By Debbie Rogers
MILLBURY — Several farmers are asking the Lake Township Trustees to do more about thistle blowing into their fields.
At Wednesday’s meeting, there were several complaints about 53 acres of an open field off Fostoria Road.
Trustee Richard Welling said that they have addressed this as a noxious weed complaint. They contacted the owner, who said he sprayed the thistle to kill it on June 1.
“That’s as far as we could go,” Welling said.
The farmers, though, asked the trustees for more action.
Bob Wasserman referred to 350 acres in Latcha that were a past issue.
“I brought it to (the former zoning inspector), the letter went out and it gave that particular farmer seven days to get it sprayed or you guys would go and chop it for $75 an hour,” Wasserman said.
He added that the trustees should do a public notice every spring, saying that thistle must be controlled.
“Other townships do it,” Wasserman said.
“We’re just asking what we can do in the township to head this off,” Wasserman said. “We have to do something about this.”
James Hicks, also a farmer, said the township officials should ask for evidence or a bill that shows the thistle was sprayed.
“You should be able to call that company,” he said.
Ken Gilsdorf, trustee chairman, said that the zoning inspector will be asked to approach the landowner again.
“We’re going to take a look into it,” Gilsdorf said. “Thank you for the education.”
“And the next spring, we can put in the paper: ‘control your noxious weeds or else,’” Welling said.
Paul Goodman, who is a Genoa farmer and lives very near to the Lake Township field with the thistle, said he’s has spent a lot of time researching this issue through the Ohio State University Extension, Wood County Prosecutor’s Office and various agronomists.
Welling said that if it turns out that they were lied to about the thistle-killing spray, they will contact the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.
In other property business, the trustees were asked to consider a tree planting change to the zoning code, which is being updated this fall.
Due to evergreens spreading and their roots getting into tile, they should be planted 15 feet from adjacent property, not 5 feet.
“We can discuss it and put it on the zoning legislation,” Welling said.
