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Volume 51, No. 24
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CHESTERLAND NEWS Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Citizens Park Library Charting Course to Reopen B A P Levy Fails, @ . County Public Library Leaves Board couldGeauga reopen to staff May 11, with a goal of opening for curbside serUndecided vices May 18, Director Ed Worso y
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By Ann Wishart
ann@geaugamapleleaf.com
The Russell Township Citizens Park District board members were surprised and disappointed when their proposed 1-mill levy failed April 28, said board member Perry Howland in a phone interview May 3. By April 28, the measure received 698 votes in favor of it and 828 against it, or 46 percent to 54 percent, according to the Geauga County Board of Elections unofficial results. The final results will not be certifed until May 15, as the April 28 election was a mail-in only election due to the COVID-19 pandemic and several ballots were still outstanding on election day. This was the park board’s second attempt to raise operating funds sorely needed since the Russell Township Trustees formed the park district a few years ago. The five-year additional levy would have yielded about $270,000 per year and cost the homeowners $35 annually per $100,000 in property valuation, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office. Board members had a plan to purchase 64 wooded acres on Music Street, all that remains of 300 acres owned by the Gallo Family Limited Partnership and Karl and Barbara Wilke. The board would have had the funds to pay about a quarter of the $740,000 asking price with the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund covering the rest of the cost in a grant. If the levy had passed, the Ohio Public Works Commission was expected to approve the See Levy • Page 5
my
atterson
geaugamapleleaf com
said by phone May 5. Buildings would remain closed to the public to allow library personnel time to rearrange public spaces to allow for proper social distancing, and create procedures for cleaning buildings and library materials. After Gov. Mike DeWine ordered public schools closed, and See Library • Page 8
ONLINE
Free Ohio Protest Held in Chardon GeaugaMapleLeaf.com
FILE PHOTO
The Geauga West Library
SUBMITTED
Cub Scout Pack 3104 removed garlic mustard from Sunnybrook Preserve in Chester Township, filling 10 garbage bags with the invasive plant species as part of a conservation service project.
Cub Scouts Are At it Again Cub Scouts from Pack 3104 in Chester Township recently performed a conservation project at Geauga Park District’s Sunnybrook Preserve. The Scouting families pulled garlic mustard, an invasive plant species in Ohio that chokes out native plants and indirectly affects pollinators like honeybees.
The Cub Scouts first watched videos on how to identify the plant and its proper removal. Then, they met in the parking lot of the preserve, where each scouting family worked together at a distance to perform the work. When it was all complete, they removed 10 large garbage bags filled with garlic mustard. The
Scouts enjoyed seeing each other for the first time since COVID-19 measures were put in place in March. Any group wishing to perform a conservation project may email Holly Sauder at hsauder@geaugaparkdistrict.org for information. To join Scouting, sign up at www.Scouting.org.
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