Phone, fire and road updates follow
VERMILION TWP — Trustees filled three township zoning positions Wednesday while leaving several alternate seats open during a meeting that also included updates on emergency calls, road work and a new telephone system.
The board first accepted the resignations of Nancy Sauer and Nicole Kastanis from their respective zoning boards. Trustees thanked both residents for their service.
Dave Hoffman was unanimously appointed to an unexpired Board of Zoning Appeals term ending Dec. 31, 2026. Kody Herchler was appointed to the BZA term previously held by Sauer, which expires Dec. 31, 2030.
Trustees also appointed Shaun Buell to a Zoning Commission term expiring July 31, 2031.
Chuck Hall was appointed as a BZA alternate by a 2-1 vote. Chair Kenn Baughman and Trustee Keith Sexton supported the appointment, while Vice Chair Don Rowe Sr. opposed it.
Rowe questioned reappointing Hall shortly after Hall had resigned from the board. Sexton said Hall had stepped down because he expected to assist the township in another capacity, but that opportunity did not materialize.
Baughman also proposed appointing Cliff German as a Zoning Commission alternate. The nomination died after neither Rowe nor Sexton seconded it.
Several alternate positions remained vacant following the appointments.
New telephone system
Township officials said a new PanTerra telephone system is expected to begin operating within approximately one month at about half the cost of the township’s previous service.
The system will include an extension for reporting downed trees, blocked roads and similar hazards. Calls will be routed among township officials and Road Department employees to increase the likelihood that someone will answer outside regular office hours.
Another extension will transfer callers directly to Erie County sheriff’s dispatch for nonemergency assistance.
Officials emphasized that residents should continue calling 911 when they need police, fire or emergency medical assistance.
Fire and road reports
Fire Chief Frank Triana reported that the department handled 66 fire and EMS calls during July, bringing the total through July 31 to 426.
The July calls included three residential fires, three motor vehicle crashes, a boat fire, two residential fire alarms, a commercial alarm, a tree that fell on a house and a reported natural gas odor.
Triana also discussed a fire inside a newly occupied unit at the Redwood development. No one was home when the fire was reported, and no injuries occurred.
“There was very little fire damage,” Triana said.
The fire was extinguished quickly, but smoke and residue spread throughout the unit and caused extensive interior damage. Triana said the circumstances remained under investigation by Redwood representatives and insurance companies.
Road Superintendent Steve Young was absent but provided trustees with an update. Employees installed approximately 500 feet of drainage pipe and cleaned about 1,200 feet of ditches.
The township’s recently purchased excavator has already logged more than 100 hours of use. Reclamite pavement treatment was also scheduled for Wine Street and Chardonnay Drive.
Officials reminded residents that ramps connecting state Route 2 and state Route 60 will close individually as the state’s resurfacing project advances.
The Erie County Budget Commission also approved the township’s 2027 budget.
Residents address trustees
During public comment, Martha Dickle urged the trustees to stop fighting and work together. She also raised concerns about the Redwood fire and the township’s handling of its former building official.
Dan Ladrich criticized township road and drainage conditions and said residents were frustrated by unresolved maintenance concerns.
Trustees later recessed into executive session to consult legal counsel concerning pending litigation. No action following the closed session was documented in the available meeting record.
The next regular trustees meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2. The PLOT Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 9, and the township’s fall cleanup will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 19.