BOARDMAN Cop is honored for foiling robbery

A company presented the officer with an award during the trustees meeting.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- As township resident John P. Brown III travels the state on his job, he carries a newspaper clipping in his briefcase.
The item tells of the work off-duty Boardman Police Sgt. Ste- phen Riwniak did to help thwart an armed robbery last month of a Loomis Fargo van carrying nearly $1 million.
He shows the article to others, telling them: "I live in that town, and we do have a good group of officers."
Brown praised Riwniak at Monday's township trustees meeting after John Barrett of Loomis Fargo presented the officer with an award of appreciation and a $2,000 donation to Forum Health Tod Children's Hospital in Riwniak's name.
Three men face federal armed robbery charges because Riwniak noticed what he thought was odd behavior around a Loomis Fargo van parked next to a Ford Expedition at the McDonald's restaurant on Western Reserve Road on May 22.
He got the license-plate number of the Expedition. That number led to the three arrests.
Riwniak accepted the award, telling trustees, "I was just doing what I'm supposed to do."
Other business
On the recommendation of road superintendent Gary Dawson, trustees accepted a low bid of $407,000 for the 2002 resurfacing program from McCourt Construction Co. in Akron. Other bids came from Butch & amp; McCree in Hillsville, Pa., Northern Ohio Paving in Twinsburg and Gennaro Pavers Inc. in Warren. Fourteen streets and the government complex parking lots will be paved.
Trustees opened bids for a Maple Avenue repair project. Lowest was Faust Construction of Girard at $103,000. Other bids came from Rhino Excavating and Milling of Girard and Joe Lofaro Concrete of Brookfield. Dawson said he would make a recommendation on those bids today.
Resident Mark S. Luke was appointed to the Boardman Township Park Board. Luke is assistant vice president of commercial banking at National City Bank in Youngstown and is a member of several associations, including the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, the American Cancer Society, Boardman Kiwanis Club, the United Way, Downtown Youngstown Revitalization Committee, and Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corp.
Several fire-department purchases totaling nearly $16,000 were approved, and trustees asked Darren L. Crivelli, assistant zoning inspector, to review and clarify language in the home-rule resolution that allows the township to cite property owners for failing to maintain lots.