AMHERST TOWNSHIP NEWSLETTER

Summer 2008
Vol. XIII No. 2
Recycling Report

Amherst Township recycled the following quantities through the "Blue Bag" program (1st quarter):

1.0
tons of aluminum cans
5.2
tons of bi-metal cans
9.8
tons of glass
2.8
tons of HDPE plastics
2.2
tons of PETE plastics
22.1
tons of newspapers

There were no dumpster days in the first quarter, therefore no scrap metal.

For questions concerning the “Blue Bag” program, contact Allied Waste Services at 458-5191 or David Urig at 988-8256.

Dumpster Days

Amherst Township has set the following dates for “Dumpster Days” in 2008:

July 10, 11, 12
October 2, 3, 4

Hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Please note:  NO TIRES WITH RIMS!
                    NO PROPANE TANKS!

Drop-Off Hours for Yard Waste!!

Brush, limbs, grass clippings, and leaves may be brought to the rear of the Amherst Township Garage at the following times:

  • 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Mon – Fri
  • 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Saturday
  • Amherst Township Residents only
  • I.D. will be checked
  • No Commercial

The garage is located at 7530 Oberlin Road.

Newspapers, cans, glass, and 1's & 2's plastics can be placed at your curb in blue bags for Allied pick-up. Newspapers should be “blue bagged” separately.

Compost & Wood Chips Available

Free compost and wood chips are available from the Township. If you are interested, contact John Szefcyk, Road Superintendent, at 988-5833.

Have a problem?  Complaint forms are available at the Township Hall, inside the white bulletin board, or may be downloaded from the Township’s website.

Township Hall & Garage
Fax......................................988-5877
Fiscal Officer ........................988-5894
Email: amhersttwpfo@oh.rr.com
Road Superintendent (garage)..988-5833
Email: amhersttwproads@oh.rr.com
Office (Zoning Inspector).........988-5866
Office Hours for Zoning Insp:
Mon., Wed. & Sat. – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Voice Mail is checked daily
Email: amhersttwpzoning@oh.rr.com
Don Gargas, Zoning Inspector

Trustees (please note changes of responsibilities)
Dennis Abraham...................986-4555
(Ambulance, Cemetery, Park, Water, Roads,
Ditches, Buildings, Land, Enterprise Zones, County Health Rep.)
Neil Lynch.............................988-7681
(Zoning, Sewer, Fire, Equipment,
Personnel, LORCO, Senior Services,
NIMS Primary Contact)
David C. Urig.........................988-8256
(Lighting, Solid Waste,
Phase II Storm Water/Environmental Strategy, Alternate LORCO & County Health Rep.)

Fiscal Officer
Howard Akin.............................233-7624

Road Superintendent
John Szefcyk.............................988-7045

Amherst Twp Senior Services Office
Carol Schmitkons......................988-5822
Email: amhersttwpseniors@oh.rr.com
Office Hours – Mon thru Fri – 8am to 12 Noon

Fire Prevention Officer
Wayne Eppley...........................324-3921

LifeCare Ambulance, Inc.
Maude or Herb DeLa Porte........323-6111

Sheriff's Department................329-3710

Ohio Edison
Automated Outage Reporting Line
1-888-544-4877

TRUSTEE MEETINGS:
2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m.

Amherst Township Trustee Meetings may be viewed on Amherst Cable Channel 12. They will air for 7 days, running Mon thru Mon, following the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Air times are at 9 am, 4 pm, & 11 pm. Zoning Commission meetings will be shown 8 am, 3 pm & at the conclusion of the 11pm Trustee meetings. All airings are subject to change.

Changes to Zoning Employees

Recently the township accepted the resignations of Jim Yorks and Janice DeAngelis. Jim has been a member of the Zoning Commission for the past 7½ years. Janice has been a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the past 7½ years, as well as being the ZBA Chairman. We would like to let them know that they have been greatly appreciated for their contribution to Amherst Township.

For the Zoning Commission:

  • Hank Harsar has moved from the Alternate #1 position to a Zoning Commission member.
  • Glenn Thome has moved from the Alternate #2 position to the Alternate #1 position.
  • The Alternate #2 position remains open at this time.

For the Zoning Board of Appeals:

  • Marcie Jaworski has moved from the Alternate #2 position to a ZBA member.
  • Joan Whitman was recently appointed to the Alternate #2 position.

If other Amherst Township residents are interested in getting involved as an alternate on either the Zoning Commission or the Zoning Board of Appeals, please contact Neil Lynch at 988-7681.

The Zoning Commission meets on a monthly basis on the first Tuesday of the month. The ZBA holds an organizational meeting in January and three (3) “Conditional Use” meetings in February/March. All other ZBA meetings are on an "as required" basis, averaging three (3) additional meetings per year.

