Thompson, Montville Seek OPWC Grant to Chip, Seal Burrows

December 11, 2025 by Brandon Lichtinger

Thompson Township Trustees approved paperwork Dec. 3 to apply for grant funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission to chip and seal Burrows Road.

Thompson shares the gravel road with Montville Township and both plan to split the project cost, with each contributing $150,000. The OWPC would match the combined amount to complete the work.

“Every year, the OWPC gives out money for public works, but usually you have to match it, it’s not just free money,” said Thompson Township Trustee Justin Falcone in a follow-up interview Dec. 5.

The Geauga County Engineer’s Office has been advising both townships on how to improve the road and guiding trustees through the grant application process, Falcone said.

Montville Township Trustees also approved submitting paperwork for the grant funding during their Dec. 2 meeting.

“This road project was estimated over a year ago right around the $600,000 mark,” said Montville Township Trustee Jim Marsic Dec. 5. “We’re hoping to get half of that cut off with OPWC funding. The two townships would split the remaining balance equally, 50/50, after the match from the OPWC funding.”

The engineer’s office, however, also warned trustees the project estimate might be higher this year, Marsic added.

“Everything is escalating, the cost of doing any kind of roadwork nowadays,” he said. “You can’t plan anything longer than a couple months ahead because the prices keep escalating.”

Thompson residents voted down a 2-mill roads and bridges levy Nov. 4, with 240 votes for and 294 against, according to the final official results of the Geauga County Board of Elections.

Falcone said caring for and funding township roads poses unique challenges.

“The issue with road levies out here is, you have township roads, you have county roads and then you have state routes. Obviously, the township is just responsible for township roads,” Falcone said Dec. 5. “The (levy) we tried to pass was 2 mills, which would have generated around $160,000 a year for the four-year term, if it would have passed. (But) people on county roads and state routes don’t want to vote for the levy because obviously their taxes are going to go up and it’s not the township maintaining their roads. You kind of have to try to get everybody in the spirit of, ‘This is improving your community,’ but obviously, no one ever just wants to pay more taxes, especially if it’s not going to affect them, per se.”

Without the levy, trustees have been trying to meet residents’ needs as responsibly as possible.

“I know we have maintenance issues on all the roads, but this is a good value for Thompson residents,” said Trustee Erwin “Kok” Leffel at the Dec. 3 meeting.

Between Thompson’s budget constraints and the fact the township would only be responsible for one-fourth of the project cost, the joint road project with Montville took priority over others.

“The price is perfect,” Leffel said.

Residents at the meeting expressed frustration about the condition of Thompson’s dirt and gravel roads, citing chuckholes, loose gravel that has damaged vehicles and other nuisances on multiple routes.

“It’s a never-ending battle with these dirt roads,” Falcone said Dec. 5. “The problem out here with these gravel and dirt roads is, you put stone down in spring, try to cover potholes and if the berms aren’t cut properly and you get some good rains, the gravel will wash to the side, cars will kick it up (and) when the plows come through, the plows will kick it off into the ditch.”

Chipping and sealing — sealing small rocks on road surfaces with tar — provides a more affordable alternative to asphalt paving, which can cost more than $1 million per mile, Falcone said.

“With chip and seal, you have to come back and put another layer on, whether it’s two or three years based on the wear and tear,” he added. “The more layers you put on a chip-and-seal road, the more durable it gets, so it’s not as costly if you wanted to switch over and pave it because the roads are already solid. It’s in a good state to be paved.”

Falcone, who has prioritized road improvements during his two years as trustee, said he understands residents’ frustrations but wishes more voters would get involved in local government and learn about township processes like road funding.

“I spearheaded doing something (with roads) the day I got elected and it’s just taken this long,” Falcone said. “It’s hard to get something done. Then, you have people who live out in the country who say, ‘Well, I live out here, I like the dirt roads, I want the dirt roads, I don’t want paved roads,’ (and) then, you’ll have cars flying up and down here. So, you always have both sides of the argument of dirt roads versus paved roads. You have to balance what the people want because they’re the ones who elect you. But, I do believe that improving roads even if it’s not paving them is something we need to work toward, even if it’s just one road at a time, very slowly.”

Falcone hopes to see improvements made to various parts of the township over time, including the fire department, he said.

“We can’t just let these things slide, let budgets dissipate and equipment get old and not be replaced because that’s important stuff that our township needs,” he said. “With all the people complaining about dirt roads, that’s the voice of the residents and we need to listen to the voice of the residents. But, I would love for more people to come to meetings and ask questions, bring their questions or concerns about the roads to the meetings or anything else about the township, instead of keeping them to themselves or airing them on social media.”

In the meantime, trustees will continue looking for feasible ways to maintain the township roads, including pursuing grant monies where possible, Falcone said.

Once both boards officially submit the paperwork for the grant application to the county, the engineer’s office will put the project out for bid, Falcone said, adding he hopes to see the chip-and-seal project completed by the end of next summer.