Pike Township Trustees heard from several residents complaining about abandoned or neglected properties at their June 1 meeting.

Properties at 9842 Stott Road and at the corner of Route 41 and New Carlisle-St. Paris Road are overgrown with grass and weeds.  Residents asked if there was anything the township could do.  “If they have noxious weeds, we can mow it,” said James Davidson.  “If not, it’s difficult to get anything done.”

Charles Stratton asked about a house at Dialton and Lehman that burned two years ago, and wanted to know if something could be done about it.  “It’s structurally sound,” said Township Zoning Inspector Alex Turner.  “There’s not much we can do.”

Jeff Ayres expressed concern about nighttime EMS staffing.  “We have a limited amount of people,” said EMS Chief Cliff Christy.  “I’ve asked for more volunteers, and we’ll just have to see what happens.”  Overnight EMS staff is composed of volunteers.

Trustees also discussed the future of Medic 1, a squad whose days may be numbered.  Since it would be more cost-efficient to put the “box” on a new chassis, Trustees instructed Christy to get quotes.

Fire Chief Jerry Donnelly told Trustees that the department’s thermal imager may be near the end of its useful life.  The thermal imager helps fire personnel locate hot spots and people or animals in a building.  Donnelly said that a new imager was normally $10,000, but was on sale for $8500.  Trustees authorized its purchase.

In other business, Trustees
•    Approved rezoning of the property at 9208 Troy Road from agricultural to residential
•    Agreed to cover the costs of fire training at the Green County Career Center for those who wish to attend at a cost of $475 per student.

The Pike Township Trustees meet the first Tuesday of each month at the township garage in North Hampton at 7:30 PM.  The public is invited to attend.