MADISON TOWNSHIP — The Madison Twp. Fire Department started its “Fill the Ambulance” campaign Dec. 4 to collect toys and clothing for children in need.
Fire Chief Ken Justus said turnout at the Mansfield Baptist Temple at 752 N. Stewart Rd. for the drive was lower than he wanted, but he hopes for more involvement for the food drive Dec. 10. The food drive will be in the parking lot of the Mansfield Baptist Temple from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
“The turnout was low, which was not what we had hoped for, but I am not deterred,” Justus said. “We’ll continue this Dec. 10 collecting food, and we ask that everybody think about donating something to help out local families.”
Justus said if the ambulance is filled with food, he will drop off materials at local food pantries and come back to the church to collect more.
Also attending Monday’s trustee meeting was Beth Donaldson, manager of the Madison branch of the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library.
Donaldson said the library is digitizing local yearbooks for its genealogy collection and could use help from anyone who has specific years of Madison High School and Mansfield Senior High School yearbooks.
The library needs years 1933-36, 1940-42, 1972, 1974, 1977 and 2002 from Madison High School, and 1973, 1975, 1978, 1982, 1984-86, 1988-89 from Mansfield Senior High School.
“It’s up to you if you’d like to stop by the main library and drop it off at the reference desk or drop it off to me at the branch and I can get it downtown,” Donaldson said.
“You can donate it to the library and we’d be happy to take it, or we can borrow it from you and give it back intact when we’re done digitizing.”
Donaldson also advertised the free Ohio Talking Book Program with audio and braille features for individuals with disabilities. She said anyone who is visually impaired or unable to hold a book themselves can go to a Richland County Public Library branch to apply for the program, with first priority reserved for military veterans.
Trustees invited township residents to Pump & Grind’s ribbon cutting ceremony Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. The new coffee shop is located at 1290 Park Ave. East.
To end the meeting, Trustee Cathy Swank said she will try to sell the township’s old Gradall excavator to the highest bidder from GovDeals.com for $3,555. The trustees bought a new mini excavator in October to replace the Gradall.
The Madison Twp. trustees are still looking for a part-time zoning inspector. Interested applicants can call 419-589-9999 and leave a message with their name and phone number.
