POLAND TOWNSHIP — The township ended 2024 on a good note, having beefed up the police and road departments.

Township officials hope to maintain the top 10 safest community designation and make the township the kind of community where people want to live.

“Our priority is to keep everyone safe,” Poland Trustee Eric Ungaro said. “We want to keep our police department strong.”

Poland Township Fiscal Officer Paul Canter said the revenue for 2024 came in at $5,448,922.94. The township spent $4,895,009.17.

“We are still ending the year positive, but we need to start tightening our belts,” he told trustees.

Part of the higher expense last year was in strengthening the police department. Two new Ford cruisers were purchased and outfitted. The cruisers cost $50,000 each, which does not include the equipment that had to be added.

The department also aggressively hired and brought the department up to full strength with 17 full-time and two part-time officers.

“Our department is strong,” said Poland Township Police Chief Greg Wilson. “We have some great veteran officers and are staffed with some rookie officers who are eager to learn. They are all great officers who have bought into our community philosophy. Our crime stats are down while our community service stats are through the roof.”

Wilson said he is very pleased to know his department is at full strength when so many police departments are having trouble finding people.

“Our community supports our law enforcement,” Covell said.

For 2025, Wilson said his department is focusing on local churches.

“We are partnering with our faith-based community,” he said. “Our officers are on site for church events and are partnering with church security.”

He said officers have been and will continue to meet with church security teams to help train them. It is a great partnership that will help keep local churches safe.

Roads are another area that saw a good 2024 and will see continued focus for 2025. Last year, three road department trucks were replaced and a lot of work was done on Polo Drive and Polo Court.

“Our residents voted for a bond levy to pave roads in 2018,” Covell said. “That enabled us to pave over 90% of Poland Township roads.”

The levy was at 2.03 mills and brought in $650,317 per year for seven years. Covell said by taking out a loan, over 90% of the township roads were done. The levy expires this year and will come off the property tax. It will not be renewed, therefore township residents will all see a reduction in taxes next year. The final collection on that levy will be in August of this year.

“Poland residents will then save approximately $72 per $100,000 of valuation of their home annually,” Covell said.

Covell said this year the plan is to continue to advance the paving plan by paving Lee Run Road, Catarina Place, Stones Throw Avenue and a small gravel portion of Bishop Road.

“This will be done through the county sales tax funds we receive along with Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) funding,” he said.

Another item that is being looked at is a road maintenance program. Covell said there are a lot of companies offering various treatments to extend the life of asphalt. He is going through the different programs to see if it would benefit the township.

“It works like a sealer and replaces the properties of the asphalt,” Covell said. “We have to do our homework and find out if it really will work for us. We have to know if it is better to repave or to preserve.”

Covell will attend a special Ohio Township Association workshop next week to learn more about how it works. He said he found out the county sales tax money could be used to pay for a pavement maintenance program.

The township will also be applying for another Safe Routes to Schools grant next month. The township had just completed its Safe Travel Plan with Poland Village and the Poland Schools and will use that plan for the grant.

At Township Park, several improvements are on the board for 2025. The first is to ensure there is an AED (automated external defibrillator) placed at the park for all sporting events.

Another big project is the construction of a handicap-accessible trail from the road to the soccer pavilion and restroom area. The township received a $30,000 Nature Works Grant and has to come up with another $40,000 to finish the project. The push is on to obtain donations.

“We have to come up with the rest because the project must be finished this year or we lose the grant,” Covell said.

Castlo and the Community Foundation of Mahoning Valley have each contributed $5,000 towards the trail.

The other program for the park is the virtual interactive map. Covell said park manager Ken Filicky is working on this project that will open up the park trails to a virtual tour. Any park visitor will be able to download a code on their phone, then, as they go through the park, there will be informational write-ups that will pop up on the phones with descriptions of the area. It could include wildlife or interesting plants to look for.

Covell said Filicky’s son Kyle Filicky from Civil and Environmental Consultants Inc. is putting the virtual tour together as a demo.

Covell said 2025 looks to be a good year. The township will see new housing starts in several developments including Villa Nora Condo Development, Harvest Glen Condo Development, The Preserves at Yellow Creek, Ridgley Park Residential Subdivision and Park Place Residential Subdivision.

With new development, a possible road maintenance program, a top functioning police department, a good vehicle replacement program and improvement at Poland Township Park, it will be a busy year for the township.

“We did a good job at being fiscally responsible,” Ungaro said. “We want to maintain a safe community and keep our police department strong.”

He said that is how Poland Township was able to make Ohio’s top 10 safe communities, a position Ungaro said is worth the effort.