Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District Hosting
2026 Summer Teacher Workshop “Advanced Wonders of Watersheds”
Geauga Soil & Water Conservation (GSWC) District Board Meeting - March 10, 2026
Meeting Details: The Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District (GSWC) met on March 10, 2026 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; Tracy Engle, Secretary; Mary Slingluff, Treasurer; Dee Belew, Fiscal Agent
Staff Attendance: Carmella Shale, District Director/Engineer; Gail Prunty, Education/Communication Specialist; Colleen Sharp, Natural Resources Technician; Katie Nainiger, Conservation Education Coordinator; Gerard Ligotti, Technician
Others in Attendance: Julie Parker, District Conservationist, United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA/NRCS); Rebecca O’Neill, Program Specialist, Ohio Department of Agriculture/Division of Soil & Water Conservation
Open Board Meeting
Pledge of Allegiance
MOTION - Approved March 10, 2026 Board Meeting Agenda
MOTION - Approved February 10, 2026 Board Meeting Minutes
OPEN PUBLIC DISCUSSION - None
MOTIONS Approved:
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Accept Treasurer’s Reports from previous month (including all deposits and transfers that occurred in addition to previous approved expenditures)
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Money transfer in the amount of $ 10,049.16 from Huntington Savings (Electronic/Stripe Payments through end of February 2025) to Huntington Checking
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Payment for expenditures, purchase orders, vouchers and bills as presented including EFT payments and estimates and Sales Tax EFT payment of $539.44 less 3⁄4% discount
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Approve and acknowledge the following refunds issued:
2/6/26 Ann Dunning $170 Paid Wrong Permit Fee Refund Difference ($1700) via Stripe
SCHEDULED GUEST: REBECCA O’NEILL, PROGRAM SPECIALIST, Ohio Department of Agriculture - Division of Soil & Water Conservation (ODA-DSWC)
Those who are already enrolled in the H2Ohio program will be allowed to continue their contract with planting cover crops. Ms. O’Neill noted Geauga County has several entities in the program. The department is revamping the way in which they are currently offering program assistance and including help to districts on an individual county basis rather than all the counties together. In the process to determine what is needed in their area, districts will need to determine if they are interested in implementing a cost-shared program in their county. If they are interested in such a program, there will be up to $250,000 over 5 years to give out to landowners. Cost share program proposals are due May 1st.
State Match: All local money has to be deposited by April 30th. The Form 11 has been changed this year and looks more at expenditures and carryover rather than budget. Everything else in regards to policy and criteria will be the same. The Commission has to approve the form before it comes out on April 28th. The form is due at the end of May.
Board Training: Carmella Shale will be presenting a webinar on March 12, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm, on the topic of district relevancy. Ms. O’Neill noted that when a new administration/Governor comes in they often hear that Soil & Water is the ‘best kept secret’ and she advised they don’t want to be the best kept secret, but that Soil & Water districts should be championed. The goal is to establish themselves in their communities. Mr. Huntsberger noted that Ms. Shale does a great job making sure information gets into the newspaper for the community to see what they are doing. Ms. O’Neill agreed and noted that is why Ms. Shale was asked to present the webinar.
The Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Districts (The Federation) gives out promotional material every year for districts to promote their work. This year’s handout is called “A Closer Look” and talks about what Soil & Water Districts do and why they are important. Ms. O’Neill recommended sharing the handout with legislators and outreach groups/meetings.
SCHEDULED GUEST: Julie Parker, SOIL CONSERVATIONIST, United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA/NRCS)
Ms. Parker advised that this month they have been working on a lot of training regarding changes that have been implemented.
The Farm Service Agency has a Conservation Preserve Program (CRP) sign up right now if anyone needs a waterway.
GERARD LIGOTTI, TECHNICIAN
Mr. Ligotti is the newest employee, having started a few months ago, and is tendering his resignation with his last week being this week. He thanked the board for this opportunity to work at GSWD and noted that he enjoyed working here. He said he is leaving on sad terms in regards to leaving a good working environment.
Observer Note: More on his vacant position posting later in this report.
