CANFIELD Go-cart plans head for court

A trustee called the proposed site of the fun center 'an eyesore.'
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- A state Route 46 man will go to court to seek permission to build a "family fun center" with a go-cart track near his home.
Jeff Schrum said he'll ask a judge of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to decide if the fun center should be built. A motion to approve the fun-center proposal failed by one vote Monday night during a joint meeting of the township trustees and board of zoning appeals.
Schrum's case would be an appeal of Monday's 3-2 vote. His proposal calls for the construction of a miniature golf course, a bike-storage facility and a go-cart track on a 7-acre lot on state Route 46 near Western Reserve Road. Schrum lives just north of the property.
About 60 people crowded into the township hall for two hours Monday night to hear the vote and discuss the project. Trustees Bill Reese and Judy Bayus and member Eli Alexander of the board of zoning appeals voted against the motion, while Trustee Paul Moracco and board member Bales McCall voted yes. Board Chairman Loran Brooks, who leases land to an opponent of the project, abstained.
The center would be in an area zoned for industry. Township regulations require the board of zoning appeals and the trustees to approve industrial development.
Potential impact
Alexander said he thought Schrum should have presented township officials with information about how the project could affect traffic and the environment along state Route 46. Schrum and his business associate, Bill Wiery, said they're working on traffic and environmental impact studies for the project.
Alexander added that he felt Schrum should have talked to more local residents about the project before seeking the approval of township officials.
Some of the township residents who live near the proposed site of the fun center said Schrum didn't ask them how they felt about the project. They stressed that they didn't think the center would be good for the community, and that they were worried about the amount of noise that would be created by the go-carts and the fun-center patrons.
Other residents added that they felt the fun center would be detrimental to the agricultural qualities of the area, and they worried about Schrum's plans to use portable toilets instead of a septic system.
Township Zoning Inspector Dave Morrison said the Mahoning County Board of Health determined that because of poor soil quality, a septic system shouldn't be installed on the property.
Petition drive
Last week, township residents circulated petitions asking officials not to allow Schrum to build the center. On Monday, state Route 46 resident Lori Clark gave the petitions, bearing 75 signatures, to the township officials.
"I don't think we need go-carts. I don't think it's good for the children," said Leffingwell Road resident Lisa Ferguson.
Jeff Clark, who owns property next to the proposed fun-center site, added, "I don't want to listen to any commotion over there."
Some residents also criticized Schrum for allowing companies to unload construction waste and dirt on the 7-acre lot during the last few years. State Route 46 resident Frances Torti called the property a "dump."
"That's what it looks like from our property," she said. Torti said she's been talking with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers in an effort to have the lot protected as wetlands.
Reese noted that Schrum hadn't responded to trustees' past concerns about the condition of the lot, which he called "an eyesore."
"His track record was pretty poor," he said. "He's just added problem upon problem, and alienated the neighbors."
Schrum, however, said he's done his best to keep his neighbors informed about his plans for the land.
"If I'd known there was going to be this much opposition to the project, I wouldn't have put this much time and effort into it," he said.
Supporters of plan
Some residents at the meeting expressed support for Schrum's plans. Leffingwell Road resident Deanna Gray said she felt the facility would provide needed tax revenue for schools, while Andy Shobel of Southberry Hill said he thinks the fun center wouldn't be out of place in the township.
"I think a lot of people in this room like to think of Canfield as a quaint little farming town," he said. "It's more than that."
Leffingwell Road resident Jack Saunders added that he didn't think noise from the go-carts would be a nuisance. He said he owns land next to a go-cart track in Boardman, and "it doesn't interfere with two people having a conversation in the yard."
Under township noise regulations, Schrum must ensure that no more than 75 decibels is audible at the border of the 7-acre fun-center site. Schrum said he recently stood about 5 feet from 16 go-carts and recorded a total of 74 decibels.
"Traffic noise is a lot louder," he said.
hill@vindy.com