GIRARD, LIBERTY Officials to work on sewage problem

Much of the sewage ends up in Girard's Tod Park.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County and Girard officials will meet soon to map out a plan to address sewage flowing from septic systems in Liberty Township into Girard.
Girard officials attended a county commissioners meeting Wednesday requesting action on the problem.
James Dobson, city deputy health commissioner, said there are 213 homes in the Shannon Road area of Liberty and discharge flows from the homes' failing septic systems into road ditches onto private property and into Tod Park.
"Obviously, this is a top priority for the Board of Health of Girard," Dobson said. "We're willing to extend our sanitary sewers into the area without annexation to help."
The cost of sanitary sewers along Shannon Road is about $3.2 million and financing is the obstacle to fixing the problem said Thomas Holloway, sanitary engineer.
Holloway suggested a meeting with city, Liberty Township and county officials to devise an abatement plan. Mayor James J. Melfi agreed, but no meeting date was set.
Upgrade: An alternative to the sewers would be for the county health department to order the homeowners to upgrade their septic systems, but Dobson said that's just a temporary fix.
J. Vincent Catuogno, county health commissioner, agreed.
"The problem is that Girard is on a shorter time frame than we are in abating the problem," Catuogno said.
Pond polluted: Melfi, who sent a letter to commissioners Feb. 1 about the problem, said most of the sewage ends up in the pond in the center of Tod Park. The city spent $50,000 last year for new playground equipment at the park, he said.
The city posted signs prohibiting fishing in the pond, but people continue to fish there.
"This problem has been ongoing for half a decade now," Melfi said.
Dobson said county officials have talked about fixing the problem in five years, a timetable he terms unacceptable.
"We're looking to get five years down to a reasonable time -- like two years," Dobson said.
Steel resolution: In other business, commissioners passed a resolution supporting legislation against foreign steel dumping.
State Sen. Robert Hagan of Youngstown, D-33rd, sponsored the legislation which would establish a civil penalty for using foreign steel products for public improvements.
"It also is to lobby to enforce the penalties for foreign steel," said Commissioner Michael J. O'Brien. "They haven't enforced the penalties."
O'Brien said he was approached about the resolution by the United Steelworkers of America Local 1375 which represents workers at WCI.
The resolution passed by commissioners also supports legislation before the U.S. Congress urging the President "to take all necessary measures to halt the injurious dumping of foreign steel in the United States" and to implement penalties.