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New Chainsaw Safety Training to be Offered in September

Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District Board Meeting - June 10, 2025 

Meeting Details: The Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District (Geauga SWCD) met on June 10, 2025 at 7:30 am at the Geauga County Office Building, 12611 Ravenwood Dr. #240, Chardon, OH.

Board Attendance: Jeff Huntsberger, Board Chair, Robert Lausin, Vice Chair, Dee Belew, Fiscal Agent, Tracy Engle, Secretary Not Present: Mary Slingluff, Treasurer 

Staff Attendance: Carmella Shale, District Director/Engineer; Gail Prunty, Education/Communications Specialist; Colleen Lair, Administrative Assistant

Others in Attendance: Rebecca O’Neill, Program Specialist; ODA-DSWC  (Ohio Department of Agriculture - Division of Soil & Water Conservation) Program Specialist; Shardonay Miller, Soil Conservationist, USDA/NRCS (United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Services)

Open Board Meeting - Meeting was called to order at 7:35 a.m. 

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

MOTION - Approved June 10, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. 

MOTION - Approved May 13, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes.

OPEN PUBLIC DISCUSSION - Welcomed LWV Observer Wendy Landry.

MOTION - Approved the acceptance of the Treasurer’s Report from the previous month (including all deposits and transfers that occurred in addition to previous approved expenditures). No comments or questions.

MOTION – Approved money transfer in the amount of $2,008.53 from Huntington Savings (Electronic/Stripe Payments through end of May 2025) to Huntington Checking. 

MOTION – Approved payment for expenditures, purchase orders, vouchers and bills as presented including EFT payments and estimates and Sales Tax EFT payment of $8.73 less ¾% discount.

MOTION – Approved and acknowledged the following refunds issued:

Ms. Shale explained that when people fill out permit requests for things like adding on a garage, building a barn or new construction and pay for the permit they often make mistakes. The office has tried to make the directions as clear as possible on the website to cut down on mistakes made and need for reimbursements. It was hypothesized that people likely are just throwing in a number to get to the next part of the application process.  A question was asked if the office drives around to look at how many acres disturbance to confirm the permit application was correct. Observer Note: This observer’s understanding is that it is called a disturbance when someone wants to build anything new on a property. The cost of the permit is based on if the disturbance is an acre or more than an acre. Ms. Shale explained they can typically tell based on the size of work (construction) being completed if it is more than an acre. The example given was if the construction is a really large home, it may be more than an acre, but a lot of times permit requests are for garages, additions, accessory buildings and clearly not over an acre. A question was asked if anyone ever underpays. Ms. Shale confirmed that does sometimes happen, and she just sends them a link to get caught up on the correct fees and they typically pay it without incident. 

SCHEDULED GUEST: REBECCA O’NEILL, PROGRAM SPECIALIST, ODA-DSWC PROGRAM SPECIALIST  

Updates: The format they use for monthly updates has changed. They got a new program specialist, and she is working to get everyone organized. The first section in the updates is the calendar overview, but it has a significant amount of dates. They are working to try and make it not overwhelming. 

Training/Development: ODA and the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (Federation) are making Mental Health a priority. It was reported that they started this partnership meeting and are continuing it on. The Federation is hosting a Mental Health and First Aid Training on Monday June 23, 2025 in the evening. The goal is to make talking about mental health a more common occurrence. A question was asked if this training was for staff people, for the public, or both. Ms. O’Neill said that it is for staff. She mentioned that last year’s drought was hard on the farmers, and there is a high degree of suicide among farmers. Economic and isolation pressures for farmers are significant stressors that her staff is dealing with. A Lunch & Learn Training will occur on June 26th at noon; this one hour training will be presented by Jessica Bloom who is a Medina Board Member.

Observer Note: After the meeting, this Observer asked about the Federation. Information provided from Ms. Shale: “the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts supports the work of Ohio’s 88 Soil and Water Conservation Districts who for 75 years have been providing locally-driven solutions to natural resource concerns at both the rural and urban settings of the SWCD’s various capacities. We do this through legislative advocacy, public outreach, grant support, training, and development programs to better enable our SWCD’s to serve their communities. We are proud to work hand-and-hand with our Districts, as well as represent and support the important work they do throughout Ohio.”

State Budget: The Ohio budget is due to the Senate and is in Conference Committee now. Ms. O’Neil reported the good news is that the State matching has been consistent, and they don’t see any cuts there. The Operating Budget got a significant cut (40%) when it came out of the House to H2Ohio, but they got $12 million back to ODA, but it came with additional cuts to  Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and EPA, who are getting less. The House kept $124 million for all three agencies, and it is unclear if that will stay consistent through the Conference Committee process. Ms. O’Neill reported that State match is their priority with funding right now, and there were no significant cuts there. A question was asked if they made adjustments for inflation, and Ms. O’Neil said they did not. There is testimony in front of the Conference Committee, and their Director went down to testify on their budget. The Federation went down and testified on behalf of H2Ohio needing funds. 

