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GOSHEN TOWNSHIP -- Township trustees approved the use of police funds to cover a portion of the purchase of two new cruisers for the department.
Fiscal Officer Michele Barratt said that the overall cost for the purchase of the cruisers, outfitting and graphics had come in at approximately $24,000 in excess of the $100,000 originally budgeted for the units by the township. Barratt said that as a result she and Police Chief John Calko had decided to cover the remaining $24,000 through a combination of funds from the police budget, including $15,000 from the Law Enforcement Drug Fund, $5,000 from the Law Enforcement Capital Expense Fund, and $4,000 from the Police Body Camera Fund. Separate motions approving each expenditure were approved by trustees.
Trustees also approved the renewal of the township's public depository agreement with Farmers National Bank.
Trustees also heard input from residents regarding the potential sale of the small .21-acre park located at the corner of South Pricetown Road and First Street to the owner of the popular Damascus restaurant G's Pizza World, which is located on the adjacent property. Trustees first discussed the sale at their May 8 meeting, at which time they said they weren't opposed to the sale but wanted to hear from residents prior to any further discussion.
Amongst the residents in attendance was Beverly Carney who was against the sale, citing the historical significance of the property and its ties to the Delzell family, one of the founding families of Damascus. Carney also took umbrage with the belief that people were unaware of the ownership of the park and of its origin.
Trustee Shawn Mesler said that trustees were neither eager for, nor committed to, a sale, reiterating that the trustees had received interest and requested public input, thanking those residents in attendance for sharing their feelings on the matter with them.
"Thank you for your comments, that's what this is about, getting public input," said Mesler.
Trustee Chairman John Bricker agreed with Mesler's comments, noting that the trustees had simply requested public input to help inform any potential discussions about the property.
"Thank you for your input. Like [Mesler] said, we haven't made any decisions, we just wanted to hear everyone's thoughts and have the public come and comment and take that into consideration. This isn't something we'd be doing any time soon," said Bricker
Mesler's sentiments were also echoed by the owner of the property the restaurant sits on, Justin Biery. Biery said that he had a conversation with the new tenants of the restaurant about potentially purchasing the property to host events without needing to pursue permission from the township each time. Biery also said that his background is in Damascus, and he wasn't looking to upset anyone or take away a public space, it was just an opportunity he had brought up in their conversation to potentially benefit the new tenants.
"I'm' not going to walk out of here any happier or unhappier than when I walked in," said Biery.
Other financial matters discussed included the announcement by Barratt that the township had been awarded a $500 MORE Grant, a $1,000 Police Grant,and a $1,500 NOPEC Grant; and the announcement by Calko that the township's police association had dissolved and donated the $4,000 that had made up its budget to the department.
Mesler also reminded residents that posting reflective address labels on their mailboxes are extremely helpful for first responders, particularly in areas where the address of a particular property may not be clear.
Trustees also thanked everyone who took part in the township's Community Safety Day June 3, and to everyone who had worked to make the event such a success.
The trustees will meet next at 7 p.m. July 10.
mahart@mojonews.com