Lots Available

Cemetery lots are available at Kendeigh Cemetery, located at the intersection of Quarry Road and Middle Ridge Road. Lots may be purchased by contacting the Township Office at 988-5833.

$391 – Resident

$673 – Non-Resident

A message from
the Sheriff’s Dept.

The Lorain County Sheriff's Department has recently hired two new Deputies. This is good news, as it will allow for another Deputy to be assigned as a "Community Policing Officer'. The total number of "CPO's' in Lorain County will again be at three, allowing more time for our CPO to be involved in the activities in our township.

Please be aware that there have been quite a few "car break-ins", especially in the Hidden Valley area. All residents should:

  • Keep your doors locked – house & auto
  • Turn outside lights on
  • Don’t leave valuables in your vehicle!

Twp. Bulletin Board

Scheduled meetings and Trustee Work Sessions are regularly posted in the bulletin board at the Township Hall. These are public meetings and residents are welcome to attend.

PRIDE DAY 2008

As part of Pride Day, wood chips were spread and flowers were planted at the Amherst Township Hall and the Amherst Township Park on Middle Ridge Road. Planters were also hung at the Township Hall. We would like to thank the following businesses for their donations to this project:

  • Thome Farms – hanging pots 9060 State Route 58 (in Amh Twp)
  • Don Mould’s – flowers 8676 State Route 58 (in Amh Twp)
  • North Shore Landscape – mulch 6001 Baumhart Road, Lorain

Recycling Incentive Contest

In April, Amherst Township held a raffle in conjunction with the township's "dumpster event" as an incentive program to encourage residents to recycle more. Residents brought a raffle form along with a blue bag of recyclables or recyclable yard waste to the dumpster event. This incentive program is an eligibility requirement of the "Solid Waste Grant" award received by Amherst Township.

Items that may be recycled in the blue bags are:

  • "1" and "2" plastics (HDPE and PETE)
  • Bi-metal cans (canned food cans)
  • Aluminum cans
  • Glass beverage bottles
  • Newspapers

Newspapers are to be placed in a separate blue bag from the rest of the recyclables. Also, please rinse all food and beverage containers before placing them in a blue bag.

Winners of the "Incentive Contest" received a $50 Gas Card from "Law's Auto Service, Inc." located on Middle Ridge Road near the State Route 2 interchange.

The Winners were:

Charles Barckert Dan & Sharie Riccardi
Elaine Birkline Eileen Rockwell
Bill Bringman Charles Sapienza
Lu Bringman Jerry Scheidler
Estel & Dale Cary John Schmitkons
Tony Cioffi Kim Schmitkons
Trang Fly Barbara Shauck
Dawn Freeman Barb Shinsky
Randy Haring Virginia Szilvasy
Frank Lasso Pam Welton
Deborah Mann

Permits Required

Residents are reminded that permits are needed for pools, decks, porches, patios, gazebos, fences, ponds, signs, garages, new construction, building additions, accessory buildings, and driveways. When a permit is obtained before the start of construction, the fee will be reduced by 50%. Be sure you or your contractor has obtained a permit. Payments must be made by check only. Cash is not accepted.

Please contact Don Gargas, Amherst Township Zoning Inspector for these permits. Office hours for the Zoning Inspector are from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. He can be reached at 988-5866. Voice Mail is checked daily.

"Building inspections" through the Lorain County Building Department may also be required. These building "inspections" are in addition to the building "permits" that are required from the Township. The Amherst Township Zoning Inspector can assist you for both of these requirements. A building "permit" from the township is required before applying for the building "inspection" from the county. Permits for both the township and the county may be viewed on the township’s website under "zoning".

Lifecare

Amherst Township, as a member of the Sandstone Joint Ambulance District, has chosen "LifeCare" to be their ambulance provider. President Maude DeLa Porte and Vice-President Herb DeLa Porte own and operate LifeCare. They can be reached at 323-6111. To learn more about their services, visit their website at www.lifecareambulance.com. For more information about LifeCare as well as links to other related websites visit www.geocities.com/lifecaredispatch.

Contact Sheriff’s Dept.

If residents know of, or see, any suspicious activity in the township or at the Amherst Township Park, please contact the Sheriff's Dept. at 329-3710. To contact the sheriff's dispatch from your cell phone without being charged, call 323-1212. These are not a "911" emergency lines.

Curfew

Please be aware that a curfew exists in Amherst Township for minors age 16 and under between the hours of Midnight and 5 a.m. This curfew will be enforced by the Lorain County Sheriff’s Dept.

NOTE: Meeting Times:

Trustee Meetings at 7:00 p.m. – Zoning Commission Meetings now at 6:30 p.m.