MADISON TOWNSHIP — Residents on Belmont Avenue will finally have a passable road starting next year.
Madison Township trustees approved a contract worth $61,999.74 to fix a section of Belmont Avenue where a pipe had collapsed. The work will be done by V. O. Menuez & Son Inc. out of Millersburg and is estimated to be complete by May 2026.
Chairman Dan Fletcher said five bids were received by the Richland County Engineer’s Office for the contract. The winning bed was less than the engineer’s estimate of $78,835 for the project.
Culverts are large pipes that run beneath roads to move water from one side to the other. A failure in the Belmont Avenue culvert had caused the road to collapse and prompted a lengthy closure while the township secured funding.
“It’s been closed since I’ve been here, and probably long before that” said roads Supt. Larry Weirich. “We finally got our funding and everything in place.”
Trustees also approved a temporary extension of summer work hours for the road department, allowing employees to continue their four, 10-hour-day schedule through Sept. 19. Weirich requested the extension to accommodate the remaining summer workload.
Recent work detailed in Weirich’s road report included blade patching on Hazelwood, Crall, and North Stewart roads; catch basin repairs; pothole patching; and preparation for chip seal and paving. Kokosing Construction is continuing road work on Valleydale, Manner, and Oakdale.
Mid-year financial report offered
Fiscal officer Leanna Rhodes reported a total fund balance of $6.78 million across all accounts, according to the township’s cash summary.
According to the official Cash Summary By Fund YTD as of July 31, 2025:
- Total funds available: $6,786,758.68
- Total spent so far in 2025: $2,428,918.42
- Remaining balance: $4,357,840.26
Key fund balances include:
- General Fund: $556,168.16
- Fire District Fund: $1,029,573.26
- Fire & EMS Services Fund: $860,797.09
- Road & Bridge Fund: $626,880.27
- Gasoline Tax Fund: $420,233.29
- Motor Vehicle License Tax Fund: $240,786.91
- Road District Fund: $224,866.43
Chief provided HVAC updates at fire department
At the request of Fire Chief Ken Justus, trustees approved up to $12,000 for the purchase and installation of a new air conditioner and furnace at Station 1. The current AC unit was installed in 1996.
Justus noted the unit provides cooling for the entire office area of the building, during a summer of record-breaking heat according to the NOAA.
“Since the beginning of summer, we have had Eberts Heating and Cooling out multiple times to repair it and try to keep it working,” Justus said in his report. “The costs associated with repairing it at this point are too much to put into a 29-year-old unit.”
Justus originally requested approval of $6,701 only to replace the air conditioner. Trustees discussed and agreed it would be more prudent to replace both units simultaneously.
The township fire department responded to 206 calls in July, including:
- 173 EMS calls
- 14 motor vehicle crashes
- 1 car fire
- 9 fire alarm activations
- 4 open burn complaints
A total of 123 people were transported to hospitals, with the majority (95) taken to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital. Justus noted 57 of July’s calls overlapped, meaning multiple calls occurred at the same time.
“That’s almost a quarter of our calls, we were out multiple stations,” he said.
Justus also reported all fire pump testing and ladder inspections were completed in July, and the department passed with “flying colors.”
Indigent burial application approved
Trustees also approved an application for indigent burial assistance, which will cost the township $750 but is eligible for reimbursement from the state of Ohio.
Indigency means the deceased person and their next of kin lack the financial resources to pay for funeral services. In Ohio, when an indigent person dies, the responsibility for funding their burial or cremation falls to local government.
In this most recent case, the request came from Wappner Funeral Home. Reimbursement eligibility is based on the deceased’s address at the time of death.
Fletcher said this was not the first time the township has used the policy, which specifically covers cremation for qualifying individuals.