Turtlecreek Township F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

Township Road and Bridge Department:

Many of the questions and calls received by the Township Road and Bridge Department are requests for help with drainage problems. These requests for help may be a simple, “Can you clean out my ditch?”; or, the request can be much more complex such as a property owner(s) wanting to pipe or tile the entire frontage of their property.

Below are some commonly asked questions and answers in regard to ditch problems:

Q: My ditch does not flow very well; can you clean it out?
A: A township road department employee will visit your address to determine if cleaning out your ditch will solve your problem.

Q: If the township can help, when can you do the work?
A: Your request for ditch work will be placed on a schedule with other requests for ditch work in your area. Generally, if one property owner is having ditch problems, other property owners in the same area are having problems. Due to equipment and manpower demands, we try to coordinate the ditching work in areas and not for individual property owners. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and each request for service will be considered on its own merit.

Q: Will I be able to mow my ditch when you are finished with the work?
A: That depends on the elevation change (fall) between your driveway culvert and your neighbors. Also the elevation change between your property and the road play a big part in the answer to this question. The road department has little, if any, control on the depth of your ditch.

Q: Will you replant the grass after you are finished ditching?
A: Yes; however, the exact method will be determined by the soil type, time of year, availability of products, etc.

Q: I want to put tile or pipe my ditch, what can be done?
A: Property owners must obtain a permit from the Warren County Engineer’s Office to pipe frontages. Once a permit is obtained a property owner can hire a private contractor to complete the work.

The second most frequent reason the road department receives calls or inquiries is for signs. This may be due to a sign being missing, damaged, faded, etc. It also could be for a new sign.

Proper signage is very important to the safety of township roads and streets. We greatly appreciate these calls letting us know we have a sign problem.

Calls to report sign problems are most frequently about stop signs. Stop signs are the most important signs on township roads and streets. Once the township road department is made aware of a stop sign problem, replacing or repairing that stop sign is a top priority.

Residents also call to report missing or damaged road and street name signs and missing or damaged speed limit signs. Again, we welcome and appreciate all of these calls. Replacement and repair of these types of signs do not carry the same urgency as the stop sign replacements, but we do try to replace them as quickly as our work load will allow.

Accidents or storms damage many of our signs; however a number of signs are just missing because we suspect they have been stolen or damaged deliberately. Road signs are sometimes found on private property, in bedrooms, garages, or party rooms. Be aware that damaging or removing a current road sign carries up to a $2500.00 fine and up to five years imprisonment. Parents, please discourage your youngsters from removing any type of street sign.Other Township Road Department frequently received calls and questions:

Q: A tree or limb is down on the road or about to fall onto the roadway.
A: If the township receives the initial call, the Road Crew responds to check on the trees or limbs down in the roadway. If the Warren County Dispatch Center receives the initial call, the Fire Department is usually dispatched first. If live wires are involved, the Fire Department usually removes the tree from the roadway once the electric shock hazard has been eliminated by the utility company. The Road Department may follow the Fire Department to cut up, chip up, and clean up the tree or limb.

Q: Are wood chips or wood available from the Township?
A: Residents are eligible to receive wood or wood chips when we have them available. To be placed on the waiting list for wood or chips, call the Township Administrative Offices (932-4902) and ask to be placed on the list for wood or wood chips. You will be called when wood or wood chips available near you.

Q: The streetlight is out on my street, when will you repair it?
A: The township does not repair streetlights. We report the problem to Duke Energy. The Township Road Department completes a night inspection of streetlights once a year, usually in the fall. A list of problem streetlights is then faxed to Duke Energy for their repair and maintenance.

Q: I want to make changes to my driveway or have another entrance to my property, who regulates that?
A: The Warren County Engineer’s Office regulates driveway location, pipe size, etc. A permit is required through the Warren County Engineer’s Office, phone 695-1364.

Q: Whom do I call if I pull up to the stop sign on my street to pull onto the highway and I cannot see left or right due to the obstructions?
A: Please notify the Township Road Department (932-4902).The township will remove the obstruction or work with the proper agency (county, state, etc.) to get it removed.

Q: There is a dead animal on the road in front of my house, whom do I do?
A: The Township Road Department will remove dead animals from the right-of-way if the dead animal is located on a township maintained street or roadway. If the animal is located on a state or county maintained roadway within the township, you will be told which agency to notify or we will notify them for you.

Q: There is a pothole on my road, when can you fix it?
A: Once the Road Department is made aware of a pothole or any other road problem, we attempt to investigate that same day. Depending on weather conditions and the severity of the problem, repairs should be made within a short time.

Q: Weeds are getting high on my road, when are you going to mow?
A: The Township Road Department starts mowing along its roads in mid-May. It takes approximately 6 days to finish a complete round of all of the township roads. On average, five rounds of mowing are completed each season ending in late September. We trim (weed-eat) around signs, fire hydrants, guardrail, etc. at least twice per year. The township has a boom mower (large tractor with mowing attachment to reach difficult places). The boom mower will make one to two rounds each year on all township roads.

Q: An old stove or refrigerator has been dumped on the road. Who do I call to get it moved?
A: Warren County Solid Waste Department (695-1209) has crews working on township roads and in the county to remove this type of discarded item.

