WARREN Workers were near Sharon, but their reason holds water

The workers were sent to a uniform store in Pennsylvania, the city said.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
and PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The latest controversy facing the city's water department has been resolved.
City officials have been investigating a claim that two water department workers were seen near Sharon, Pa., on Friday, buying lottery tickets.
They got to the bottom of the situation Wednesday.
Manuel Michelakis, water department director, said the employees were in Pennsylvania on business, adding, "some things just get blown out of proportion."
Uniform store: What really happened, according to safety service director Fred Harris, is that the workers were sent to a Sharon business that sells uniforms.
"We checked everything out," Harris said, noting he's happy the situation was resolved positively for the city.
Officials declined to identify the two employees involved.
Harris said a department supervisor, Larry Salvato, told him the employees were sent to the store to look at uniforms and the store has confirmed to city officials that they were there.
The city provided The Vindicator with a copy of a letter dated July 13 from Imperial Uniform/G & amp;K Services.
It lists prices of coveralls that can be bought or rented and says the company would like the water department to become a customer.
It begins, "Since talking with you on Friday, July 13 ...".
The employee who wrote the letter could not be reached.
Harris also said the company told the city it had recently moved and that the city workers had to drive around a bit, looking for the new location.
A man who answered the telephone at the business Wednesday afternoon, however, told a Vindicator reporter that the company has been in the same location "for about 100 years."
Harris could not be reached to respond to that.
Bought drinks: The employees have told city officials they stopped at a store on the way back from the uniform shop, but bought pop, not lottery tickets, Harris said.
The city began investigating the matter Friday after the city water truck was seen at the store.