Westside Messenger - February 9th, 2020

www.columbusmessenger.com February 9, 2020 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - PAGE 5
Franklin Township considers a ‘no knock’ policy
By Amanda Ensinger
Staff Writer
At a recent Franklin Township meeting,
the trustees discussed creating a no knock
policy to protect residents from solicitation.
“While we don’t have a resolution for
this because we are not a limited home rule
township, we have seen other townships
enact similar resolutions without having
limited home rule authority,” said John
Fleshman, township trustee. “We would
like to have something to protect residents
from having people constantly knocking at
their door and asking them to purchase
items.”
The trustees added that they would look
at a resolution that mirrored what
Jefferson Township has in place.
“Basically, how the resolution would
work, is if an individual is selling an item,
they would need to register with the township
before they can go door-to-door selling
their item,” said Aryeh Alex, township
trustee. “Non-profits like Girl Scouts would
be allowed to not register; this is more for
businesses looking for a profit.”
Part of the reason the township wants
this legislation is to protect residents from
having unwanted visitors roaming their
neighborhood.
“We don’t want random people knocking
on doors and seeing if residents are home
or not,” said Ralph Horn, township trustee.
Celebrating African
history at Hilltop Library
The Hilltop Library will celebrate Black
History Month with a musical event called
Singing, Drumming and Dancing with
around the westside
“This could lead to people breaking into
homes and stealing items. This is a way to
further protect our residents.”
In other news, the board provided residents
with information on how they can get
a free radon test from the Franklin County
Board of Health. The board is offering free
kits residents can use to test if they have
the dangerous gas in their basements.
“Radon is an odorless and tasteless gas
that is frequently found in basements,”
Fleshman said. “It has been linked to lung
cancer and is very dangerous to have in
your home.”
Residents simply follow the instructions
on the kit, mail it back and the board will
let them know if they have radon and how
they can remedy it.
To request a kit, contact the township at
614-279-9411 or franklin-township.com.
Township officials also informed residents
that the township as been selected
for a grant from SWACO to provide recycling
services to the township.
“SWACO is covering 75 percent of the
recycling cost to bring recycling to all the
township offices,” said Mark Potts, township
administrator. “We want to use this
partnership as an opportunity to raise
awareness about recycling in the township
and encourage others to recycle too.”
According to Potts, the township wants
to set a good example for the community
and hopes if township employees recycle,
BabaaRitah at 5 p.m. Feb. 11. Residents
are invited to celebrate African history and
culture with song, dance and drumming
from West Africa. For more information,
visit columbuslibrary.org.
residents will too.
The township currently does not have a
trash or recycling contract with one vendor
and instead residents pay for these services
individually. The township previously had
a trash contract with Local Waste Services,
but did not renew their contract when they
saw rates increase. The increase was due to
residents not paying their bills, as well as
many residents opting out.
Mark Pi’s Feast
of the Dragon
Restaurant
Asian & American Style Buffet
New Location Grand Opening
Lunch $5.88
Dinner $6.88
ALL-DAY BUFFET DEAL
(614) 272-0210
New Location 3670 Soldano Blvd., Columbus, OH 43228
(former home town buffet location)