LORDSTOWN Panel looks into van grant

The solicitor is concerned about separation of church and state restrictions.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Village council members like the idea of a van to transport senior citizens and the handicapped, but they want more information before giving it the nod.
Ron Barnhart, planning and zoning administrator, said a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation is available to lease a van for three years. The state would foot 80 percent of the bill. The village would be responsible for 20 percent, or about $8,000, and would apply for the title of the vehicle after three years, Barnhart said.
Churches interested: Councilman William Dray said Lordstown churches are interested in getting involved with the project and would provide the drivers. He said the churches also may be willing to kick in half of the village's portion of the bill, reducing the amount the village would pay to $4,000.
"There are several senior citizens who drive every day and some of them are in their 80s and 90s," Mayor Arno A. Hill said. "It would be nice to have some way to transport them."
The administration building is used during weekdays for activities for seniors.
"We also have senior citizens at home who aren't coming to activities who could come" if a van picked them up, Dray said.
The van, which is handicapped-accessible and equipped with a chair lift, would be used to transport village seniors and handicapped residents to the administration building five days per week, Barnhart said. On Saturdays, it would transport them to doctor's appointments and grocery shopping, and on Sundays it would take them to church, he said.
The village would pay $750 per year to cover the vehicle's liability insurance, Barnhart said.
Legal issues: Atty. Paul Dutton, village solicitor, said provisions would have to be made for verifying that the drivers from the churches have valid driver's licenses.
Dutton also is concerned that transportation to religious institutions by a van leased with state funds violates separation of church and state restrictions.
Barnhart said there isn't anything in the literature about the grant that mentions a restriction on transportation to religious institutions.
Hill asked Barnhart to research the grant further and present the information to council.
Councilwoman Karen Jones agreed more information is needed.
"I think we all think this is a good idea, but I'd hate to see us lose a grant because we put something in the application and we're not able to do it," she said.