GAIL PRUNTY, EDUCATION/COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
MOTIONS Approved:
Ms. Prunty is preparing the Advanced Wonders of Watersheds Teacher Training from 6/23-6/25. The registration fee for participants is $295 with only 10 spaces available due to limited lodging accommodations. Registration is now open and more information and registration link here. Ms. Prunty presented the budget for this program. With a full 10 participants enrolled, the program will have a gain of $120. Should they need to supplement funding for the program due to less than full enrollment, the teacher workshop fund has $1,000 that could be used. Ms. Prunty noted last year the program was cancelled because there was not enough interest.
This course is a follow-up course to their chainsaw safety course offered last year. GSWD received a grant to hold last year’s chainsaw safety classes which were well attended. Ms. Prunty says they will host 2 classes of 20 participants each. This year, they have located a place at Auburn Cemetery that will allow the class to actually cut down trees that need to be taken down anyway. The chainsaw safety grant will cover some of the costs of the class; however, an additional $675 is needed because the facility requires someone from their staff to be on the premises and for a cleaning fee.
COLLEEN SHARP, NATURAL RESOURCES TECHNICIAN
Geauga Stream Team Update
Ms. Sharp is getting ready for the Geauga Stream Team where she takes groups out twice a month in June, July & August, Thursdays 10 am - 12 pm. She introduces participants on how to use chemistry and look for macroinvertebrates with stream monitoring. She created a mascot for the Stream Team and made it into a water bottle sticker to help promote the program. Some examples of groups of past participants are families with younger children and high school students who need volunteer hours. She has worked with Scouts and AP Biology Classes as well. Ms. Sharp did say she is looking for a new stream as the one she was going to use dried up last year. It would be optimal to have one that is easily accessible for grandparents on the Cuyahoga River.
Observer Note: If you are interested in learning more or signing up for this summer program, keep an eye out on their website, more information will be posted soon.
KATIE NAINIGER, CONSERVATION EDUCATION COORDINATOR
MOTION Approved to Purchase of (4) breakout boxes for education programs cost Not To Exceed (NTE) $850 from District Education Fund
Ms. Nainiger was seeking approval to purchase four boxes that she will use as educational tools to make an “escape room in a box” for students to use to learn about the importance of water and water pollution. She showed the locked boxes and cue cards students will use to learn material to be able to unlock smaller boxes inside the bigger box. She explained that she has done this with teachers in training programs and the teachers just love it. Her target audience will be primarily 6th grade middle schoolers. This program will be scheduled for a fall rollout. The actual cost for the boxes is $836, but they asked for $850 to cover any shipping costs.
CARMELLA SHALE, DISTRICT DIRECTOR/ENGINEER
MOTIONS Approved:
Ms. Shale advised they have donated to this event annually. For more on this Envirothon here.
Ms. Shale and one other employee will be attending this year’s conference in Sandusky. She advised the board that it is one of the best conferences and worth the time and money.
Ms. Shale would like Board Members to wear branded shirts when they are attending public functions to help with visibility of their department.
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Accept and sign H2Ohio Subsidy Agreement
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Equipment Disposal – YSI Water Meter – Inventory Item #2815 – completely broken – dispose in dumpster
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Technician Job Vacancy Announcement
There was considerable discussion about how long the Technician Job Announcement should be posted. The options were either “Until Filled” or by a specific date. In the end, it was decided that the position announcement would be open for three weeks, making the Job Announcement Closing Date March 31, 2026. The Technician Job Description was also shown to the board and listed pay ranging from $20.80-$22.94 an hour. This job announcement/description is posted on the website.
Annual Meeting speaker update from Tracy Engle - Harvey Webster – “Bald Eagle”
At last month’s meeting, Mr. Engle volunteered to contact Mr. Webster to see if he would be interested in presenting on Bald Eagles at their annual meeting. Mr. Engle advised he expects to hear back from Mr. Webster later today on his availability. Ms. Shale mentioned that if he is able to do his presentation they will make the meeting longer to give him time to present.
2026 Board Supervisor Candidacy – Board member positions Bob Lausin – Run again?
Mr. Lausin was asked by Ms. Shale and other board members to run again for his position. Mr. Lausin mentioned he has been on the board a “long time” and seemed reluctant to commit to running again. Board members noted that he was not making eye contact with them; however, they seemed to take his comments as agreement that he would run again.
