MEDINA TOWNSHIP – The Feb. 23 regular meeting of the Medina Township Trustees began with oaths of office for a new firefighter and two new police officers.

Firefighter Ian Shirey was first to be sworn in by Fire Commissioner Ray Jarrett and he was pinned by Fire Chief Mark Crumley.

Before swearing in two new police officers, Trustee Chairman and Police Commissioner Bill Ostmann read a letter of resignation from police officer Jesse Bynum. Bynum has been with the Medina Township Police Department for seven years. He now will be working full-time for the Medina County Drug Task Force. Trustees accepted Bynum’s resignation.

New officers Nick Miltner and Morley Brenenstuhl were then individually sworn in by Ostmann and Police Chief David Arbogast. Ostmann explained the township was only looking to hire one new officer, but with Bynum’s resignation, they had a need for an additional hire. Arbogast spoke highly of Bynum and said Miltner and Brenenstuhl stood out among 125 candidates tested for the position of township police officer and they will be a “good replacement and addition” to the department.

Tax abatement incentives

Bethany Dentler from Medina County Economic Development presented information to trustees regarding possible tax abatement incentives within the township. She said two developers had recently reached out interested in building in the township but wanted to know if there were any tax abatement incentives available. The township currently does not have any.

Other townships like Lafayette, Liverpool, Hinckley, Sharon, Granger and Montville are currently participating in a tax abatement program. Trustees can decide which area or areas of the township they’d be interested in choosing as a tax abatement zone while working with the school district and county commissioners to work on the project – usually a three- or four-month process that includes meetings and a study of the area being completed at no charge to the township.

Trustees seemed interested in the program and agreed for Dentler to put together a proposed area for the township to create a tax abatement zone.

Wireless proposal

Kevin Brecht of Mobilitie, a global provider of wireless solutions, also presented to trustees Feb. 23. He explained with the increase of mobile phone use, current 4G technology (speed for wireless Internet) is quickly becoming outdated and needs to be updated to handle usage and 5G technology.

He asked trustees to consider putting a transport pole in the township to enhance cell phone Internet and data use for residents. Trustees can work with Mobilitie to determine which tower height will work best within the township as well as if they would like to reserve space on the poll for their own antennas.

Brecht said his company is already working with cell phone carriers Sprint and T-Mobile in Ohio, but the goal is to have antennas from all four phone carriers (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T) on top of the poll as well as Internet providers. This will increase Internet and data speeds for smartphone users by transmitting to these polls first instead of the current communications poles that handle both phone call technology and data/Internet technology.

The current proposed location for the transport pole in the township is near the Wendy’s on Eastpointe Drive. Trustees asked that Zoning Chair Alliss Strogin work with Brecht to get more information on the project.

The next regular meeting of the Medina Township trustees is Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m.