GIRARD City dam is not safe, state says

Water levels looked precarious on a couple of dates, one agency said.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Lower Girard Lake Dam came very close to failing during the recent storms, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said.
Mayor James J. Melfi told city council at its Monday meeting that ODNR has found the city in violation of state dam-safety laws.
In his Aug. 22 letter to the city, Richard S. Bartz, chief of ODNR's Division of Water, said the city has until Sept. 30 to provide a schedule for either breaching the dam or repairing it.
The schedule must include a time frame for financial arrangements, engineering design and construction, Bartz wrote.
The deadline is based on an Aug. 11 ODNR inspection of the dam after significant rainfall July 22 and 27.
The Army Corps of Engineers has determined that more than an inch of rain July 22, or 2.5 inches on July 27, "would have caused overtopping of the dam."
The ODNR notice of violation requires the city to drop the water levels at both the upper and lower lakes and install water level gauges at both lakes by Sept. 30. This is in addition to the schedule for breaching or repairing the aged, lower concrete structure.
The mayor said he will be in contact with ODNR to determine what the agency expects from the city.
Ambulance service
In another matter, Melfi said he has been meeting with private ambulance services that would be used if the city-operated service is eliminated.
The mayor has said if the city's financial outlook doesn't improve, the service provided by the fire department would be discontinued, and firefighters would be laid off.
Melfi said he is discussing with private companies where an ambulance would be stationed and what its response time would be.
His goal is to retain the city-operated service, the mayor said.
Phil Cretella Jr., president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1220, told lawmakers that he believes programs to increase city revenue have been assigned a low priority.
He specifically mentioned the sale of the city parking lot and Girard lakes.
"This has to all come back on the table," Cretella argued.
Councilman John Moliterno, D-at-large, said those issues remain on the table and are in different stages of development.
Councilman Joseph Christopher, D-at-large, said the city generates between $225,000 and $230,000 annually by charging those that use the ambulance service.
Cretella pointed out that the money is not used exclusively by the fire department but to buy equipment for both the police and fire departments.
yovich@vindy.com