GUEST: Aquadoc – Presentation on Little Punderson Lake Community request for Geauga SWCD to Sponsor community grant through Lake Erie Commission to cleanup lake
Phillip Hammer, President, Parks and Lake Allotment Association (PLLA) and Carter Bailey, Aquatic Biologist with AquaDoc spoke to the Board regarding lake testing done by AquaDoc in October/November 2025 on Little Punderson. According to Mr. Hammer, an evaluation was completed on the lake by AquaDoc to determine the “current situation of the lake to help identify science-based management strategies to restore and maintain the lake’s ecosystem.” Mr. Bailey provided photos of the lake and stated the photos “should scare everyone in the room.” He explained that the photos show what Little Punderson Lake has been “battling for years.” From a distance the photos showed a green lake. Mr. Bailey advised that what they were seeing in the photos were bacterial blooms on the lake and that this form of bacteria is toxic and a negative thing for the lake and community. He further described that lake health, ecology of the lake, humans and pets and wildlife that interact with the lake could be negatively affected because of the toxic bacterial blooms. Mr. Hammer has identified a Lake Erie Community Grant opportunity that would offer financial assistance to pay for the treatment to restore the lake’s ecological health. The grant is designed for entities within the Ohio Lake Erie watershed and its objectives are to reduce nutrient loading into Lake Erie. Mr. Bailey is proposing applying for this grant with the objective to reduce the high phosphorus load in Little Punderson Lake which would then lower the load into Lake Erie and essentially fix two lakes with one treatment plan. They said the reason they came to the meeting is because the PLLA is not the correct entity to receive such funding and are requesting a partnership with the GSWD to assist with review and signing off on the grant application and to act as the fiscal agent. Mr. Bailey advised that they have a viable plan to fix the lake, but need the funding to complete the treatment. He is recommending a treatment called Metafloc and provided a couple of video links that show other communities have used the product on their lakes. AquaDoc has completed a “handful of nutrient reset projects” to bind up a significant amount of phosphorus to restore lakes or ponds in Geauga and Ashtabula counties, according to Mr. Bailey. He advised that the treatment is very expensive.
Mr. Huntsberger asked where the phosphorus is coming from. Mr. Bailey explained there are several kettle lakes in the county and the primary source is unknown, but a probable cause is cultural eutrophication from storm water runoff, homeowner fertilizer runoff, septic runoff and other contributors. He further described the lake as in “pretty bad shape” with surface water testing at over 360 parts per billion. He said anything over 50 parts per billion is considered eutrophic. Their treatment plan aims to drop it below 20 parts per billion to reset the lake. The PLLA goal is to solve the problem, explained Mr. Hammer, who stated after the reset, it would be a matter of annual maintenance work that would be cost effective at approximately $2,000 annually. Mr. Hammer advised that the PLLA would have the finances to cover that annual cost.
Mr. Huntsberger asked if the community was dealing with the septic systems that are bad. Mr. Hammer advised that over the past 6 years, approximately 14 new systems have been installed. The PLLA has worked with the health department to try and identify who the violators are. He did note that the newer systems that don’t have the leachfields are still dumping phosphorus into the lake and that there may be a future need for sewer systems to keep the phosphorus out of this recreational lake for boating, paddleboarding, beaching, fishing, etc. They believe they may be a good candidate in getting the grant because Little Punderson is 38’ deep, is a small watershed, the one treatment would fix two lakes and the disease load into Lake Erie would be reduced. The grant period would be for 2026-2027.
Observer Note: This Observer had to leave at the end of this discussion but it was discussed that the board would like to review the grant proposal, discuss it further and make a decision on GSWD partnering on this project. Ms. Shale confirmed via email that decision, saying, “they will work with us over the next month and present the final grant to us [f]or approval at the April 14 board meeting.”
EXECUTIVE SESSION: For the purpose of discussing Employee Performance Evaluation per ORC 121.22 G-1
NEXT BOARD MEETING: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Observer Note: Meeting Adjourned unknown on exact time. They were concluding their discussion with Aqua Doc when this Observer had to leave at 9:25 am. The conclusion of that discussion was going to put the board into the closed door portion for the Executive Session, where they had on the agenda to discuss performance evaluations.
Observer Note: Geauga Soil & Water Conservation District website currently is accepting fish and tree orders. The Fish order form is available online, with pickup on May 8, 2026, 9:00-10:30 am. Additionally, the Annual Tree Sale order form is available online with tree pick up on April 16, 2026, 4:00-8:00 pm or April 17, 2026, 9:00 am-4:00 pm.
More information available here.
Observer: Wendy Landry
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Date Submitted:
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