Trustees Corner – Paul Schweikert

On the first Sunday in December, there was a water main break on Stoney Brook Road in Greenwood Village. Cleveland water was notified and came on Monday. This break in the water line became a major issue when the water company could not locate the shut off valve. Luckily for Sagamore, Jeff Snell, secretary/treasurer of the North Hills Water District, showed up and told the repair crew that this valve was over on Carlin Road about seven-tenths of a mile away.

Initially, there was skepticism to his suggestion, but when they went over to Carlin Road, the crew located the valve. Trustees Dave DePasquale, John Zaccardelli and I want to give Jeff an “attaboy” for his research. Thanks.

At the Sagamore Hills Township December meeting, John Zaccardelli, Dave DePasquale and I passed a resolution to restrict parking on township roads in a general snow emergency, when snow is expected to exceed 2 inches in height. The purpose of this is to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all driving residents during a snow emergency event. As elected officials, we want to be proactive and allow school buses to avoid dodging parked cars that can cause near-collision accidents.

On Nov. 28 and on Dec. 19, the snow ban was in effect and a number of cars were parked on township roads, making driving a hazard to the public. Please make sure both school bus drivers and township snowplows have plenty of room to operate. Do not crowd the backs of either vehicle, as they have a tendency to slide backwards on slippery pavement.

Police Chief David Hayes shared a case that Det. Victoria Miavitz worked on in late November. A resident had their car stolen from their closed garage. In the car was a wallet and credit cards. Miavitz was able to track this case through Cleveland, Parma and Walton Hills and eventually recovered the vehicle on 116th and Kinsman Avenue. It turns out that a granddaughter and her boyfriend were the culprits. Hayes stated that the turn-around on this case was two weeks. He said the victims were the grandparents and the girl’s father. Miavitz charged the granddaughter with grand theft of a vehicle, theft of credit cards, burglary and fraud for illegal use of the credit cards.

The granddaughter said that she did not like the person she had become because of her use of drugs. Miavitz said unfortunately actions have consequences. The girl’s father and grandparents did not want to punish the girl, but felt she needed to get help or end up in more dire consequences down the road. Miavitz has a warrant out for the boyfriend. Hayes stated that these cases are playing out daily across America and he commended everyone involved for a more hopeful outcome. ∞