Huff Run Home Minutes Archive
Attendance: Ed Taggart, Jeremy Broadwater, John Slack, Bo Hysong, Michelle Shively, Maureen Wise, Glenn Beatty, Jim Gue, and Cheryl Socotch.
The meeting was called to order by Ed Taggart at 5:40 pm.
The Treasurer’s Report was read by Ed Taggart in Judy Rufener’s absence.
Balance April 17, 2007 $6833.56
Receipts +$22.00
Birdhouse ($12)
Membership ($10)
Subtotal $6855.56
Expenses -$533.70
Carr-Bailey Post 519 (Back Rent) ($500)
Free Press Standard Ad ($33.70)
Balance May 15, 2007 $6321.86
Jeremy Broadwater motioned to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Glenn Beatty seconded, a vote was held, and all voted aye.
Ed asked if all those present had read the Minutes from the April meeting. All said they had and Bo Hysong motioned to accept the minutes. Jeremy Broadwater seconded and all voted aye.
Awareness Day and Clean Sweep Update
Jeremy Broadwater shared that the Sandy Township Clean Sweep had been a great success. A total of 44 volunteers (15 from Huff Run) covered approximately ten miles of township roads and picked up approximately 100 bags of trash. Jeremy had certificates of appreciation and small flashlights for all those who participated in the Clean Sweep.
Michelle Shively thanked everyone who volunteered at the Awareness Day Field Trips this year. An Awareness Day for homeschool groups was held on May 4, and about 30 students and 15 parents attended. On May 10, more than 200 seventh graders from Bell Herron Middle School in Carrollton participated in an Awareness Day. On both days, the students visited four different stations which covered fish in Huff Run, macroinvertebrates (aquatic bugs), a site tour of the Lyons Reclamation Project, and water quality. The Awareness would not have been successful without the help of many Huff Run volunteers. A discussion about the difficulty in communicating between the different stations ensued. Jeremy suggested that next year, having walkie talkies at each station would be a good idea. Also, having bigger boots for the older boys at the macroinvertebrate stations may be necessary.
Project Update
Jim Gue gave the project update. Farr is awaiting more work to increase its effectiveness. The Office of Surface Mining will be contributing to this effort and Maureen and Cheryl will both write letters to OSM from the HRWRP and the Division formally requesting assistance on Farr. Linden is working well. ODNR paid Ohio University to do a study on Linden, and the graduate student who did the research will be defending his thesis next week. Cheryl will get a copy of his work as soon as it is available. Jim and Cheryl shared that Mitch Farley, of ODNR, is working to establish a fund specifically for project maintenance. Now, there really is very little to no maintenance that is done after project completion. Water quality at the Lyons project is good. John Slack asked if there was a way to scrub off the limestone in order to prolong the effectiveness of it. The limestone at Lyons has a lot of the orange AMD precipitate on it and he was noticing it at the Awareness Day. A short discussion about limestone and possible solutions followed. Trees were planted by ODNR on the Lindentree Project last month. The Harsha South site may be experiencing some changes in water quality because water that was being actively treated as it came off the site will no longer be treated as the operator was released from those regulations by ODNR. Jim and Cheryl both said we may see an impact downstream. The water quality on the Harsha North site is very good. Jim and Cheryl need to meet with the landowner for the Belden project, so plans can move ahead on the final design. Several sites of concern in the watershed will be addressed by ODNR’s AML program in the next few years. HR22 will have some slag placed in the stream bed this summer/fall. A short conversation about Levy Slag followed. Jim and Maureen are planning a reconnaissance day at HR38, and plan to request funds from ODNR for an extensive study on the site. The ODNR lab will conduct slag leachate tests for the Fern Hill project. ODNR engineers are working on the design. Mineral Zoar and Thomas were written into the 319 that was just recently submitted for funding. Maureen will begin seeking local funding for Phase II of the Mineral Zoar project located behind the park.
Adopt a Highway
Maureen shared more information about the Adopt a Highway program. She spoke with a woman from ODOT who said that although ODOT’s insurance does not cover participants in the Adopt a Highway program, they have never had an incident occur during one of their sponsored clean-ups. Maureen said that because she or the VISTA would be coordinating the event, it would be covered by Rural Action’s insurance. All present were satisfied with this and Jeremy motioned that the HRWRP adopt the stretch of Route 800 south of Mineral City. John Slack seconded and all voted aye. The HRWRP will be expected to hold clean-ups four times a year. ODOT will put up a sign with the group’s name soon after the paperwork is completed.
New VISTA
Maureen reported that there had been three applications for the VISTA position. Two interviews have been conducted, with another one to be held next week. One applicant removed herself from the running due to a personal conflict with the travel requirements. Cheryl Socotch offered that if no VISTA was hired until November, her summer intern could possibly help with Huff Run related activities.
319 Application
Maureen shared that the 319 grant application was turned in on April 30. Huff Run’s grant request was for $285,000, with match of $188,000. Decisions about 319 funding will not be made until January-April of next year. The projects included in the grant were Mineral Zoar, Thomas, and some livestock exclusion fencing, spring developments, and heavy use pads in the upper part of the watershed.
Photo Contest
Members had already elected to hold the Huff Run Photo Contest again this year, with the winners being announced at the Mineral City Party in the Park. In the past, members of the HRWRP have been excluded from the contest. Maureen proposed that members be allowed to enter their photos, as participation in last year’s contest was low. Those present at the meeting were assured that the photo contest judges have no affiliation with Huff Run and when judging, they are not aware of the photographer’s identity. Those present saw no reason not to allow HRWRP members to participate. The change in the rules will be made for this year’s contest.
Correspondence
Ed shared a nice Thank You note from the Carr-Bailey Legion Post in appreciation of our payment of back rent for past use of the Legion building. Ed also shared the program of a May 1st Tree Planting Ceremony in Harrison County that he attended.
It was shared that many fish were found on the Awareness Day at the electrofishing demonstration. It appears that the stream’s fish population has not been impacted by the November fish kill incident.
The meeting was adjourned by Ed Taggart at 7:03 pm.
Submitted by Michelle Shively, Huff Run VISTA