LIBERTY Officials disagree about funding

The mayor says Girard won't provide a proposal on the waterlines by Friday's deadline.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- Local government officials did little more than raise their voices at one another while trying to discuss the future of township waterlines.
Township trustees met again Wednesday with officials from the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer's office, the cities of Girard and Niles, and county commissioners to discuss the desire for new waterlines to spur economic development.
Trustees have been pressing the county for waterlines on state Route 304, Tibbetts Wick Road and Belmont Avenue to help development.
If the county won't build the lines, trustees have threatened to make a deal with a private water supplier.
During the meeting, Trustee W. Gary Litch asked Girard Mayor James Melfi and Sanitary Engineer Thomas Holloway to provide a written proposal to provide the lines by 4 p.m. Friday. At that time, Litch said, trustees will start a two-week process of accepting proposals from private water suppliers.
Company interested
One private company that's expressed interest in developing the lines is Consumers Ohio Water Co.
On July 2, commissioners approved a resolution giving Liberty trustees 90 days to enter into a water contract with a private or public source.
But first, the township has to end a deal with Girard, which has a 20-year agreement with commissioners to provide water to much of Liberty.
Melfi said he has no intention of providing any written proposal, since his position has been clear all along.
"I've said it before, I've said it from the start, and I'll say it again: We are in favor of using Issue 2 funding [for waterline construction]," he said. "It's the best possible prospect for all of us."
Melfi and Holloway said repeatedly that Girard plans to allocate any Issue 2 funding it receives toward developing waterlines in Liberty. The state funding would come in the form of a grant, meaning the project would not require much, if any, taxpayer dollars.
Unwilling to wait
But Litch said waiting for Issue 2 funding, which would not be approved for several months, if at all, would take too long.
"We want to get this done, and we want to get it done relatively quick," he said.
He noted that COWC is ready to install the lines with no long-term commitment from the township. Girard, however, has about 17 years left on its agreement to provide water to much of Liberty.
Melfi said that if trustees do go with another public entity or a private company for the waterline installation, there will be a fight.
"We will take the proper legal steps to stop any intrusion on our water district," he said, adding that if trustees "want to waste money on lawyers, then waste money on lawyers."
Litch said once proposals have been received from all government and private water suppliers interested in developing lines in the township, trustees will make a decision within a matter of weeks.
slshaulis@vindy.com