Trustees talk recycling, swear in new firefighter

by Laura Bednar

Aug. 8 township trustees meeting

Bath Township trustees visited a Rumpke recycling site in Columbus to learn how recyclable materials are processed. Trustee Sharon Troike said the facility handles recyclables from 36 counties. She detailed the separation process for paper, plastic and glass on the conveyor belt, which uses an optical scanner to target specific materials.

Troike said the trip came as a result of residents asking if their recyclables are actually recycled. She said residents should not put clothing, plastic bags or batteries in recycling bins. Those items should be taken to recycling centers. Dog leashes, garden hoses and scrap metal – like pots and pans – can hinder the process at standard Rumpke recycling plants and should not be put in residential cans.

Residents can visit the “Simple Recycling Scheduler” link on the township’s website to schedule a clothing or household item pickup from their home.

Marcie Kress, executive director for solid waste management authority Summit ReWorks, gave a presentation about ReWorks’ recycling services. The organization provides six traveling document shredding events throughout the county from May through October in addition to community recycling assistance grants and can act as a government sponsor for private companies applying for an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant.

ReWorks also has a household hazardous waste recycling center at 1201 Graham Rd. in Stow. The center accepts batteries, embedded batteries, scrap tires, e-cigarettes and vape pens. All these services are free to Summit County residents. For more information visit summitreworks.com.

Fire department

Trustee Elaina Goodrich swore in the newest addition to the Bath Fire Department, Nicholas Kress. Fire Chief Robert Campbell said Kress was part of the Four Cities Educational Compact, which offers career technical education. Kress took paramedic classes through the program while attending Barberton High School, and Campbell said he stood out.

“He is delightful,” said Troike. “We look forward to him being part of the team.”

Campbell also talked about two structure fires in Bath July 4-5. The first house fire was a lengthy operation, and as firefighters were cleaning up, they received a call about another fire nearby. Total firefighting time spanned 14 hours, and Campbell said fire departments from Richfield, Granger Township, Sharon Township, Cuyahoga Falls, Hinckley and others gave mutual aid.

One fire was caused by spent residential fireworks brought inside a garage. Campbell reminded everyone to leave spent fireworks outside.

Trustees also authorized utilizing the Ohio Revised Code to escrow fire loss claims for buildings in the township. When a fire loss equals or exceeds 60% of the liability limits on a fire insurance policy, the insurance company “shall transfer from the insurance proceeds to the Bath Township fiscal officer in the aggregate of $2,000 for each $15,000 of loss value,” according to the resolution. Sinopoli explained that this would allow the fire-damaged structure to be secured and keep it from being a danger to residents.

Citizen comments

Resident Tim Mier spoke about the fire department during the citizen comment portion of the meeting. He said he read two articles in the Bath Country Journal: one in which the township’s 2023 budget included hiring an assistant fire chief, and another in which the Bath and Richfield fire chiefs discussed the nationwide firefighter shortage.

He questioned the need for an assistant fire chief, citing the additional expense of a salary, benefits and take-home vehicle.

“I wonder if that money is not better spent on boots on the ground staff,” said Meir. He also asked if consideration has been given to consolidating the fire departments of Bath, Richfield and Copley. ∞