Sylvania Township - Road Department Priorities

This issue of my Township Update will focus on the work and priorities of the Public Works Department - road repaving, leaf pickup, flooding/drainage, etc. The Public Works/Road Department is vital to maintaining the infrastructure of the township, and making sure that our streets, ditches and storm sewers function as expected now and in the future. The Department also helps with the aesthetics of the township, by overseeing leaf, brush and general household pickup at various times of the year. So let's talk about the improvements we have made in the Public Works Department in the last four years.

Resurfacing More Roads

I'll be the first to admit, most people do not get excited about road repaving unless they happen to be running late because they are stuck in the middle of a traffic jam because of road work. But repaving roads is a vital tenet of maintaining a quality community and I am pleased that Sylvania Township has finally made infrastructure maintenance a priority. One only has to look at a neighboring city to realize what happens when capital improvements are put off for too long.

In the last four years, we have resurfaced over 30 miles of township/subdivision roads. Compared to one mile of road repaved in 2003 and 2004, the 30 miles is a marked improvement. On average we need to repave about 6 miles a year in order to maintain a reasonable repaving schedule so that all roads are in good repair. Clearly, the prior board failed in this obligation when they only paved one mile in two years.

At the same time we are repaving roads, we are often repairing and replacing curbs and gutters that are crumbling and in disrepair so that the whole project is completed simultaneously. Our crews also have reconstructed numerous sidewalk ramps to appropriate handicap-grade, improving the accessibility of our community and neighborhoods while working on roads in the area.

While repaving a record number of miles, we have also strategically leveraged our road repaving dollars by working with neighboring jurisdictions and Lucas County on joint road projects and securing Ohio Public Works Commission no-interest loans and grants for repaving projects. Later this fall, we will submit a grant/loan application which we hope will provide 49% of the funding for resurfacing and drainage projects in the following areas next year: Silica Road (between Brint and Convent, a joint project with the City of Sylvania); Westacre Subdivision; Country Walk Subdivision; Country Meadow Court; and Oak Creek Subdivision. Utilizing cooperative efforts with our neighbors and supplemental funding has allowed us to do more with your tax dollars while making infrastructure maintenance a priority.

Improving Drainage, Reducing Flooding

Along with neglected repaving projects, the ditch and drainage systems in the township had also been disregarded for several decades. Internal township records indicate that conversations regarding the flooding of Ten Mile Creek have taken place for over 25 years, and yet there was no physical effort to address the flooding caused by numerous logjams along the Creek. New housing continued to pop up in an area that has historically flooded for decades, adding to the situation by making access more difficult to areas needing maintenance.

In reality, Ten Mile Creek is not the only ditch/creek that at times cannot handle hard and heavy rains. Numerous ditches throughout the township have been allowed to become overgrown and blocked and some subdivision drainage systems were improperly designed resulting in recurring street and basement flooding.

Starting in 2007, the Board of Trustees directed the Public Works Department to begin addressing the issue of flooding with a comprehensive and practical plan to remove log-jams, clean out ditches and evaluate subdivision drainage systems for potential improvements. Work began in 2008 and continues today, with significant progress on Hill, Smith and Schlicher ditches. Storm sewer work has been completed in one subdivision and is planned in several more. This year we also began removing logjams and other blockages in Ten Mile Creek.

At the county level, there has been talk about establishing a Storm Water Utility which is being discussed by the Storm Water Advisory Committee (SWAC). A Storm Water Utility will have the ability to assess a fee on each property in Sylvania Township, with proceeds to be used to monitor the water quality in our area. A final fee amount has not yet been determined, but figures range from $65 to $100 per year. Despite assertions to the contrary, Lucas County under the auspices of the Storm Water Utility does not have the authority to deal with flooding and can only address issues regarding water quality.

Regardless of whether a storm water utility can deal with flooding or just water quality, SWAC's activities have been put on hold for at least 6 months as our communities deal with the down turn in the economy and the related challenges this has created for our governments. In other words, SWAC has not and will not be an answer to the flooding in Sylvania Township any time in the near future.

Addressing the issue of flooding in Sylvania Township is not a small undertaking, and remediating all of the township's flooding will definitely not happen immediately. But we are making significant progress and will continue to work on flooding issues affecting the residents and businesses of Sylvania Township.

