forms are available at the Township Hall, inside the white bulletin board, or may be downloaded from the Township’s website.
TRUSTEE MEETINGS:
2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m.
Township Hall & Garage
Fax...................................988-5877 Fiscal Officer (clerk)..............988-5894 Road Superintendent (garage)..988-5833 Email: amhersttwproads@comcast.net Office (Zoning Inspector).......988-5866 Office Hours for Zoning Insp: Mon., Wed. & Sat. – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Voice Mail is checked daily Email: amhersttwpzoning@comcast.net Don Gargas, Zoning Inspector
Trustees Dennis Abraham...................986-4555 (Ambulance, Cemetery, Park, Water, Roads, Ditches, Enterprise Zones, County Health Rep.) Neil Lynch............................988-7681 (Sewer, Fire Land, Equipment, Personnel, LORCO, Senior Services, Zoning) David C. Urig.........................988-8256 (Lighting, Buildings, Solid Waste, Phase II Storm Water/Environmental Strategy, Alternate County Health Rep.)
Fiscal Officer (Clerk) John Koval.............................233-5744
Road Superintendent John Szefcyk..........................988-7045
Amherst Twp Senior Services Office Carol Schmitkons....................988-5822
Email: amhersttwpseniors@comcast.net
Office Hours – Mon thru Fri – 8am to 12 Noon
Fire Prevention Officer Wayne Eppley.........................324-3921
LifeCare Ambulance, Inc. Maude or Herb DeLa Porte........323-6111
Amherst Township Trustee Meetings may be viewed on Amherst Cable Channel 12. They will air for 7 days, running Mon thru Mon, following the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Air times are at 9 am, 4 pm, & 11 pm. Zoning Commission meetings will be shown 8 am, 3 pm & at the conclusion of the 11pm Trustee meetings. All airings are subject to change.
NOACA Awards $75,000 TLCI Grant
The Northeast Ohio Area Wide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) has awarded Lorain County and Amherst Township $75,000 as part of NOACA’s Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI). NOACA is responsible for transportation and environmental planning in Northeast Ohio, serving all county, municipal, and township governments in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties.
The TLCI planning grant program provides federal funding assistance for communities to conduct or contract for the planning of transportation improvements that help advance the Initiative’s goals. These goals include:
Enhance the economic viability of existing communities within the region
Enhance the regions quality of life
Foster compact land use developments
Facilitate accessibility by improving the range of transportation choices by adding or improving pedestrian, transit or bicycle facilities
Improve the safety and efficiency of the existing transportation system.
Amherst Township has been working with D.B. Hartt, a Planning and Development Consultant, for the past two years to update the township’s Comprehensive Plan established in 1995. Many meetings have been conducted that have included the Amherst Township Trustees, Zoning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Residents, Property Owners, County Departments, the Ohio Turnpike Commission, the Ohio Department of Transportation and public service providers. It was clear during these meetings that there is a desire to minimize the tax burden placed on residential properties by pursuing reasonable economic development in Amherst Township.
An area of Amherst Township that received a more focused analysis for economic development included the SR58 and SR113 corridors, an area that includes 2000+ acres. To facilitate economic development in this area, a transportation network
must be developed that adequately manages increased traffic in a manner that minimizes traffic concentration and congestion.
Amherst Township and Lorain County have been working in collaboration to enhance the region’s quality of life. With the completion of the Ohio Turnpike interchange at SR58, and the much-needed sanitary sewers that are now available, there is a need to establish a more detailed transportation plan to avoid fragmented development. It is the goal of Lorain County and Amherst Township to foster Transportation Oriented Development that maintains the potential for excursion rail service, and includes vehicular traffic and transit stops and bike/pedestrian paths.
The $75,000 TLCI Planning Grant federal funds, along with $18,750 in local matching funds, will be used to develop a detailed transportation plan, and conduct a traffic study of the SR58 corridor near the Ohio Turnpike interchange. The study will be used to determine the most advantageous locations for proposed intersections that will connect the vacant land west of SR58 with the Ohio Turnpike junction, and lead to reasonable economic development.
The study will concentrate on the intersections of SR58/SR113, SR58/Middle Ridge, SR58/Turnpike Interchange, SR113/Pyle-South Amherst and Middle Ridge/Pyle-South Amherst. At the conclusion of the planning study, a schematic road layout should result that provides Lorain County and Amherst Township with the best locations for an East/West boulevard and supporting interconnections.
The Amherst Township Trustees would like to thank the many stakeholders that have participated in the planning activities to date, and look forward to your continued involvement. A special thanks goes out to Ms. Linda Blanchette and the Lorain County Community Development Department for preparing the TLCI grant application, and their support of collaboration with Amherst Township in advancing the goals of economic development for the regional area.
FEATURED EMPLOYEE
Jim Conrady is our featured employee. Jim has worked for the Township for about 5 years. As a current member of the Zoning Commission, Jim’s duties range from discussing zoning permits and zoning change requests, to interpreting our township constituent’s needs and future goals – based on the Amherst Township Zoning Resolution and the Ohio Revised Code. The board listens to concerns and details of plans and proposals, trying to predict the township’s growth speed and evolving infrastructure. This can be pretty daunting at times, but they try to make the best decisions based on the information, homeowner input, and professional opinions at their disposal.
Jim likes the complexity and variety of the decisions that the board makes and also the details that they encounter. He feels they often come away with a new, deeper understanding of issues as well as emerging consequences from stagnant thinking. However, there are times that not acting on an issue appears to be a better course of action than trying to solve an existing symptom. What he finds difficult about this job is that many of us, as residents of Amherst Township, want to keep things the way they are, but not preparing for future growth in the area can leave us at a serious risk of uncontrolled growth and city-type headaches. And with any decision that the board makes, there are always critics.
