Madison Township to apply for H2Ohio funds for salt shed
Madison Township is looking to the state to help resolve a long-standing problem with the rundown road department salt storage shed on Brace Avenue. Trustee Dan Fletcher said during his administrative report at Tuesday’s regular meeting that he is planning to apply to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for an H2Ohio Rivers Initiative Chloride Reduction program grant to help pay for at least part of the cost of replacing the structure.
Trustees have been trying to find ways to pay for the replacement since a technician from the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District found during an inspection in the fall of 2018 that there were holes in the roof of the building that are causing salt water runoff. The inspection was part of the Conservation Districts’ program to manage stormwater runoff and related pollution as required by the federal Clean Water Act.
Fletcher said the H2Ohio program will reimburse municipalities, villages and townships for up to $75,000 of the cost of upgrades to road salt application equipment and storage facilities. “Heavens knows we need a storage facility upgrade,” he added.
The application says that the program is aimed at reducing the over-application of deicing materials in order to prevent chloride from impacting surface and groundwater resources. It points out that chloride entering surface waters from roadways and stormwater runoff is an increasing water quality concern in Ohio because increased chlorine levels can be detrimental to freshwater aquatic species in rivers and lakes.
A list of eligible improvements includes plow blades, spreader controls, brine mixing and spreading equipment and salt storage projects to eliminate exposure of salt to rainwater and/or runoff and overburdened storage. Salt storage projects include improving loading areas and repair or replacement of existing facilities.
Fletcher said he has reached out to County Engineer Adam Gove and Soil and Water Director Erica Thomas to discuss what type of project will work. Applications are due later this month with recipient selections finalized by the end of February. Recipients will have 12 months to buy and install equipment or make facility upgrades.
On a separate issue, Fletcher reported that he has a “pile” of township sign permits he plans to review to determine if they support the argument that township regulations require sign permits for window signs in businesses. Several township residents have been questioning trustees for several months whether or not a sign at a new business, which involved cut-out letters placed in a window, meets sign regulations.
Trustee Jim Houser reported last month that the board was waiting on an opinion from Richland County Regional Planning while Trustees Chairman Tom Craft noted that Richland County Regional Planning has a committee that is trying to standardize what he said currently is a “hodgepodge” of sign regulations around the county.
Earlier in the meeting, Fiscal Officer Leanna Rhodes asked if the form used by the road department to make weekly reports could be simplified after it took Fletcher nearly four minutes to interpret and read a written report for the past two weeks. “We use them to verify payroll if there’s any question who worked what day or who had overtime, so I think it could be simplified in plain language,” she said.
During his administrative report, Madison Fire Chief Ken Justus asked residents to contact him with concerns about the department before going to trustees. The request was the result of comments by a few citizens on social media about the response to a fire on Expressview Drive near the fire station that happened in the middle of the night.
Justus also reported that the firefighters association will be hosting a local incident command class in May and that he intends to send two firefighters to the state fire school in Bowling Green in May. He also said all fire trucks and ambulances will be sent out for a yearly federal motor vehicle safety inspection over the next several months.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison Township to seek H2Ohio grant to replace salt storage shed