Improving Leaf and Brush Pickup

Never before has leaf and brush pickup been as efficient and productive in the township. We now provide brush pickup four times a year, basically once every season. The service is comprehensive, efficient and productive, helping our residents maintain their property.

Leaf pickup basically takes place continuously between mid-October and Christmas, with continuous patrols cycling through township roads. By restructuring leaf pickup by utilizing seasonal employees and subcontractors in addition to our own crews, we have been able to make leaf pickup more efficient and we are able to react better to weather conditions that affect leaf pickup.

The last major change to leaf and brush pickup is the funding source. Prior to 2006, leaf and brush pickup was funded out of the road department budget. However, state law directly prohibits using funds collected to fund road repaving to pickup leaves. So, we have moved funding of leaf and brush pickup to the general fund, allowing us to use road funds on repaving township roads.

Updating Emergency Systems

Shortly after taking office, we were advised by our Administrator that the emergency generator located at the Township Hall was not sufficient to sustain even minimal operations during a power outage; it's dependability was also questioned due age. The old 20 kWh generator would only supply emergency power to operate the garage doors and the fire department repeater signal. While our dispatch services for police and fire operate on a separate generator system and were not in danger of being interrupted, other services that may be called upon during a power outage may have been compromised by the aged generator system.


While the cost was significant ($153,500) and was not budgeted, we took immediate steps to correct this issue. We always hope such systems will not be necessary; but we cannot forgo our obligation to provide services at all times, especially at times where power to our facilities and possible the community as a whole has been interrupted. The new 300 kWh generator can power the entire administration campus, including our computers, phone system, welders, the mechanics garage, etc., allowing us to continue communication and service during sustained power outages.

Working With Our Neighbors

Sometimes working with neighboring communities can leverage resources and provide cost efficient services. We are constantly looking for opportunities that will benefit not just Sylvania Township but our neighbors as well; a strong region will help support the quality of life we have in Sylvania Township.

In the last several years, we have worked with the City of Sylvania on addressing traffic issues in certain areas by installing speed bumps and setting consistent speed limits on roads that travel in and out of the city and township. We have also completed joint paving projects with Lucas County and Richfield Township, leveraging both of our resources to provide services to our communities. At times, we have loaned equipment or offered maintenance support, courtesies that may or may not be returned on a calculated basis but which engender cooperation and good will.

Miscellaneous Public Works Items

A few other areas where we have improved services include:

• Introduction of new brine application equipment which allows for preventative spraying of salt/brine prior to anticipated snow storms in order to prevent ice from forming on roads; this helps minimize our snow plowing and salting resources;
• Under the guidance of a Capital Plan, we have purchased new, 'green' equipment which provide more efficient operation and lower maintenance costs; we have also liquidated obsolete and unused equipment in order to reduced personal property insurance and liability expenses;
• Increased safety training in an effort to reduce workplace accident and improve the safety of residents, businesses owners, and visitors of Sylvania Township;
• Repaid $500,000 borrowed from the Road fund in order to provide additional funding to the Fire Department via the General Fund;
• Provided training opportunity for employee leading to having an Emergency Vehicle Technician on staff, one of nine techs in the State of Ohio, providing cost effective maintenance services to the Fire Department.

Operating the township is not just about maintaining the services that are most visible and obvious. We must balance all of the services provided by the township including infrastructure needs. Repaving 6 miles of road a year is manageable, but if we get drastically behind schedule, repaving 10, 15 or 20 miles in a year is financial almost impossible.

I have worked hard to return a proper balance to the mission of the Public Works Department - repaving roads, addressing drainage issues, and efficient leaf and brush pickup. This provides quality government services to our community, while using tax dollars efficiently.

DeeDee Liedel

Sylvania Township Trustee

DeeDee Liedel Announces Re-Election Campaign

Today I filed petitions for re-election as Sylvania Township Trustee so I am officially kicking off my campaign with a Sylvania Township Update.

Over the last several years, the focus of discussions has mostly revolved around the Fire Department. While the Fire Department is vital to our community, so are other services provided by the township including our Police Department. For the most part, the Police Department operates with little controversy and within its budget. But I wanted to take the time to talk about the changes and improvements that have taken place in the Police Department over the last few years.

