Marlboro trustees discuss MARCS radio plans

Special to The Alliance Review
·4 min read
Marlboro Twp. logo
Marlboro Twp. logo

Highlights of July 11 meeting of Marlboro Township trustees:

Department reports

Fire Chief Matt Anstine of Marlboro Township Volunteer Fire Co., Inc.:

  • In June 2022, 55 responses were logged. These included 14 fire responses and 41 EMS calls, with six motor vehicle accidents, 23 transports to area hospitals and 14 patient refusals. For the year, they were at 257 runs (33 runs more than last year, or a 14.7% increase). Average was 1.8 per day for June, and 1.41 runs per day for 2022. As of July 11 meeting, department was at 169 man-hours on incidents for the month, and 1,020 man-hours for 2022.

  • Department has partnered with the State Fire Marshal to offer free smoke detectors to residents (limit one per household). Contact the station for more details.

Police Chief Ronald Devies:

Read a letter dated July 6 regarding the Stark MARCS Inter-Operable Radio Platform. Stark MARCS went online Jan. 1, 2019. Upon completion of the project, all infrastructure was turned over to Ohio MARCS requiring them to provide the upkeep, maintenance, software, and hardware upgrades, as well as daily expenses. Ohio MARCS charges a user fee of $120 per year per device. Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, all agencies will be responsible for these user fees. Devies said the department has 13-15 of these units and they are only used for mutual aid. He proposes maintaining only five for the frontline units/cars. Trustee Ken Eddleman asked what kind of radio the schools use, and Devies said Marlboro Elementary has one of the department’s VHF radios, but the schools operate on a MARCS-type setup throughout the school system. The Marlboro Police and Fire Departments were not permitted to have the channel in their radios. Trustees suggested checking with the new interim superintendent, Dan Swisher, about gaining access.

Road Foreman Rick Bergert had nothing to report.

Zoning Inspector Ed Stanley was not present, and Assistant Zoning Inspector Linda Marx had nothing to report.

Highlights of Marlboro Township trustees’ meeting of July 25:

Department reports

Fiscal Officer Tracy Ferrett:

  • Received an email from the Stark County Auditor’s Office stating the 2023 Alternative Tax Budget is due Aug. 20. Trustees set an Aug. 8 work session to discuss. Ferrett requested budget information from department heads prior to that date.

  • Jim Zuccaro from Summit Insurance Agency would like to attend a meeting this year. His company handles the OTARMA Property and Liability Insurance paperwork for the annual renewals.

Fire – No one was present from the Marlboro Township Volunteer Fire Co., Inc. and there was no report.

Police Chief Ronald Devies:

  • Said he planned a presentation at the department for the Marlboro Township Historical Society on the history of the department going back to its inception in about October 1957. The public is welcome to attend.

  • Said the department was preparing for search dog training that was to take place that weekend.

Road Foreman Rick Bergert:

  • Grader patching is almost done. They only need to finish the west end of Graening Road.

  • Started the second round of mowing, which was to take about 10 days.

  • Planned to use the sewer jet for the house on St. Peters Church Road and in three or four other areas. Trustee Wayne Schillig asked Bergert to contact the residents at the house on St. Peters Church Road.

  • They got two loads of salt, but still needed 60 tons more to meet the minimum. He planned to call the Stark County Engineer’s Office to see if they need to buy more or if they’re close enough to the minimum.

  • Eddleman requested Ryan Scott’s cell phone number for the department heads/trustees in case Bergert cannot be reached. Bergert said it is the same cell number as the former truck driver/laborer.

  • Eddleman also asked if he had ordered a new street sign for Foxvale Street since the old wooden street post was damaged. Bergert had not, since he usually orders signs in large quantities. He was to put an old style sign up until the new reflective one can be ordered.

Zoning Inspector Ed Stanley was not present.

Battershell said Stanley is working on some permits and was to send a letter to the owner of a property in the 13000 block of Tope Road in response to a high grass and general cleanup complaint. They will have 30 days to respond to the letter.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Marlboro trustees discuss MARCS radio plans