Gibson Road work to begin soon

CANFIELD -- Work is set to begin this summer on the controversial Gibson Road improvement project, township Trustee Bill Reese says.
The project calls for construction crews to repave and widen the road to 20 feet. It had been delayed almost three years because of legal challenges.
The road is between 10 feet and 12 feet wide and marked in places by potholes and asphalt patches. The project is expected to be complete by the end of the summer.
Trustees voted 2-1 Tuesday to award the bid for the project to Faust Construction Co. of Trumbull County. They also voted 2-1 to pay MS Consultants of Columbus to plan the project. Trustee Judy Bayus voted against both resolutions.
The total cost of the project is expected to be $427,008. About $230,000 will come from state Issue 2 funds.
Faust had been the second-highest bidder for the project. The top bidder dropped out because of the court delay.
The trustees passed a resolution in March 2000 calling for the road to be improved and for a waterline to be installed along the road. A group of residents successfully argued in 2001 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court that the resolution was unconstitutional.
A developer has since installed a waterline along the road.
The 7th District Court of Appeals overturned the lower court decision Friday.