One of the great freedoms of our country is the freedom to own property. This right is enumerated in the Fifth Amendment of our Constitution, where it states that private property shall not be taken for public use, without just compensation. The right of private property is one that I hold dear and value as it is the foundation of our society and economy. In action today as a township trustee, I voted to authorize our legal counsel to start eminent domain proceedings against private property owners. I do not take this action lightly; it was a difficult decision but ultimately it was necessary in order to preserve the safety and welfare of the Sylvania community.
For the last six months, the Sylvania Township Trustees have worked diligently to secure and prepare a new location for Fire Station #3, currently located at Monroe and Whiteford. The last remaining roadblock to construction of this new facility is the ability to hook in to the county sanitary sewer system. To do this, we need access, commonly called an easement, across a neighboring property in order to reach the sanitary sewer.
Unfortunately, owners of several neighboring properties are adamant in their refusal to grant us such access citing speculative development value of their properties. Their demand to create an easement around not only the buildings that currently stand on the properties, but innumerable potential building locations as well, is simply impossible to do.
The reality is that Sylvania needs a fire station now; we cannot wait until speculative development of the property happens. Voters passed a fire levy in March 2008 which authorized the construction of three new fire stations. Sylvania Township has an obligation to our community to do exactly that. In order to build a new Station #3, we need sanitary sewer access. The adamant refusal of all adjacent property owners has lead to only one conclusion - Sylvania Township must take action to secure private property for public use.
I reject the use of eminent domain for private development projects, and reject the notion that such private projects have a public purpose simply because they increase the tax revenues of the government. But in a seeming paradox, we are being asked not to take property because of the potential future benefit to current owners, thus disregarding the current benefit and necessity to our community of safety services. I will not use the government's eminent domain authority to benefit private individuals, but I also will not allow the potential benefit of one to take priority over the needs of the entire Sylvania community.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Centennial Terrace - Grand Re-Opening
I had the pleasure of attending a Grand Re-Opening Preview Party of the newly refurbished Centennial Terrace last week. The remodeling was done after voter approval of a capital levy proceeds of which were used to update Centennial Terrace, Pacesetter Park, and other Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District (SAJRD) venues. Needless to say, the property looks wonderful - it preserves the look and feel of Centennial Terrace while updating the facility to today's needs and demands.
It was a little over two years ago when I initially became aware of preliminary plans to sell the parking area of Centennial Terrace to a developer in order to garner the money needed to refurbish Centennial Terrace. I was vocally against this proposal as Centennial Terrace has been an entertainment center of our community for over 70 years. While I understand the reticence of the SAJRD board to ask for additional tax dollars from our property owners, in this case it was a question that at least needed to be asked as opposed to considering the sale of park property to a commercial developer without reviewing the alternatives.
From what I have seen, the SAJRD board has managed the levy monies voted to them well. I applaud their hard work and dedication to making Sylvania a community to grow, work and play. For those who have not had a chance to see the new facility, I would urge you to visit sometime this summer - the July 3rd Fire Works celebration is right around the corner.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
June 2009 Township Update
We have been busy as Sylvania Township, but I wanted to take the time to get some upcoming news and information to you.
Meeting on TARTA Sales Tax Proposal
When: June 11, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Township Hall, 4927 Holland-Sylvania Road
Several months ago, TARTA officials began slowly floating out the idea of switching the funding method for TARTA. Currently, TARTA is funded by the property owners in 9 jurisdictions (Toledo, Perrysburg, Ottawa Hills, Waterville, Rossford, Spencer Township, and Sylvania City and Township). Currently, they collect 2.5 mills of property taxes or just over 3% of your tax bill. That equates to over $2 million a year from Sylvania Township ($3 million if you include the City of Sylvania) for public transportation.
TARTA is proposing to switch to a sales tax of 1/2% to replace the 2 levies that they currently have. There are a lot of questions being asked about this, and the trustees have already received several emails from residents voicing their concern.
In response to those emails, and in an effort to get information out to the community and have questions answered, the trustees will be hosting a meeting to discuss this proposal. TARTA will give a presentation explaining why this switch in funding is being sought, and representatives from TARTA and TMACOG will be present to answer questions.
I have several questions about this proposal and its effects on Sylvania, the county and the service that we receive. I encourage you to attend the meeting so that you can be more informed about this proposal.
Where: Township Hall, 4927 Holland-Sylvania Road
Several months ago, TARTA officials began slowly floating out the idea of switching the funding method for TARTA. Currently, TARTA is funded by the property owners in 9 jurisdictions (Toledo, Perrysburg, Ottawa Hills, Waterville, Rossford, Spencer Township, and Sylvania City and Township). Currently, they collect 2.5 mills of property taxes or just over 3% of your tax bill. That equates to over $2 million a year from Sylvania Township ($3 million if you include the City of Sylvania) for public transportation.