Increasing Training, Improving Safety

We have a police staff of about 60 personnel. In my first year in office, 2006, as we began the process of reviewing police operations, those employees underwent less than 800 hours of training, for an average of about 2 days of training per person. That's not a lot, in my opinion, for people charged with keeping the residents, businesses and visitors of Sylvania Township safe.

So far in 2009, our police staff has undergone over 3,000 hours of training, an increase of 400% … and we're not done for the year. It is vital that our officers, detectives, dispatchers, records clerk, etc., have up-to-date information on the current status of the law, proper and new procedures for dealing with various situations, procedures for handling evidence, etc. Law enforcement is not a static environment. The processes and procedures are ever changing and the Sylvania Township Police Department must stay on top of those changes.

Along with the increase in total training hours, a structured training program has been implemented. No longer are only the 'favored' officers given training opportunities, but every employee is given certain basic training while advanced training opportunities are provided to those who wish to grow and learn more about their profession and how to provide better services and protection to our community.

A lot of this training is conducted in-house, a cost effective way to address the training needs of the department while controlling costs. The new training practice in the Sylvania Township Police Department will improve the safety of our community and our employees, an important step for keeping Sylvania a quality community.

Improving Fire Dispatch

The Sylvania Township Police Department provides dispatch services not just for the Police Department but for our Fire Department as well. Our dispatchers work 24/7 to keep communications open between our officers and other safety personnel and it is imperative that the dispatch center works to the benefit of both departments. Making dispatch calls for both police and fire can have added complications. In the past, these complications were overlooked and ignored, sometimes making the Fire department's job more difficult.

This past year, the Fire Department and Police Department worked together to develop the Sylvania Township Fire Department Communication Manual, which contains dispatching protocol to help improve the efficiency of fire dispatching and guide training opportunities for the dispatchers. This manual is a vital component that will make sure the needs of the Fire Department are met when units are called to a fire or emergency medical situation.

City/Township Joint Strategic Response Team Formalized

Sylvania Township and the City of Sylvania police departments have always cooperated when needed. However, earlier this year we formalized this relationship with the City, in order to provide better response in unusual circumstances by forming the Sylvania Metro Strategic Response Team to respond to high-risk situations jointly throughout the Sylvania community. This provides broader coverage for our community while minimizing the costs to both governments. Our officers will train together at times, and be available in both communities when the need arises.

While this is an improvement to services in Sylvania Township, in reality the departments work together on a variety of issues including sharing information about local crimes, training together, and in general working to make Sylvania safer.

Introduction of Citizens Volunteer Patrol

For years, the Sylvania Township Police Department has had an active Police Academy Alumni - resident who have participated in a short training session about the department. These alumni have been active in fund raising and providing other support for our department. Last year, our Police Chief took that one step further and saw fit to create a Citizens Volunteer Patrol division.

Members of the Volunteer Patrol division volunteer their time to patrol neighborhoods and work during special events. They provide added eyes in the area to report problems, anything from burned out street lights to suspicious behavior to driving by homes where we know the residents are on vacation. During busy events such as the annual July 3rd Fireworks, they provide added traffic control to make sure residents make it home safely.

These volunteers are an important addition to our community, showing that residents are truly involved and invested in making Sylvania a safe place to live and work. I appreciate their dedication to Sylvania Township.

Minding Your Money

All of the above has been done while maintaining a tight control on spending. In the last three years, I have pushed for and achieved a tax holiday in the police department, totaling over $2.2 million - money that you the taxpayer has been able to keep. At the same time, we have extended the life of the 2004 police levy by 4 years. The 2004 levy was originally projected to last until 2009. Current projections indicate we can delay going back to the voters for more money until 2013. This was not done easily - it takes careful planning and constant monitoring of the budget. But I am proud that we have been able to improve the services provided by the Police Department while controlling spending.

Thank you for joining me in kicking-off my re-election campaign. Over the next three months, I will be talking about other changes and improvements we have made at Sylvania Township. I hope you will tell your friends and family and encourage them to support me on November 3rd.

DeeDee Liedel
Sylvania Township Trustee