BATH TOWNSHIP — Bath Township Cemetery Supervisor Teresa Phillips recently reported to township trustees that the township cemetery crew has been taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures to complete several projects in Byron Cemetery.
Phillips said the crew had been working diligently and had completed the installation of the veterans’ flag holders in the cement foundations throughout the cemetery. She noted that the Veterans’ Administration in Xenia had been very accommodating with providing the flag holders to the township cemetery. The crew also cleaned up the ever-growing honeysuckle along the southern border of the cemetery.
Phillips also reported that Neil Fogarty, president of Woodland Cemetery in Xenia, had contacted her in regards to renting the township’s mausoleum lift when the need arises. Phillips said the proposed cost of the rental was $150 for a day if the crew from Woodland Cemetery picks up the lift or $200 if the township delivers it to Woodland Cemetery.
“I don’t think that $150 is enough,” Bath Township Trustee Tom Pitstick said. “I think we should be compensated for the time and use.”
Ross suggested that the township rent the lift for $200 for a day or any part of a day if the cemetery crew from Woodland picked up the lift and $300 if the township delivered the lift to Woodland Cemetery. He also recommended that Phillips draw up a proposed agreement and submit it to Greene County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Hayden for review.
“Conceptually, I have no problem with renting the lift,” Ross said. “However, we need some type of agreement if it is damaged or broken.”
Township Trustee John Martin suggested holding off establishing a rental fee until the township acquired some prices from local retailers that sale or rents lifts. Ross and Pitstick agreed.
Ross reported to the board that a township resident had taken note that the foundations of some of the older headstones in the cemetery had sunk into the ground. However, one of the cemetery employees attending the township meeting said the cemetery crew contracts Dodds Monuments to lift the headstones, and the cemetery crew then levels or replaces the foundations that have sunk.
Road Supervisor Vern Heizer reported to township trustees that all the guardrails along township roads that were in disrepair were repaired or replaced. Heizer said the township currently has approximately 700 tons of salt in the township salt bin, and he would be adding another 300 tons to the bin in preparation for the winter months. Heizer noted that the township is paying approximately $48.72 for each ton of salt this year.
The township is also purchasing sugar beet juice from Xenia Township. Heizer said the township road crew would be spreading the solution known as Beet Heat ahead of winter storms to help prevent icing on township roads. He explained that beet juice, when supplemented with road salt, burns through the ice even at sub-zero temperatures.
The township trustees also scheduled a re-organizational meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 29. The meeting will be held at the township office building, 1006 Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road. The township board of trustees meet in regular session at 7 p.m. on the first, third and fifth (if there is one) Wednesday of each month at the township’s office building. The public is welcome.