Jim is a Tech Ed teacher for the Midview School District in Grafton. From time-to-time he also teaches part-time at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School. Jim also publishes a monthly technical newsletter for a national car club which he started in 1985, for a French sports car, the SIMCA.
F.A.C.E.
Edie Tiller has joined the FACE board, filling a 4-year term. Edie is the manager of the First Federal Branch that just opened on the corner of Rt. 58 and Park Ave.
The board continues to plan for a campaign to raise monies to build a community center and rest room facility in the Amherst Township Park.
Jim spent most of his childhood in the Amherst area, and still feels privileged to be able to reside here. He attended college at Kent State University where he graduated with a BA in 1978 and an MA in 1980. Jim “bought the farm” here in Amherst Township about 15 years ago, and loves this area. He and his family have 15 acres and enjoy every minute of living here. Jim and his wife Sherrell have been together almost 12 years and have a son, Kenny, who is in the fourth grade. Sherrell is a Guidance Counselor at the Avon Middle School.
For fun Jim collects and restores European sports cars and other vehicles such as SIMCA, Lotus, MG, Maserati, Matra, Renault, antique tractors, antique Grumman motor home, Cushman scooter, etc. He likes European travel, and writes to his friends in France and Germany when he can’t get over for a visit. He has also been restoring his century home, and loves antiques, flea markets, and internet auctions. Jim enjoys taking his cars to car cruises, target shooting, motorcycling, and anything car-related (swap meets, vintage racing, rallying).
Jim is currently a Cub Scout leader and a Builder’s Club advisor (a public school group that is affiliated with Kiwanis). Jim is also the president and founder of the SIMCA Car Club of America.
We would like to thank Jim for being a valuable part of our township and for taking the time in his busy schedule to serve on the Amherst Township Zoning Commission!
PRIDE DAY 2006
As part of Pride Day, flowers were planted at the Amherst Township Hall and the Amherst Township Park on Middle Ridge Road. Planters were also hung at the Township Hall. We would like to thank the following Amherst Township business’s for their donations for this project:
Thome Farms
Don Mould’s Plant Outlet
Adkins Greenhouse & Flower Shop
Park
To preserve the park for public uses, and to protect the health and safety of those using the park, the Amherst Township Trustees passed Resolution No. 10/04/02 stating that animals are not permitted in the Amherst Township Park. Whoever violates this resolution is guilty of a minor misdemeanor and shall be prosecuted (ORC Section 511.32).
Enforcement of this resolution began on March 1, 2003.
Signs are posted in the park stating that pets are not allowed.
Kendeigh Cemetery
Middle Ridge Road Cemetery
A 25’ Flag Pole was installed at each of the Township’s cemeteries. We would like to thank the Amherst
VFW Post 1662 (Commander Don Wagner) for donating all U.S. flags flown by Amherst Township.
“New”
Recycling Incentive
Program
Amherst Township will have a new incentive program in 2006. An address will be drawn at random each week and then a township representative will check the address that week. If it is observed that the address is participating in the “Blue Bag” recycling that week, then the address will win a gift certificate to a local business. The incentive program will run for approximately 20 weeks during this summer. Addresses will be eligible for only one prize during the contest.
“Blue Bag” Pick-up
Amherst Township continues to investigate alternatives to the weekly curbside “Blue Bag” pick-up that may entail less frequent pick-up. This is due to a reduction in funding for community recycling programs by the Lorain County Solid Waste Management District. Amherst Township received only $54,732.14 (including $2,000 for a district mandated incentive program) for 2006. This left only $52,432.14 for “Blue Bag” recycling. The “Blue Bag” recycling cost alone is $70,290. The $17,557.86 deficit is currently being covered by the township’s general fund. At this newsletter’s printing, no decision had yet been made by the township trustees as to an alternative pick-up program.
Permits Required
Residents are reminded that permits are needed for pools, decks, porches, patios, gazebos, fences, ponds, signs, garages, new construction, building additions, accessory buildings, and driveways. When a permit is applied for before the start of construction, the fee will be reduced by 50%. Be sure you or your contractor has obtained a permit. Payments must be made by check only. Cash is not accepted.
Please contact Don Gargas, Amherst Township Zoning Inspector for these permits. Office hours for the Zoning Inspector are from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. He can be reached at 988-5866. Voice Mail is checked daily.
Lots Available
Cemetery lots are available at Kendeigh Cemetery, located at the intersection of Quarry Road and Middle Ridge Road. Lots may be purchased by contacting the Township Office at 988-5833.
$370 – Resident
$636 – Non-Resident
LIFECARE
Amherst Township, as a member of the Sandstone Joint Ambulance District, has chosen “LifeCare” to be their ambulance provider. President Maude DeLa Porte and Vice-President Herb DeLa Porte own and operate LifeCare. They can be reached at 323-6111. To learn more about their services, visit their website at www.lifecareambulance.com. For more information about LifeCare as well as links to other related websites visit www.geocities.com/lifecaredispatch.
Contact Sheriff’s Dept.
If residents know of, or see, any suspicious activity in the township or at the Amherst Township Park, please contact the Sheriff’s Dept. at 329-3710.
Curfew
Please be aware that a curfew exists in Amherst Township for minors age 16 and under between the hours of Midnight and 5 a.m. This curfew will be enforced by the Lorain County Sheriff’s Dept.
NOTE: Meeting Times:
Trustee Meetings at 7:00 p.m. – Zoning Commission Meetings now at 6:30 p.m.
