Turstee’s Corner

“Bath Township is the place to be. Rural livin’ is the life for me. Land spreadin’ out so far and wide. Keep Cleveland, just give me that countryside!” Yes, I took some artistic license with the lyrics but, hopefully, it conjured up the tune of Green Acres and, now, you’ll be humming it the rest of the day!

Last month, in his Administrator’s Corner article, Vito Sinopoli touched on the major differences between a township and a city or village. Let’s dig a little deeper into a few areas and how living in a township impacts your daily life. 

Townships operate under the Ohio Revised Code and, as such, we cannot write our own ordinances. There are a few areas where our county governance can fold us under their umbrella with legislation they write, but the Ohio Revised Code is, basically, our Bible, and if it does not grant authority, we are unable to act on our own. 

Our service department manages the maintenance of township roads, including paving, signage and snow and ice control. For the most part, a road that is not striped or marked is a township road. For questions or concerns about township roads, the service department may be reached at 330-665-5066.

County roads and bridges located throughout the township are maintained by the Summit County Engineer’s Office for paving, striping, signage, traffic signals and snow and ice control.

The county roads in Bath Township under county control are: 

Crystal Lake Road, Embassy Parkway, Everett Road, Ghent Road, Granger Road, Ira Road, Martin Road, Medina Line Road, N. Cleveland-Massillon Road, N. Hametown Road, N. Revere Road, Oak Hill Road (from Ira Road, past Hale Farm to 2896 and 2909 Oakhill Rd.), Sand Run Road, Shade Road (Shade Road south at Bath Road is under Bath Township), Shaw Road, Smith Road (divided among Akron, Fairlawn and Bath), Sourek Road (2613 and 2614 Sourek Rd. are under Bath), Springside Drive, W. Bath Road and Yellow Creek Road.

The Summit County Engineers’ Office can be reached at 330-643-2860 or by using the “Contact Us” feature under the “residents” tab on their website at summitengineer.net.

Now that it is spring, and summer is just a few weeks away, the use of fireworks and firearms will, undoubtedly, tick up. It’s good to be armed with knowledge (no pun intended) about what is allowed and what is prohibited. 

In 2022, the state of Ohio reversed its prohibition on consumer grade fireworks and now allows eligible adults to purchase and discharge fireworks on specific dates. As of July 1, 2022, anyone 18 years of age or older can purchase and use fireworks on the following holidays:

New Year’s Day: 12-1 a.m. and 4-11 p.m.

Chinese New Year: 4-11 p.m.

Cinco de Mayo: 4-11 p.m.

Memorial Day Weekend: 4-11 p.m.

Juneteenth: 4-11 p.m.

July 3-5, including surrounding weekends: 4-11 p.m.

Labor Day Weekend: 4-11 p.m. the first Monday in September and the preceding Saturday and Sunday.

Diwali: 4-11 p.m.

New Year’s Eve: 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Fireworks can only be discharged on private property and only with the property owner’s permission. In the past few years, we have had residents suffer major damage or destruction of their homes when parking spent shells or fireworks debris near unused fireworks. It only takes a few minutes for the smoldering debris to ignite. Please be hypervigilant!

And finally, let’s address the use of firearms. Townships have limited authority to regulate open shooting, such as target practice or hunting. Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.162 provides limited authority for open shooting in townships but does allow the prohibition of target shooting near a school, cemetery or over a roadway. Townships are unable to adopt their own legislation restricting open shooting, however, Summit County Ordinance 549.08 states one cannot discharge an air gun, rifle, shotgun, revolver, pistol or firearm within 100 yards of a dwelling which is the property of another (i.e. your neighbor). 

It is, ultimately, the responsibility of the land owner to determine where shooting will occur and have adequate safety measures in place, which includes proper backstops and safe distances from roads and structures near you, not owned by you. If you have any questions regarding setting up a safe shooting area on your property, please contact the Bath Police Department non-emergency number at 330-666-3736.To kick off the summer season in Bath Township, the annual Memorial Day Observance Ceremony will be held Monday, May 26, at the Bath Memorial Park, beginning at noon. For a detailed listing of upcoming events for spring and summer, visit the Bath Community Events tab on the home page at bathtownship.org, because, after all, Bath Township is the place to be!