@Pullquote - new:"Tonight you've actually communicated with each other like human beings." An Amish Man
In an apparent first for Parkman Township, trustees held their meeting July 15 in an Amish schoolhouse in an effort to reach out to the community.
Before the two-and-a-half hour meeting, Trustee Jon Ferguson said it was a mutual decision soon after the new board took office in January.
About half the township’s population is Amish, and can it can be difficult for Amish to drive their buggies to the Parkman Community House, on busy state Route 422, for evening meetings.
“They came to us with the idea, for the main reason of working together,” said Amish Bishop Jonas Yoder as several from his community set up a coffee decanter, benches, chairs and propane lamps at the Sugarbush School on Newcomb Road.
As trustees signed checks during the first several minutes of the meeting, residents socialized and looked around the one-room building, which had a room divider hung up on the ceiling with hooks.
The only decorations in the white-painted room were a clock on either end of the room and examples of penmanship, with printed letters on one side of the room and print, cursive writing and German script on the other. Neat shelves sat empty, waiting for the upcoming school year. Desks sat clustered on the side of the room.
Fourteen Amish men and one woman sat on benches at the rear of the room. The ten “Yankees,” or non-Amish, sat in the front two rows with a noticeable gap in between.
“It’s just like church,” quipped the Bishop. “They always want to fill up the back row first.”
Trustees gave final approval for placing two fire levies on the November ballot — a 1.9-mill issue and a .5-mill issue, both renewals.
They discussed how they planned to spend a $125,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for fire safety equipment, as well as other issues including ongoing road projects.
Trustees voted to accept a donation of six tons of road salt from a Solon company, and a $250 donation from the Cleveland Touring (bicycle) Club, which they said will be used toward replacement of a refrigerator at Overlook Park.
Trustee Roger Anderson reported rentals at the Community House were up dramatically.
“It’s being booked like crazy; it’s our busiest year yet,” he said.
“We could use the money,” Trustee Jon Ferguson said.
In answer to a resident’s question, trustees said the Community House rents for $75 for one floor and $100 for both floors during the week, and $175 and $275 respectively on weekends, with a $150 security deposit that is usually returned after the event.
“The Community House is more for our residents’ use,” Ferguson said. “We really don’t make much money on it.”
Township Zoning Inspector John Spelich reported he had received an application for a small subdivision on a 5.3-acre parcel.
He drew laughter when he added, “It’s the first Yankee house built in the township in the two-and-a-half years I’ve been aware of.”
Trustees said they were grateful to the Amish for supporting the township’s economy by building homes and businesses.
Both resident groups showed interest in Fire Chief Wayne Komandt’s discussion on a new program called the File of Life, in which a resident lists his or her medical history, allergies and medications on a refrigerator magnet, which emergency rescue personnel can see when they come to the house.
Komandt told trustees he believes it is time to man the fire station during normal business hours, to cut down on response times. He told trustees that since volunteer firefighters usually have jobs in other communities, they are often not available to respond to emergencies quickly.
“We need to lower our response times,” he told trustees. “We can work out the details once you decide to proceed. Explain to me why we couldn’t or shouldn’t do staffing.”
Trustee Dennis Ikeler said he is in favor of staffing, pulling from his own experience.
“I am for staffing because it personally affected me when I needed them two-and-a-half years ago,” he said. “I needed rescue during the day and only one person showed up. He couldn’t transport me to the hospital and it was hard to wait for Troy to come with mutual aid.”
Ferguson said the main reason he ran for trustee was out of extreme frustration for what he called lack of support for the fire department.
“Our first responsibility as trustees is to the health and safety of the people we represent,” Ferguson said, adding the fire levy renewals and “soft billing” of insurance companies could make it possible to afford staffing the fire station during the day.
“I propose we agree to staffing, based on passage of those two levies and soft billing,” Ferguson said, adding he also would like to revisit the idea of sharing some resources with Troy Township.
His motion passed unanimously, to enthusiastic applause from the audience.
“I’ve been asking for this for five years,” Komandt told trustees. “I’m a lot happier now.”
An hour into the meeting, trustees remarked it was beginning to get too dark to read their notes. An Amish man lighted a tall propane lamp, but it quickly went out as the tank emptied.
“Let there be light,” Anderson quipped.
Another lamp was lit.
Following a lengthy budget discussion, trustees asked for public comments.
“Tonight you’ve actually communicated with each other like human beings,” one Amish man said. “This is something I’ve never seen before at a trustee meeting.”
“There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing, but you should all pull the same way for the good of the community,” another remarked.
“Keep doing that and it will all work out,” a third added.
Ikeler thanked the Amish for their hospitality.
“When I was campaigning, I proposed more involvement with the Amish community,” he told the audience.
Ferguson added, “You’re half of the population of Parkman and we need to hear from you.”
“Thanks for coming out,” the second Amish man said. “It means a lot to us, too.”
