MADISON TOWNSHIP — Fire Chief Ken Justus collected crash data for three major intersections to present to trustees at their Dec. 18 meeting.
On Dec. 11, 30-year-old Zachary Evans died after an accident on State Route 430 and Stewart Road.
Justus said 11 crashes have been recorded at that intersection in the past three years. In the same time frame, there were 34 crashes at the Stewart Road/ U.S. 42 intersection and 22 crashes at Stewart Road and Grace Street.
“We’ve had more injuries at 430 and Stewart,” the fire chief said. “The majority of crashes at Grace and 42 have just been property damage. Where at 430 and Stewart, the majority of crashes resulted in injuries or fatalities.
“Based on all this, I think it’s something we should talk about, especially the roads we have control over … Maybe we can do a traffic study and down the road get some grant money to improve those intersections.”
Trustee Tom Craft said Richland County engineer Adam Gove and the regional planning commission have access to the traffic report. The major intersections are part of an ongoing traffic study.
Also on Monday, Craft said the township will pay $1,250 to replace six light bulbs by Madison middle and high school grounds.
“They’re old mercury incandescent bulbs right now and it’s very dark in the morning,” he said. “So we approved replacing six of those lights with LEDs from McElroy to Esley Road, hopefully by time school gets back in January.
“We pay for the lights ourselves, but Ohio Edison puts them up and are responsible for upkeep if the lights go out.”
Fire department due for insurance evaluation
Trustees approved an EMS contract with Monroe Township. The 2024 contract has the same terms as previous years, with Monroe Township paying $52,000 annually for EMS coverage help from the Madison Fire Department.
Justus also said the fire department is due for its five-year insurance services office evaluation. The department has scored in the mid-range since 1980 on resource availability.
“It is and has been my goal to improve our ISO rating in an effort to reduce homeowners’ insurance costs,” the fire chief said.
“I’m not sure how much insurance costs would decrease because each structure and property is different, but improvements to the fire department would help out with that.”
Justus said he hopes to receive a better rating for “outside of hydrated areas,” measured by the nearest recognized fire stations and fire hydrants.
“We will work to receive credit for hauling water to scenes where an established water supply is not present,” he said.
The fire chief thanked community members for supporting the “Fill the Ambulance” campaign to provide almost three truckloads of food, clothing and toys for local families. The campaign also supported monetary donations to the Domestic Violence Shelter.
“It was a huge success and I thank the public for supporting us,” Justus said. “We had some really generous donors come to Kroger and help out others during this time of year.”
The next regular meeting of the Madison Township trustees is scheduled for Jan. 2. It will be Dan Fletcher’s first meeting following his successful election bid.
