CANFIELD — Township trustees are discussing solutions for several items affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Appliance drives, park opening and recycling centers were all in the forefront this week.

First up was the June 6 appliance drive, to be held at the Canfield Fairgrounds. In past years, township Administrator Keith Rogers had help from the Canfield High School athletes, who helped lift heavy appliances out of the vehicles dropping them off.

“I am concerned about trying to get volunteers for this event,” Rogers said. “I am thinking it should be listed as an ‘unload your own appliances’ event.”

Trustee Marie Cartwright was concerned about older residents dropping off, as well as how to do it using social distancing.

Trustee Brian Governor asked Rogers to check into whether a self-unloading program would place liability on the fairgrounds.

Rogers said it may be beneficial to move the event to September.

Another topic involved a request by Mahoning County sheriff’s deputies, who are asking if the township park could be opened for walking. If that is done, it would require the playground be taped off so no one would use it.

Cartwright said, “Once it is opened up, it is opened.”

She said it would then be hard to try to close it. Trustee Joe Paloski said he was not in favor of opening the park right now.

After verifying all trustees were opposed to opening, Governor asked Rogers to notify the sheriff’s department the township doesn’t feel safe with it at this time.

Another pandemic issue is the township’s recycling center.

Public works staff reported a lot of trash around the site and sitting outside of the recycling bins. Rogers said the problem stems from the suspension of curbside recycling, which is sending everyone to the township’s recycling site.

“They empty the bins on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Rogers said. “It is the weekend when everyone is dropping off and filling the bins.”

A similar problem is occurring in Austintown, where the site will be gated.

Rogers said he checked on whether it is dumping or polluting when a trash bag is set on the ground near the container. A person dropping off recycling on the ground by the bin is not subject to a citation. If, he said, the bag contained garbage, the person could be charged for illegal dumping.

“Sheriff deputies already caught a vehicle dumping trash and the motorist was tracked down and given an hour to go clean it up or face a dumping charge,” Rogers said.

In a related matter, approval was given for CT Consultants do the engineering work on the township’s recycling site at a cost not to exceed $6,250. This is for the preliminary foundation, support wall, and concrete pad drawings along with engineering cost estimate for the proposed improvements to the recycling site located on Messerly Road.

Trustees also discussed preparing township hall to open by installing Plexiglas shields in front of the secretary’s desk and using thermometers for testing temperatures. Cartwright said the thermometers have been purchased from the fire district.

On a different matter, trustees were informed the DiRusso family will set up a food truck on its property at state Route 46 and Shields Road. Because the family owns the property, it would not need a permit, but would have to follow fire district guidelines. If a truck not owned by the family were to set up, it would need a transient vendors permit.

In other business, Cartwright said she is working on a policy to deal with junk vehicles in the township.

Trustees agreed to go into a once-per-month meeting schedule from June through September. Meetings will be on the second Tuesday of the month.

Trustees approved submitting the third phase of the improvements to the Indian Run detention to the ABC stormwater district for all aspects of the surveying, engineering, bidding and construction required for reshaping the detention area to create positive drainage back to the main channel.

jtwhitehouse@tribtoday.com