TARTA is proposing to switch to a sales tax of 1/2% to replace the 2 levies that they currently have. There are a lot of questions being asked about this, and the trustees have already received several emails from residents voicing their concern.
In response to those emails, and in an effort to get information out to the community and have questions answered, the trustees will be hosting a meeting to discuss this proposal. TARTA will give a presentation explaining why this switch in funding is being sought, and representatives from TARTA and TMACOG will be present to answer questions.
I have several questions about this proposal and its effects on Sylvania, the county and the service that we receive. I encourage you to attend the meeting so that you can be more informed about this proposal.
Ten Mile Creek Logjam Removal
Work has begun to remove log jams from Ten Mile Creek. Beginning two years ago, the trustees agreed that we needed to refocus some of our Public Works' attention from on-demand leaf and brush pickup to infrastructure and flooding. While aesthetics are important, well maintained infrastructure is vital to the long-term quality community that we live in and enjoy.
Part of the Road Department's reorganization includes attention to creeks and ditches that had long been neglected and such neglect resulted in intermittent flooding when the weather conditions where such that the drainage system was overwhelmed. We have already addressed flooding issues for homes in the area of Schlichter Ditch (near the bike trail between McCord and Holland-Sylvania) and continue work on Smith Ditch (St. James Wood area) as well as areas in the northeast portion of the township. We also are working on solutions for other subdivisions with drainage concerns.
This year our plans included seeing what we could do about flooding along Ten Mile Creek. Tackling a project like this can be complicated and drawn out. Ten Mile Creek flows through private property and we have limited access from public roadways. So we must be granted 'right of entry' (permission to go on private property) to get to Ten Mile Creek and the various logjams. Due to extensive public outreach and education, we have obtained the right to enter key properties along Ten Mile Creek so that log jam removal can begin. Our Public Works department has begun removing trees and other obstructions from the Creek. When I went to visit the site earlier this week, one of our employees told me that water levels had already dropped five feet in this particular area after removing significant debris.
As a side note, there has been mention of a county Storm Water Advisory Committee/Storm Water Utility that may be addressing concerns of flooding in the township and elsewhere. We have confirmed with county officials that at least for the near term, there are no plans to address the flooding issues of Ten Mile Creek at the county level. County efforts would only advance if a new tax is approved by the County Commissioners, and the time line on that has not been disclosed. If the residents are to see any relief, it is up to the Township to tackle the project and that is what we are doing.
Part of the Road Department's reorganization includes attention to creeks and ditches that had long been neglected and such neglect resulted in intermittent flooding when the weather conditions where such that the drainage system was overwhelmed. We have already addressed flooding issues for homes in the area of Schlichter Ditch (near the bike trail between McCord and Holland-Sylvania) and continue work on Smith Ditch (St. James Wood area) as well as areas in the northeast portion of the township. We also are working on solutions for other subdivisions with drainage concerns.
This year our plans included seeing what we could do about flooding along Ten Mile Creek. Tackling a project like this can be complicated and drawn out. Ten Mile Creek flows through private property and we have limited access from public roadways. So we must be granted 'right of entry' (permission to go on private property) to get to Ten Mile Creek and the various logjams. Due to extensive public outreach and education, we have obtained the right to enter key properties along Ten Mile Creek so that log jam removal can begin. Our Public Works department has begun removing trees and other obstructions from the Creek. When I went to visit the site earlier this week, one of our employees told me that water levels had already dropped five feet in this particular area after removing significant debris.
As a side note, there has been mention of a county Storm Water Advisory Committee/Storm Water Utility that may be addressing concerns of flooding in the township and elsewhere. We have confirmed with county officials that at least for the near term, there are no plans to address the flooding issues of Ten Mile Creek at the county level. County efforts would only advance if a new tax is approved by the County Commissioners, and the time line on that has not been disclosed. If the residents are to see any relief, it is up to the Township to tackle the project and that is what we are doing.
Looking Green in the Fire Department
As part of the voter-approved Fire Department Capital Plan, the Sylvania Township Trustees are looking at ways to make the new fire stations more energy efficient and decrease their environmental impact. This is a process that I think is important, as we want to minimize the impact on our environment while remaining within our budget projections - in other words, we spend only what the voters said we could spend.
