Warren to improve drain where boy drowned

WARREN -- The city plans to make improvements within a week in a drain where a 10-year-old boy drowned in last month's floods.
A citizen installed bars across the culvert on University Street where John Keytack was sucked into a ditch July 21.
The site also has become an attraction, with people placing flowers nearby, said Mayor Hank Angelo.
The mayor said the bars will be removed and new devices to try to reduce water runoff will be installed where the boy drowned and across the street.
"We're going to abate the problem which has become an attraction for a lot of people," Angelo said.
The cost is less than $1,000 and will take two days to complete. He expects work to begin next week.
Angelo said the city also plans to talk with nearby businesses about creating a retention pond to slow the water flow into the storm drain.
What's needed
Although the work will reduce the possibility of another drowning there, Angelo acknowledges that there are 60 miles of open ditches in the city. That can only be fixed by street improvements. "A third of the city streets are unimproved," the mayor said.
Some cities assess property owners to fix streets with paving, curbs and drains to eliminate ditches.
Assessments haven't been popular when they've been suggested in the past, Angelo said.
He also said a $2.60-per-month storm water utility fee passed last year may be used to address storm water issues, including open ditches, once the fund is large enough.