Ross Township residents invited to community meeting

Ross Township residents are invited to a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 to address the ongoing problem of dog waste bags being left behind.

At the June supervisors meeting, resident George Washburn, who the township hired to mow the lawn, brought up the sensitive subject during the public comment part of the meeting.

“The dog poop problem is getting worse. Dog owners need to police themselves,” he said in June.

In response, Vice Chairwoman Tina Drake and Supervisor David Shay scheduled the August meeting, where a trail watch committee could be formed to police this situation. Chairman Howard A. Beers was absent from the July 1 supervisors’ meeting.

Bags are provided on a signpost. Under the bags, there is a sign clearly stating to take bags home to dispose.

“So many people come in to me and say they saw so-and-so leave bags behind. It’s not the township’s obligation to provide a bin for disposal,” township secretary Doris Price said last month.

She is drafting a letter to announce this community meeting and will advertise it on the website, https://rosstwp.com.

In other business

• Supervisors voted to hire Nauman Mechanical to do heating and air conditioning maintenance in the township building. The cost is $612.50.

• The township road crew will be making repairs to the trail at the township park in the coming weeks. Signs will be posted when work is underway. This work will be completed using grant money the township received recently.

• Drake is going to ask a local band she knows if they are available to play a free concert in the township park. “A Saturday evening in August would be nice,” Drake said.

• Supervisors will order a message center sign from Uline for $569. It will hang in the pavilion area and announce if the pavilion is rented or if there are upcoming events such as a concert. It is two composite posts and a corkboard sign.

• The hiring of a part-time secretary/planning commission secretary was tabled until next month. Drake asked for a motion to hire one of the three they interviewed, but Shay would not second it. At a previous supervisors’ meeting, Shay objected to hiring a part-time secretary.

• Supervisors voted to apply for a Local Share Account grant (Act 71 Gaming funds) to purchase a dump truck. Since the process takes so long, the truck probably will not come into their possession until 2021, Shay said. The township currently has six full-size dump trucks, but one is not in good shape and will soon need to be replaced.