One resident’s request to install a cattle guard and another’s concerns about flooding caused by a beaver dam extended an end-of-year meeting in Munson Township Dec. 22.
One resident’s request to install a cattle guard and another’s concerns about flooding caused by a beaver dam extended an end-of-year meeting in Munson Township Dec. 22.
Fowlers Mill resident Trace Faulkner asked Munson Township Trustees to allow him to add a cattle guard at his driveway to make it easier to pull his semi truck and trailer off the narrow road and park on his property.
The existing culvert under his driveway at 11979 Fowlers Mill Road is too narrow and tends to fill with litter and sediment washed downstream, plugging the pipe and causing his driveway to wash out, he said.
“The culvert keeps getting backed up. It catches everyone else’s debris,” Faulkner said, adding he is planning a 32-foot-wide driveway.
“I’ve gotta be able to back my trailer off the road,” he said. “Fowlers Mill’s not very wide.”
A cattle guard is a steel bridge resting on concrete footers. The pipe grate discourages cattle from crossing it and is commonly used in Western and Southwestern states.
“I haven’t seen this done in this area. They’re real popular in the West,” said Road Superintendent Kirk Walker.
Walker told trustees the ditch and culvert under Faulkner’s driveway empty into a ravine.
The ditch beneath the cattle guard would be about 3 feet deep and open at the top, allowing water to flow freely beneath the grate, he said.
Another advantage is that the grate can be lifted off so branches and other debris that collect beneath it can be removed easily, Faulkner said, adding a friend will design and pour the concrete footers.
Faulkner said he would purchase the cattle guard.
“All we have to do is dig the ditch,” Walker said.
Trustees reviewed the photo Faulkner presented.
Trustee Nate McDonald said he was concerned about setting a precedent by approving an irregular drainage system.
“I’m always into new ideas,” said Trustee Jim McCaskey. “I want a drawing. I am interested to see what you are thinking about doing.”
McCaskey recommended Faulkner take time to work with Walker on a project plan and return with a drawing before trustees decide whether to allow the cattle guard.
“You’re not pouring concrete in January, anyway,” McCaskey said.
In other business, a Heath Road resident raised concerns about flooding he said is caused by a beaver dam on a creek in neighboring Chester Township that feeds into Munson Township.
Joe Otto told trustees the creek flowing from the Chester Township side of the road has been dammed south of his property, causing the pond to back up onto his 6.6-acre property on the east side of the road.
“It used to be a several-acre beaver dam until it got drained out. Recently, it appears beavers are chewing trees down,” Otto said, suggesting the beavers have rebuilt the dam and caused a pond to fill.
“We’re flooded out – we’re going to have to move,” he said, laughing. “Most importantly, it’s saturating the ground under the road and could lead to failure of the road.”
He asked whether the owner of the property where the beavers built the dam is responsible for addressing the issue, adding the mosquito population is out of control.
“There aren’t enough frogs to eat them all,” Otto said.
Joan Otto, his wife, said she enjoys seeing the waterfowl on the pond but she and her husband want guidance on how to address the problem.
Trustees recommended the Ottos contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Geauga County Soil and Water Conservation District and Chagrin River Watershed Partners for assistance.
SUBMITTED
Fowlers Mill resident Trace Faulkner wants to install a cattle guard on his wide driveway so he can safely back his truck and trailer onto his property off the narrow township road. Munson Township Trustees said Dec. 23 they would like a drawing of how the cattle guard would be installed before they approve it.
