8-10-2022 10:43pm

Roscoe Township plans tallgrass prairie and maybe a cupola for their community center

Michael McGinnis Editor

Construction on the Roscoe Township Community Center, as of July 26, 2022

At Founders Park, where Roscoe Township is building a community center, about ten acres of the property will not be developed right away, not until phase 3 or 4 of the project. So the trustees voted for tallgrass prairie restoration. The first step, though, is to spray it to get rid of weeds and grass and to wipe out black locust trees, some of which are four feet high. A farm coop vendor will spray it again in the fall to give a clean slate to seed it with native grass or native pollinator plants. Pheasants Forever would contribute to the seeding project. "Per acre," said Township Supervisor Bob Nowicki, "I don't know what else we could do that would be so cost effective."

Nowicki reported that construction for the Roscoe Township Community Center building is going smoothly. To save money, the township had removed several items from the original plan, including a $7,800 cupola. But trustees have been eager to add it back at a lower cost. Nowicki said he found a copper-covered custom cupola online for only $2,000. Trustee Phil Rhymer said that a working cupola, which would release heat from the roof, should actually cost less than the purely decorative one they had planned. He said proper circulation will make the shingles last longer by 20 years. But he warned that a cupola should be installed before the roof is completed. The trustees agreed to hold a special meeting next week to discuss it with the architect, Dan Saavedra, and with representatives of Scandroli, the contractor.

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Steve Schreier, Highway Commissioner, reported that hard road work would begin in a couple of weeks, and chip and seal repairs began yesterday. He previously reported that major repairs were planned for Pint Drive plus guardrails on Middle Road and Rockton Road east of White School Road.

Roscoe Township received a bill for $3,000 for its annual contribution to Stateline Mass Transit District, and the trustees voted to pay it. It isn't due until January 2023.

The township trustees approved the Roscoe Township Historical Society's decision to name Bud and Sue's Market, 11030 Main Street, as their 2022 Heritage Enterprise honoree, and prepared a plaque signed by the township supervisor. It was a purely ceremonial proclamation, but well-deserved. The business has been selling plants in Roscoe for 62 years, since John F. Kennedy was President.