NEW MIDDLETOWN Housing development gets grant OK

The village will install a waterline on Calla Road.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- A 12-home development to be built on nine acres at the end of Sandy Court has received the grant assistance developers wanted.
Allan and Carol Forsythe of the National Housing Association, a private, nonprofit organization in Columbus, told village council at their meeting Monday that they have received an assurance of funding from the Ohio Department of Development's Housing Assistance Program.
The development will be called "New Middletown Homes."
Weather permitting, ground could be broken by December, they said. Under the program, prospective customers go to their bank to prequalify for a mortgage for the homes, which will sell for about $120,000.
If the customer qualifies for only a $90,000 mortgage, the grant would make up the difference. Qualifying income for a family of four must be between $25,333 and $40,533. The development will feature one- and two-story homes as well as two one-story, specially equipped designs available for the handicapped.
The development, which would be located off state Route 170, is going into an area now designated A, the highest residential use. The Forsythes said they might seek a zone change to A2 to allow narrower frontage.
Council passed a motion last September to support the project. The company has done similar projects in Canton and Orrville.
Those interested can contact National Housing Associates at (800) 423-5679.
Waterline situation
Council also discussed upcoming waterline work on Calla Road. The village will install new pipe from Warner Drive to Renee Drive. Consumers Ohio Water Company will replace the line from Renee Drive to Struthers Road because of the large number of breaks.
Mayor Robert Carson said that a hydrant on Calla Road, which often discharges water, is being used by the water company as a pressure relief valve to avoid further pipe breakage. The village is not paying for the water.
Carson also said the village was not awarded requested Community Development Block Grant Funds from Mahoning County for the Middletown Road sewer project.
Council approved up to $5,000 for purchase and installation of playground equipment at Welker Park. The $3,255 will pay for a swing set and other equipment from David Williams and Associates, Alliance, with the remainder reserved for installation costs.
Council member Dan Santangelo asked why the sidewalk in front of Sparkle Market is flaking off. Carson and Dave Bakalar of Thomas Fok & amp; Associates of Youngstown, the village's engineering firm, said they have discussed the situation with the contractor but no resolution has been reached. The 3-year old sidewalk is deteriorating partly because of salt, Bakalar said.
Council agreed to send two or three people to firefighters' school at Springfield Township at $315 per person. Lawmakers also agreed to send four firefighters to the Ohio Fire Academy for extrication training at $600 apiece.
Council also passed legislation to bring the village ordinance in line with the new state law lowering the blood-alcohol limit at which a driver can be arrested for driving under the influence from 0.1 to 0.08.