Trustees Corner – Paul Schweikert

In late March, The Plain Dealer newspaper ran a story about this winter being the second lowest for snowfall in the last 50 years. The lowest, 22.7 inches, was recorded last year at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. This years’ total was 24.3 inches. The low records result in a salt problem for the Sagamore service department. We have to make room for 750 tons we did not use. In a normal winter, Sagamore uses about 1,800 tons of salt. Some winters we have used as much as 3,000 tons. This winter, we used about 700 tons. The only good news is in 2024 we will save money on this fixed expense.

At our March township meeting, Trustee Dave DePasquale announced that Sagamore Hills Township received approval for the $495,000 Village Parkway grant. Dave thanked Fiscal Officer Laura Steimle, Trustee John Zaccardelli, Summit County Engineer Al Brubaker’s staff and me for our efforts. There are some qualifications to this grant. Work may not start until after July 1 and it will be a major hassle from Rt. 82 to the Greenwood Clubhouse. Both sides will be under total reclamation. We are going to start asking for your patience in advance.

Sticker shock

Three years ago, Sagamore Service Director Bill Cuprak and Administrative Assistant Joanne Taylor had a VW emission grant approved. This allowed two 5-ton snow plow trucks to be purchased at the price of one, or $156,000. This year we looked into purchasing a new 5-ton in 2025. The cost for one? $156,000. The oldest 5-ton in our fleet is from 2008. We will not be buying new until prices come down.

Two years ago, Sagamore purchased a new ambulance for about $350,000. This ambulance already has 50,000 miles on it. It takes two years to deliver a new one. We placed an order at the end of March, which will cost about $470,000. Barring any major natural disaster, we will not have any levy on the ballot in November. With any luck, we hope the same for 2025. On behalf of John Zaccardelli and Dave DePasquale, I want to thank every department head and employee for eliminating waste and living within their budgets. Thank you!

Roads of summer

Outside of Village Parkway, Sagamore Hills will be paving the following roads: North Gannett, Sandy Hill, Old North, Southridge, Orchard Grove and the final section of Greenwood Parkway. In Eaton Estates, we will be replacing concrete pads and catch basins. The total cost for all road projects will be approximately $1.2 million. For updates, please monitor future Sagamore Voice issues and the Sagamore Hills web page. All of these projects will require patience. Thank you in advance.

Sgt. Ken Wolf wrote a nice letter of commendation for patrolman Robert Patterson. In late January, Officer Patterson was working an off-duty basketball game at Lawrence School. A player had an injury severe enough that he needed transport to the hospital. Officer Patterson gave assistance and reassurance until the paramedics left the building. Police Chief David Hayes wanted to acknowledge this outstanding conduct.

Call 330-467-4970 if you have any questions. ∞