Observer Note: The State Budget must be passed by June 30, 2025, and the two-year budget will take effect July 1, 2025.

SCHEDULED GUEST: Shardonay Miller, Soil Conservationist, USDA/NRCS 

Updates: Ms. Miller said that there is not a lot going on right now. They do not have any news on the restructuring or reduction in force plan directed by the federal government. The information was supposed to be released the day after Memorial Day; however, it has not been received as of the meeting. Ms. Miller mentioned that things are in limbo because a court case was filed in California regarding the reduction being unconstitutional, so they are in a waiting pattern. Due to the order signed that Federal Employees can no longer work remotely, the office is getting 2 new USDA “Refugees” (employees who can no longer work from home). They were supposed to get 3 employees, including 2 from the Forestry Agency. A question was asked on what she meant by refugees, and Ms. Miller explained that remote employees were given the option of losing their jobs or coming into an office to work.  One new employee, who is a Civil Engineer, works on designing bridges and roads and lives in Madison, OH. A question was asked on what was the purpose of moving one employee from one agency to another. Ms. Miller explained it is the same work, but employees must be in an office performing their duties now. This particular employee was given a list of offices around the greater Cleveland area to choose from, and she chose the Orvillel office. Another employee was supposed to report to the office, but she has filled out a form to try and stop from reporting to an office. Another question was asked if their office had room for these additional employees. Ms. Miller explained that the office used to have the Army Corp in their office area, and they keep all their files in there now, so they had to move everything to create a space for the extra employees. A question was asked if it helps to have employees in the office day-to-day, and Ms. Miller advised it seems that is questionable considering this particular employee doesn’t have to meet with people and all her jobs are on TEAMS. 

Ms. Miller said crop reporting must be completed by July 15, 2025 for any farmers coming in.

Program Updates: There were roughly 85 applications for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP) Total across all three counties. About 10 of those were planning applications. Out of all 85 applications, only 5 have been pre-approved. The deadline to have everything signed is June 20, 2025. 

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): There was 1 new preapproval in Geauga. CSP-Applications were only open for two weeks and have already closed as of June 6, 2025. One person in Ashtabula applied, but they didn’t meet the criteria so they are going to apply for CSP instead.

Outreach: Ms. Miller reported that they haven’t been doing a lot of outreach. This is because they have to ask in advance to attend outreach programs, and they aren’t getting approval back in time to attend. 

Folders were passed out for three EQUIP & one CSP applications for the Board to review before a motion was made. All applications were approved. Observer Note: Robert Lausin abstained from reviewing/approving his conservation plan application. 

Gail Prunty, Education/Communications Specialist:

Ms. Prunty said that they just began their second Lake Erie Forestry Grant, which is a Federal grant. It is to assist Forestry entry education initiatives.  This grant will be used for Chainsaw Safety Training, with participants paying only a nominal fee ($20 or less) to offset costs. Saturday, September 13, 2025, is the first class from 8 am to 2 pm at Adam Hall, located at 11455 Washington Street, Auburn Township, with a demonstration in the afternoon. Up to 100 people can take the class. Ms. Prunty is hoping to get people interested in this topic, and then they can offer additional classes where participants get to handle chainsaws. Partners for this event include: Farm Bureau, Maple Producers of NEOhio, Woodland Wednesdays & Soil & Water Conservation. 

MOTION – Approved - Expenditures up to $14,150 for costs associated with hosting a minimum of (2) Chainsaw Safety Courses, of which $11,750 is reimbursed through the Lake Erie Forestry Grant 2025-2026. Costs will include: $315 Deposit for Adam Hall for the Chainsaw Safety Course, Registration costs for attendees (up to $13,185), and Membership in the Ohio Forestry Association for two years to be able to host the course (up to $650). Observer Note: Adam Hall waived their fee; the deposit is for cleaning and a building attendant to be on site. The Grant for this event was actually $20,000 and the remainder of the grant will be used for staff time for other education initiatives and technical assistance in the forestry. Lunch will probably be provided. They are going to market the event at the Amish Safety Day to get them interested in signing up. Other advertising will start soon.  The grant expires May 31, 2026.

MOTION - Approved - $1,480 for two “Just Seed It” Billboards for the month of September (Hambden Township and Middlefield). When building a property, one has to put temporary seed on the site to keep soil in place when under construction. These two billboards will go up at the end of September, because this is the time it is most applicable for developers. The first billboard will be at Burton/Middlefield, in the Swamp panel #2383, and the second will be on Route 6, panel #2370. These billboards are not grant funded and educational funds will be used to pay for them. The cost was slightly higher than last year.  Settlement Pollution is this year’s theme.

Teacher Workshop status - Only three people were interested in the teacher workshop, so the workshop was cancelled due to not enough people signing up.  They are starting to plan for next year. 

Other Updates - Lake Erie Forestry Grant helps fund (400) seedlings, habitats and trees.

