WEATHERSFIELD TOWNSHIP Salt Springs names muddle 911 responses

Anyone at Kerr Cemetery at night will face trespassing charges.
By MARY SMITH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MINERAL RIDGE -- What's in a name? A lot, if you are making an emergency call and live on Salt Springs-Youngstown Road, old Salt Springs Road or Carson-Salt Springs Road.
Weathersfield trustees heard concerns Tuesday from residents on Salt Springs Road (by whichever name) and learned from Fire Chief Randy Pugh that how people identify their location to the 911 dispatcher has caused at least three problems in responding to calls in the last few months.
Trustees asked Pugh to prepare a report detailing the episodes so they can find a solution.
"Every time we get a call, if the 911 dispatcher is not familiar with exactly where the call came from, we have to chase and find it," Pugh told trustees.
Adding to the confusion is that some houses on the differently named streets have identical numbers.
Pugh said the fire department has had a medical call, a car crash and a brush fire in which firefighters were not sure which street to go to.
One resident said he had to chase down an ambulance to get it to his house for a medical emergency. Several others voiced concern that Old Salt Springs Road was going to be closed on one end but were assured by trustees it will not be.
Speeding and paving
Other residents complained about speeding on Salt Springs Road, and more than one resident said the 25 mph limit in one section was much too low.
Trustees said they do not set the speed limits but will check with the state to see if the limit can be changed.
Police Chief Joseph Consiglio said Salt Springs Road is a targeted area, and police are citing anyone going 40 mph or over.
In other business, trustees awarded an $84,952 contract to Butch and McCrea of Hillsville, Pa., for street surfacing. Butch and McCrea was the lowest of five bidders.
Streets to be paved are Ohltown-Girard Road from Webb Road to Depot Street Southeast; Anderson-Morris from U.S. Route 422 to the township line; Garland Drive from Austintown-Warren Road to Parkway Drive; and Parkway Drive from Garland Drive to West Park Avenue.
Additional matters
The spring cleanup is set for May 19-24.
Pugh said the township will spray for mosquitoes May 28, with a rain date of May 29. Plans are to spray four times this year, usually at the end of the month. The schedule will be posted on the township's Web site.
Trustee James Stoddard said 27 volunteers picked up 127 bags full of trash and 23 large items such as lawnmowers, toilets, tires and two dead dogs. The crew spent three hours April 12 along the old portion of County Line Road, Route 46 and West Liberty Street.
Trustees are expected to vote on a tentative police contract at 7 p.m. June 10.
It was noted that the hours at Kerr Cemetery on Salt Springs-Youngstown Road Southeast are sunrise to sunset. Anyone caught in the cemetery after hours will be arrested on trespassing charges.