COLUMBIANA COUNTY Officials consider annexation proposal

If all goes as planned, housing construction could begin in January.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners have a month to decide whether to approve annexing about 46 acres in Perry Township into Salem.
A Salem-based developer, Integrity Development Group, wants to build up to 17 single-family homes on the site, just north of Pearce Circle on the city's northeast side.
Commissioners have the authority to approve or reject annexation proposals. They heard a proposal in favor of the annexation at a hearing held Wednesday.
The law gives them 30 days to make a decision. No one spoke against the annexation.
The vacant property is owned by Integrity and by Constance Rowe of Green Township and George Bowman III of Florida, formerly of Salem, said Atty. Barbara Plummer of Salem.
Plummer is representing the property owners.
For utilities, protection
The annexation would give the land municipal water and sewer utilities and fire and police protection, all of which would be provided by Salem.
Don Weingart, Salem utilities superintendent, said the city is working with the developer to build a facility to pump sewage from the development to the city's sewage treatment plant on the southwest side of town.
The pump station will be built large enough to serve the housing development and the surrounding area.
The station's estimated cost is $342,000, with Integrity expected to pay about $94,000 of that amount, said Kevin Jamison of Salem, an Integrity partner.
The city's share of the facility's cost will come from utility department funds, Weingart said.
Jamison said the company hopes to start building the first houses in the development in early January.
The property will be divided into 17 house sites of 2 to 4 acres each. Homes planned for the sites will have a minimum of 2,000 square feet and are expected to cost about $300,000 each, Jamison said.