Currently, we have authorized a redrafting of our building plans to include solar water heating, thus reducing our energy use at all four stations and decreasing our dependence on energy. Calculations vary on the cost-savings of solar water heating, but there are other advantages as well including selective replacement of panels as they age as opposed to having to replace an entire hot water tank at once thus extending the cost of replacing the system over a longer period of time.
We are also reviewing the option of using permeable concrete for portions of our driveway and parking areas at all four stations. Permeable concrete is very porous and allows rain water to drain through the concrete (and into the soil) thus reducing storm water runoff. Using permeable concrete will allow us to reduce the size of retention ponds and minimize the need for other storm water management devices. This will in turn reduce certain construction costs, thus allowing us to efficiently use our resources and stay within budget.
Some other 'green' practices that will be incorporated into the new fire stations include rain gardens; minimized paving and building footprint; building material with recycled content; natural lighting requirements; high efficiency HVAC units; high efficiency lighting and occupancy sensors.
We will continue to review energy efficient ideas as we progress through the capital building plan, focusing on building materials and systems that have a reasonable pay-back time period. This emphasis will allow the Township to remain in budget while contributing to the support of the environment and at the same time providing cost efficient fire and EMS protection to the Sylvania community.
Currently, we have authorized a redrafting of our building plans to include solar water heating, thus reducing our energy use at all four stations and decreasing our dependence on energy. Calculations vary on the cost-savings of solar water heating, but there are other advantages as well including selective replacement of panels as they age as opposed to having to replace an entire hot water tank at once thus extending the cost of replacing the system over a longer period of time.
We are also reviewing the option of using permeable concrete for portions of our driveway and parking areas at all four stations. Permeable concrete is very porous and allows rain water to drain through the concrete (and into the soil) thus reducing storm water runoff. Using permeable concrete will allow us to reduce the size of retention ponds and minimize the need for other storm water management devices. This will in turn reduce certain construction costs, thus allowing us to efficiently use our resources and stay within budget.
Some other 'green' practices that will be incorporated into the new fire stations include rain gardens; minimized paving and building footprint; building material with recycled content; natural lighting requirements; high efficiency HVAC units; high efficiency lighting and occupancy sensors.
We will continue to review energy efficient ideas as we progress through the capital building plan, focusing on building materials and systems that have a reasonable pay-back time period. This emphasis will allow the Township to remain in budget while contributing to the support of the environment and at the same time providing cost efficient fire and EMS protection to the Sylvania community.
Fourth Scheduled Brush Pick-Up Added This Summer
Last summer, after several fairly severe summer storms, the Township Trustees recognized the need for added brush pickup within our community. In the past, while we had three advertised brush pickup dates, the Township basically operated an on-demand brush pickup to those who would contact our offices concerning storm-damaged brush.
Unfortunately, on-demand brush pickup is very expensive, its services were not uniformly applied (only those who realized they could call and request such service got it; we did not openly promote it), and it took our road crews away from very important road and drainage work. In addition, it was not just storm damaged debris that was being left at the curb for pickup but regular tree maintenance and even large downed trees were being left for township crews to remove.
While the Township Trustees unanimously agreed to halt on-demand brush pickup as part of our decision to refocus on infrastructure, we do recognize that brush pickup is desired and helps to maintain our neighborhoods and subdivisions. As a result, we included in this year's budget a fourth brush pickup in mid-July.
The four annual brush pickups are now scheduled right after the first of the year (basically, Christmas tree pickup), early- to mid-April, Mid-summer (this year the week of July 13), and early fall (week of September 13). For brush disposal at other times of the year, there is a free drop off for all county residents at 6505 W. Bancroft St. (near the 475 overpass). Specific dates for brush and leaf pickup can be found at our website, www.sylvaniatownship.com.
Unfortunately, on-demand brush pickup is very expensive, its services were not uniformly applied (only those who realized they could call and request such service got it; we did not openly promote it), and it took our road crews away from very important road and drainage work. In addition, it was not just storm damaged debris that was being left at the curb for pickup but regular tree maintenance and even large downed trees were being left for township crews to remove.
While the Township Trustees unanimously agreed to halt on-demand brush pickup as part of our decision to refocus on infrastructure, we do recognize that brush pickup is desired and helps to maintain our neighborhoods and subdivisions. As a result, we included in this year's budget a fourth brush pickup in mid-July.
The four annual brush pickups are now scheduled right after the first of the year (basically, Christmas tree pickup), early- to mid-April, Mid-summer (this year the week of July 13), and early fall (week of September 13). For brush disposal at other times of the year, there is a free drop off for all county residents at 6505 W. Bancroft St. (near the 475 overpass). Specific dates for brush and leaf pickup can be found at our website, www.sylvaniatownship.com.
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