Trustee’s Corner

Sagamore Hills has had five reasonably mild winters in a row. The MLK Day and Feb. 3 storms were two of the worst snowfalls in a decade. Both delivered a minimum of at least 15 inches of snow. The Feb. 3 storm canceled waste removal pickup.

The severity of this winter has generated a big thank you to the service department from trustees John Zaccardelli, Dave DePasquale and me. We want to acknowledge Glenn Lucore, a part-time police officer with the Sagamore Police Department, and former Macedonia Fire Chief Tim Black for pitching in on short notice. A member of our service department was on medical leave and these two gentlemen were great substitutes. We also want to thank part-time driver Greg Foth, Assistant Service Director Jake Sawyer and Service Director Bill Cuprak for working through trying circumstances over this winter season.

If you missed it, the Akron Metro Area Transportation Study awarded Summit County Engineers $787,000 to resurface Valley View Road from Olde Eight Road to Dunham Road.

Road resurfacing in Sagamore Hills Township is in Phase II and includes Nesbitt to Chaffee, South Gannet from the side street to North Gannet, Pinewood View Road to 904 Pinewood View, Pine Oval, Cedar Grove Circle, Greenwood Parkway from Village Parkway to Pinewood View Road eastbound only, and Apple Hill from Houghton Road to Walton Road. These paving projects will cost $848,000.

Over the years we have had requests for street sweeping. Sagamore Hills does not have a street sweeper. Every spare dime is spent funding roads or the fire department. Townships in Ohio deliver basic services: police, fire, roads and zoning. Townships have no income tax. The result is very little money available for amenities that cities provide. Often our township is compared to Macedonia. Sagamore Hills operates on about $5.5 million per year. Macedonia has as a $33-million budget.

Just about every year Sagamore Hills receives an inquiry about selling the 192 acres of land we own on Valley View Road. The answer is always the same. The land is not for sale for any price. In the 1990s, the board of trustees purchased this property for less than $1 million. This involved a -mill levy for 5 years with the stipulation this land would remain green space through perpetuity. We will not sell or donate this land to any entity.

When the primary election is held, Sagamore Hills has a 1.5-mill levy on the ballot for fire and EMS service. The fire department is currently funded by a levy that generates $438,000 per year. To provide trained paramedic staffing 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year, we will need additional revenue. A 1.5-mill levy is approximately $52.50 per $100,000 of home evaluation. With any questions, please call 330-467-4970.

Go Tribe! ∞