Hitchcock Woods Visit

Recently, Officer Mike Mike Salser of the Boardman Township Police Department visited Hitchcock Woods Early Learning Center. Officer Salser helped the kids understand what it’s like to be a police officer. He also explained how they can each be a “community helper.”

Arrange a Visit For Your School

If you have a daycare or preschool located in Boardman Township and would like an educational visit from an BPD police officer, please call 330-726-4144.

The Boardman Township Board of Trustees is seeking letters of interest from residents of Boardman Township wishing to serve on the Fire Board of Appeals.

The qualifications to serve on this board, found in the 2015 International Fire Code, Section 108.3, are as follows:

Qualifications: The Board of Appeals shall consist of members who are qualified by experience and training to pass on matters pertaining to hazards of fire, explosions, hazardous conditions of fire protection systems and are not employees of the jurisdiction.

The Board of Appeals is in need of individuals with qualifications established as follows, found in the 2015 International Fire Code, Section A101.2:

Design professional: One member shall be a practicing design professional registered in the practice of engineering or architecture in the state in which the board is established.

Industrial safety professional: One member shall be a registered industrial or chemical engineer, certified hygienist, certified safety professional, certified hazardous materials manager or comparably qualified specialist experienced in chemical process safety or industrial safety.

General contractor: One member shall be a contractor regularly engaged in the construction, alteration, maintenance, repair or remodeling of buildings or building services and systems regulated by the code.

Boardman residents wishing to apply for a position on the Fire Board of Appeals must submit a letter of interest no later than Friday, August 12, 2016 to:

Boardman Fire Prevention Office
Attn: Michelle Sinkus
8299 Market Street
Boardman, OH 44512

Appointments will be made at the Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees, Monday, August 22, 2016.

With proceeds from a recent fundraiser conducted by the non-profit organization Never Muzzled, Boardman Township obtained six pet oxygen masks, which firefighters can use when rescuing pets from a fire at a residence. A donation from Invisible Fence will enable us to purchase three more. A big thank you to both groups!

 

(Front row, L–R): John Berardi, Gary Hemphill, Chris Pater

(Back row, L–R): Township Administrator Jason Loree, Fire Chief Mark Pitzer, Jessica Kollmorgen, John Miller, Jason Cooke, Captain Bill Glaser, Assistant Chief Don Kloes. 

Thanks so much to all the Boardman residents who came with their families to our annual Boardman Township Community Day on Saturday, June 4. Thanks, too, to Township employees from every department who volunteered and helped.

And special thanks to those who donated to the event: Aqua Ohio (for the hot dogs, soda and water); Hitchcock Woods Kindergarten, Pre-school & Day Care (popcorn); National Fire and Water Repair (grilling assistance); Stat Medevac (helicopter landing); 4-H Club of Mahoning County; and Boardman Park.

Boardman Township is offering Internet Buyer’s Exchange Location Sites for those in the community who buy, sell and trade items online. The sites allow people to exchange items in a public place that is under surveillance and located in front of and in the Boardman Police Department.

The Internet Buyer Exchange Location Sites are located at the Boardman Township Government Center, 8299 Market Street. There are two locations — in the main parking lot and inside the building. Both locations are under 24/7 surveillance by the Boardman Police Department. The location inside our Police Department lobby in the Government Center is open during normal business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed holidays).

Township residents learned about the Boardman Township Land Bank, as well as other initiatives, during the Boardman Zoning Department’s Open House, which took place at the Township offices November 10.

Sarah Gartland, Zoning Inspector and Marilyn Kenner, P.E., Assistant Zoning Inspector were on hand to explain the Land Bank and how it fits into The New Boardman Land Plan, which is designed to stabilize neighborhoods in the township.

Under the Land Bank plan, the township acquires condemned or tax-delinquent properties and demolishes the houses on those properties, which are often dilapidated and in dangerous condition. The township may also acquire similar homes that were originally taken over by the Mahoning County Land Bank.

The township then “banks” the property until a suitable use is found for it. For example, adjacent property owners may be encouraged to purchase the vacant property, which is made available at a fair-market value. The goal is to protect residents who live near the dangerous properties and also to prevent ill-fitting new developments that can ruin home values in a neighborhood. An added benefit is that, when the properties are purchased, they can be returned to township tax rolls.

The township has demolished approximately 20 such houses since 2013, and the demolition program is expected to continue at a rate of about five additional structures per year.

At the Open House, Zoning Department officials showed off newly designed signs that will used to identify properties acquired by the Land Bank and demonstrated a new section on the township website (www.BoardmanTwp.com/Landbank) that lists the available properties.

