Dear community friends,
On Thursday, August 22nd, our community stepped up to help search for missing resident John King. For those who don’t know, John is 20 years old and cannot speak.
We were incredibly grateful to learn that John was found later that evening in a wooded area behind the 500 block of Jefferson Road. It was reported that John had broken his leg, but he remains in good spirits.
Thank you to our incredible community for coming together during this critical time to bring John home safely. I say that needlessly and for good reason. We live in such an amazing community and this is just another example of our awesomeness. The people who make up Mantua Township are the heart and soul of this wonderful place we call home. To come together in this way is truly inspiring and heartwarming.
On Tuesday, August 20, the Land Use Board approved a concept plan and use variance for a project at 455 Main Street. Before the rumor mill starts churning, I want to provide clarity on this project as it has been reported to my office.
- The Land Use Committee approval is for flexible space/commercial retail without warehouses, distribution centers or tractor-trailers. This is specifically stated in the approval resolution.
- The property at 455 Main St. is zoned R-40, which would require a residential lot size of 1 acre. With the confirmation and cost of removing contamination on this site to residential standards, it would be virtually impossible to build homes at this location.
- The applicant must reapply to the Land Use Authority to have the site plan approved. The concept plan addresses the 25 hectares of contaminated land while improving the overall appearance of the property.
- The Land Use Authority requires that the storefronts of the retail/commercial spaces must be occupied before building permits are issued for the flexible space at the rear of the property.
- The Land Use Authority has done a good job of clearly spelling out these conditions to ensure that the site is not used as a storage facility.
On Tuesday, August 27th, we held our monthly senior dinner at the community center.
Pizza and salads were provided by Santini’s Pizzeria for the approximately 100 guests. We continued to set the bar high with our free dinners for seniors. Providing such services and avoiding an increase in local property taxes is another reason why Mantua is truly a great place to live.
As many of you already know, our Tornado Crossing disc golf course opened in October 2023. Reportedly, 1,858 rounds of disc golf were recorded on Udisc (an application that disc golfers use to log data). It is estimated that only about 70% of disc golfers actually log their score on Udisc, so it is safe to assume that over 2,500 rounds have been played on Tornado Crossing in less than a year. I would like to organize a community disc golf day in the near future to introduce, educate and promote this activity to our residents. Disc golf is a great form of exercise and another way to enjoy our beautiful Chestnut Branch Park.
It’s hard to believe that Labor Day weekend is just around the corner. Labor Day is the celebration of the American worker, but for many it marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. We hope most of you will take the time to enjoy the long weekend and relax with family and friends.
Upcoming community meetings and events:
- Monday, September 2nd is Labor Day. City offices will be closed on this holiday and will not reopen until Tuesday, September 3rd.
- Tuesday, September 3rd to Friday, September 6th (bulky waste week)
- Tuesday, September 3rd at 7pm is the next meeting of the Health Committee
- Thursday, September 5th at 7pm is the next fire brigade district meeting
- Thursday, September 5th at 7pm is the next meeting of the Historical Commission
On behalf of Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto and myself, as well as the entire Township Committee, we look forward to continuing our service with honesty, integrity and trusted leadership!
Yours sincerely,
Mayor Robert T. Zimmerman, MAS