A $2,200 Western Reserve Land Conservancy/Enbridge Grant was received, and they will use the grant to fund the “Your Yard Matters! Helping Homeowners Eliminate Invasive Shrubs” Workshop on Monday, June 30, 2025, at the Geauga County Office Building. As part of the grant, people will get a gift certificate at Avonlea Gardens to help fund replacement of invasive shrubs. The workshop was sold out in the first 24 hours. They have a waitlist. 

Colleen Lair, Administrative Assistant: 

Ms. Lair reported that they are currently going through their State Audit this week, and she reports they are the best district in the state in regards to organization. She and Ms. Shale reported that the feedback given was they were very organized and able to find documents quickly. State Audit is conducted every two years and covers the years 2023-2024. Observer Note: The auditor was not there for the full week as expected, meaning SWCD’s good organization resulted in savings since they pay by the hour for these audits.

Tree Sale Results The annual tree sale was held in April 2025. It was a challenge waiting for everything to get delivered before order pick-up. 3,000 trees and seedlings were delivered. A chart summarizing trees sold, pricing, delivery charges and profit per tree was provided.  

• Gross Sale: $31,867.10

• Net profit. $7,962.11, over one week’s time.

Large order pick-ups took place on a Thursday night. Next year they are considering Thursday night and all day Friday for pick-ups, and cutting out Saturday pick-up since people seem to prefer to come after work. It was noted that they have been doing this sale for several years, and they are proud of their organization with tree pick-ups, which Ms. Lair considered “flawless.” Buyers just drive up, give their names, and employees load the trees in the back of the vehicle. They did mention that over the years, staff has aged, and it is getting more challenging to load trees themselves. There was a suggestion that they try and get a Boy Scout Troop to volunteer to help them next year. 

MOTION – Approved transfer of Spring Tree Sale net profits of $7,962.11 to the Education Fund. 

Carmella Shale, District Director/Engineer 

MOTION – Approved the purchase of 3 desktop computers at $1,105.00 each for a total of $3,315.00 per direction of Geauga County Automated Data Processing (ADP)/IT Dept. These are replacements for desktop computers over 6 years old. Ms. Shale reported that per policy computers over 6 years old need to be updated, and the current cost is $1,105 each. Next year, they will have seven laptops that will need to be upgraded. She noted that the machines are working fine, but IT requires the upgrades for security purposes. IT will take care of transferring all information and will wipe the old machines clean so they can be donated or sold. She believes they would make great home computers. 

MOTION - Approved Resolution 2025-1 Authorizing Geauga SWCD to Sell/Trade-in a Used Vehicle and Apply Credit of Sale on the Purchase of a New Vehicle. 

The Geauga SWCD office currently has a 2018 Jeep Renegade with mileage of 56,000 for use by technicians in the field. It is beginning to have a lot of mechanical problems that are expensive to repair. Ms. Shale reported they have requested pricing from two car dealerships in Geauga County. She presented her first (Ford Bronco) and second choice (Chevy Trailblazer) for the Board to consider and approve. Ford currently has employee pricing, which is better than the government pricing.

The 2025 Ford Bronco cost pricing would be a price of $30,004.07, plus $422 document fees offset by a $10,000 trade-in on the Jeep Renegade, resulting in a $20,426.57 net price. This was the first choice vehicle as it is 4WD and would be better suited for construction site visits. 

Summer Intern Discussion: Only four resumes were submitted for the summer intern position, and two applicants were deemed qualified for interview. Ms. Shale has interviewed Henry Heou, who appears to have drive and desire to work. The board approved a motion for Mr. Heou to be hired as a temporary intern, working June 30-August 22, 2025, being paid at $15 per hour, plus mileage for on the job use at IRS rate, plus the purchase of a subscription for Office 365 & Acrobat for login for one year. 

Nominating Committee – Dee Blew, Chair provided an update on the List of Candidates for 2025 Election to serve on the board from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028.  The following candidates were selected by the nominating committee: Jeff Huntsberger, Tracy Engle & Micheal Henry. Reviewer Note: Read the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s description of the Soil and Water Conservation District Board Supervisor Position here and the election of these Board members. 

Budget Committee – Jeff Huntsberger, Chair provided an update on the SWCD Budget Hearing before the County Commissioners. Mr. Huntsberger reported that Ms. Shale did a great job presenting her charts at the Budget Hearing, and the Commissioners were engaged and asked pertinent questions. 

Executive Session: The Board left the public area for the Executive Session to review Employee Performance Evaluations and Compensation per ORC 121.22 G-1.  This LWV Observer left the meeting at this time since it wasn’t open to the public, and it was confirmed they would adjourn the meeting after the Executive Session.

Meeting Adjourned for Executive Session at 9:20 am.

Next Board Meting: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - Geauga County Administrative Building: Geauga SWCD Office – 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 240, Chardon, OH 44024.

More information available here.

Observer: Wendy Landry

Editor: Sarah McGlone

Reviewer: Carol Benton

Date Submitted: June 16, 2025

The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.