Trustees to apply for stream restoration grant

by Dan Holland

Feb. 6 township trustees meeting

Richfield Township Trustees approved a resolution to apply for a $350,000 federal EPA grant for stream restoration of a pond located at Wheatley Road and Glencairn Forest Drive.

“They [Glencairn HOA] want to return it to its original state, which is part of Furnace Run,” Trustee Chair Don Laubacher explained during the meeting. “About every other year, it needs dredged due to the silt build up.”

“They can’t apply for the grant themselves, so they want us to apply for the grant on their behalf,” he continued. “They assured us that we will have no financial obligation in this at all, but we do have some administrative obligations. We showed all the documents to the Summit County prosecutor’s office, who said everything looked okay as long as we have a separate agreement spelling out who does what from an administration standpoint.”

Township Administrator Mindy Lott will work with Neal Hess, who was hired by Glencairn HOA to write the grant application, and assist with administration and reporting. The grant application is due by Feb. 28, with notification expected in late spring, Laubacher noted.

“If they know by May [about grant approval], they hope to begin work in 2026,” said Laubacher. “Richfield Village is using EnviroScience to move a stream in Glencairn, which they’ll be doing in 2026. So, the hope is that that firm can do both projects within that same time period.”

Lott noted that, if the grant is approved, work for the project will have to be competitively bid. 

Announcements

Laubacher noted that the first meeting of the 11-member Land Use Plan Committee was held Jan. 22. A public meeting regarding the plan will be held at The Lodge at Richfield Heritage Preserve from 4-7 p.m. on April 23.

In other business, trustees approved: 

  • Total appropriations for 2025 of $5,086,718. 
  • 2025 purchase orders and blanket certificates in the amount of $3.1 million.
  • Then-and-now certificates in the amount of $15,016.
  • Accepting the Summit County Annual Highway Certification of 16.088 miles for the township.

Participation in Summit County’s 2025 pavement maintenance program, which was passed at the Jan. 15 special trustee meeting.