Q: My road or street needs paved and re-striped. When can you do it?
A: Life expectancy of pavement on township roads has been 10 to 12 years, depending on traffic conditions. The Road Department inspects all township roads every fall and again in the spring. We attempt to project what roads and/or streets may need attention in the near future.

The painted center or edge lines on our roads have a shorter life expectancy than the pavement. A paved road or street may be striped two or three times during its 10 to 12 year life span.

By calling the Township Road Department you can find out if your road or street is on a schedule for any attention in the near future.

Q: My road is slick or snow covered, when will you plow my road?
A: When we have a snow storm, we operate four snowplows on four different snowplow routes to make sure we treat or plow all Township roadways in a timely manner. During a heavy snow fall, that may mean we make several rounds during the course of the snowfall or storm. After normal township business hours, we rely on the Warren County Dispatch Center to notify our Road Department that roads need attention. Road Department employees carry pagers and are on call 24/7 year round. Reaction time from pagers going off to trucks on the road is just less that one hour. In 2005 the township used four plow trucks covering the 55 miles of road we are responsible for in an average of 6.5 hours. For maximum efficiency each truck or driver has a predetermined route. Each route is timed so that all of the trucks finish close to the same time. Trucks are radio equipped and work together to cover the entire township. For 2006 the township will be putting a fifth truck on the road in an attempt to help get our roads plowed and salted faster. This new truck was purchased especially to speed up snow removal in subdivisions with cul-de-sacs, tight turns, etc.

Q: There is a tree in the right of way which is overhanging the roadway (or dead), whom do I call?
A: Overhanging limbs and/or dead trees are common requests for service. Although all of the roads are within the township, they are divided up as far as whose responsible it is for repair, paving, and maintenance.

The Township Road Crew is responsible for trees along “township designated” roads, Warren County Engineer’s Office is responsible for trees along “county designated” roads, and the Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible for “state designed” roads.

Turtlecreek Township Fire Department/EMS:

Q: My insurance company needs certain information for my home-owners insurance, whom should I call?
A: Your insurance agent should call the Fire Department and speak to the Chief or Assistant Chief (932-4902).

Q: Can I burn leaves and brush in the Township?
A: Please see the Ohio Burning Regulations posted under the Fire Department menu.

A simple answer is:

ANYONE WANTING TO BURN ANYTHING WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP SHOULD CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT (932-4902) AND SPEAK TO THE FIRE CHIEF OR ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF PRIOR TO LIGHTING YOUR FIRE. THE OHIO EPA HAS TIGHTENED REGULATIONS IN REGARD TO BURNING. THE TOWNSHIP WILL WORK WITH YOU AS BEST WE CAN TO ALLOW SMALL CAMPFIRES AND SMALL LEAF/BRUSH PILES (YARD WASTE ONLY) AS LONG AS THERE IS NO “SMOG ALERT” ISSUED FOR WARREN COUNTY. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO BURNING OF GARBAGE ALLOWED!

ALSO, PLEASE BE AWARE, IF YOUR LEAVES OR BRUSH PILE IS CAUSING A SMOKE HAZARD FOR TRAFFIC OR FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL EXTINGUISH YOUR FIRE!

General Questions:
Q: Where can I find maps of the area?
A:You can go oo our Maps page to get this information.

Q: How do I contact the Turtlecreek Scenic Railroad – the railroad engine that runs between Mason and Lebanon?
A: Phone No. 933-8022 – this railroad is not affiliated with Turtlecreek Township.

Q: Who provides Cable service in Turtlecreek Township?
A: Time Warner Cable

Q: I am new to Turtlecreek, who will pick up my trash?
A: Turtlecreek does not provide trash pickup. You should contact one of the private companies operating in Turtlecreek:

CSI Waste Systems
11563 Mosteller Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
(513) 771-4200

Rumpke Waste, Inc.
10795 Hughes Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45251
(513)851-0122

Waste Management
1700 N. Broad Street
Fairborn, Ohio 45324
(937) 878-2277

Q: I just moved to Turtlecreek Township. Where do my children go to school?
A: Turtlecreek children are in the Lebanon School District, Phone (513) 934-5770.

Did you know . . .
A home fire safety inspection is required before any adoptions or qualification as a foster parent? It is required by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Below are the requirements the Fire Safety Inspector will be looking for:

A fire extinguisher rated a minimum of 40:BC.

If the home has a combustible furnace (i.e., natural gas, propane, or fuel oil), you will need documentation that the furnace has been serviced within the past year.

Smoke detectors are required on each level of the home.

If there is a working wood stove or fireplace, the chimney must be cleaned prior to or during the burning season.

Extension cords can not be used in a permanent application. They are only for temporary use.

Flammable liquids, (i.e., gasoline, paint thinners, oil base paints, etc.) are not to be stored inside home, unless in a metal cabinet in the garage. Flammable liquids preferably should be stored in an outbuilding.

If the foster child or adoptive child is young, child proof safety caps are to be installed in all receptacles that do not have a cord plugged into them.

The home should be clear of clutter and have easily accessible doorways.

Unvented kerosene heaters are not allowed.