Certain conditions must be met in order for adjacent property owners to acquire the vacant land. Details and necessary forms are available on the website. Or the Zoning Department may be contacted for more information at 330-726-4181.

Officials display new signs that will designate properties acquired by the Boardman Township Land Bank. L-R: Brad Calhoun, Boardman Township Trustee; Sara Gartland, Zoning Inspector; Marilyn Kenner, Assistant Zoning Inspector; Jason Loree, Boardman Township Administrator.

Published in the Youngstown Vindicator, October 27, 2014

 

Township officials consider landlord registration program

By Jordyn Grzelewski

BOARDMAN

When Zoning Inspector Sarah Gartland went to a rental unit on Shields Road in February, she was horrified by the conditions she found.

There was no heat or running water.

“That’s when we said, ‘We’re going to do something,’” she said.

Getting rental properties — which account for more than 4,000 of Boardman’s 19,000 residences — to meet basic living standards is one of the goals of the landlord registration program Gartland has developed, which she will present for the final time to the board of trustees Nov. 10, when trustees likely will vote on it.

If the board approves the resolution, landlords will be required to register with the zoning department and provide their contact information, as well as pay an annual fee.

The program will cost landlords $40 per rental unit. The cost for property owners who own more than six units will be $150, plus $15 per unit. The fees would be used to cover the costs of the program, which include a salary for one staff person, yearly mailings, abatement of nuisances and legal fees if any cases end up in court, according to Gartland.

The resolution would require rental units to have secure doors, lighting in exterior entryways, a working window in each bedroom, working toilets, hot and cold water in bathroom and kitchen sinks, working heating and electrical systems, working smoke detectors, properly installed handrails, and structurally sound floors, ceilings and walls.

It would require rental units to be free of refuse and debris in exterior and interior areas, broken or cracked windows, and insects, rodents and pests.

It also would allow for periodic inspections by the zoning department.

One factor in the decision to start the program is that the increase in rental properties — many that have out-of-town landlords — over the last several years has changed Boardman’s neighborhoods from single-family home neighborhoods to mixed-housing ones, Gartland said.

That is problematic because mixed-housing neighborhoods create problems for the township, she said.

“We have more zoning complaints, more nuisance complaints and more violations in our mixed housing,” she said.

While the zoning department could issue a citation with a fine for properties not in compliance, Gartland thinks that having contact information should solve most of the problems.

“We’ve had almost 100 percent compliance when we have communication with the property owner,” Gartland said.

Gartland said the program also will benefit landlords by helping protect property values and because it requires tenants to adhere to certain standards. And, if landlords already are maintaining their properties, it won’t require them to make any changes.

“We’re looking at substandard, deplorable conditions,” she said. “This isn’t aesthetics. This is, ‘Do you have running water?’”

“The vast majority of landlords are wonderful people and maintain their properties very well,” said Trustee Tom Costello. But, he said, there are some who bring down property values and allow unsafe living conditions in their units.

“We want everybody safe. So we’ve got to do it,” he said. “And at the same time, it should protect the value of the homes and the neighborhoods and make everyone happier.”

If the resolution is adopted by the board of trustees, landlords will have to register in January.

Gartland can be reached at sgartland@boardmantwp.com for questions or concerns about the program.

Join Boardman for its annual Fall Update, Friday, October 10 from 7:30–9:00 a.m. and get progress updates from Boardman Township, Boardman Schools and Boardman Park.

Good Morning Boardman! will take place at the Lariccia Family Community Center in Boardman Park. Reserve tickets online at www.regionalchamber.com.

Featured Speaker for the event is Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel.

Good Morning Boardman! is co-sponsored by First National Bank, ms consultants and the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber.

Fire Station tours…live burn and extrication demonstrations…fire extinguisher training…free helmets, stickers and coloring books for the kids…and more — all will be part of the Boardman Township Fire Department’s Fire Safety Day, to be held Saturday, October 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Main Fire Station, 136 Boardman-Poland Road across from the Southern Park Mall.

This family-friendly event is a great opportunity for kids and parents alike to learn all about fire safety while getting an up-close look at a fire truck and related equipment. A featured event will be a live burn demonstration in a free-standing “burn building” structure, which is designed to show how rapidly a fire can spread once ignited. Firefighters will also demonstrate the latest “jaws of life” equipment used to extract motorists who are trapped in cars.

There will be a “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” T-shirt fundraiser, and refreshments will be available.

Schedule of Events

11:15 a.m. – Extrication of Vehicle #1

12:15 p.m. – Flashover of burn building

1:15 p.m. – Extrication of Vehicle #2