Contact lawmakers to stop wasteful ODOT office project

Contact lawmakers to stopwasteful ODOT office project
EDITOR:
At a time when the state is in financial crisis, ODOT District 4 officials are wasting taxpayers' money for what can only be future political gain.
Having read multiple articles and editorials in which ODOT officials try to justify the district office move by arguing that it is more cost effective and that it would better serve the "population center of the district," I offer these thoughts in rebuttal.
For the move to be based on economics, one would have to surmise that the costs of the new building, its renovation, operation and doing business would be less than that of repairing the old building and continuing to do business from there. What then is the cost of the new building? ODOT officials won't disclose this information, even though it is public money.
For the sake of this comparison, we will use the appraised price of $6 million.
The site will require all new office furniture for 127 people, new carpeting, computer network and paint.
How much will it cost the state in moving expenses? The building is 107,000 square feet. It will cost more to heat and cool such a large space. State vehicles will have to travel farther, and it will take employees more time to reach sites in the rest of the district. New buildings will need to be constructed at the site to house the other facilities that are at the current complex. Can that all be done at less expense than to repair and renovate the basement of the current office? Why have state officials and the public not demanded a cost comparison?
What of the argument that it will place the office closer to the population center of the district? Without exception, all other ODOT district offices are located centrally by geography, not populace. Do taxpayers in the other counties that ODOT serves pay less in federal and state taxes? Citizens from Ashtabula, Mahoning, Trumbull and Portage counties that would need to go to the office would have much farther to travel. The new site is also not easily accessed by nor does it front a major highway, all of which were requirements the state was looking for to build a new complex.
It cannot be reasoned out via economical or geographical arguments. I can surmise only that it is then a move based on political favor to the heavy Republican support in Summit County. I ask all citizens that feel that this waste of taxpayer money should be stopped to contact your state representatives and the members of the State Controlling Board to voice your concerns.
F. GENE McCULLOUGH
Youngstown
Police-response reportsremind about value of a life
EDITOR:
I am writing about two somewhat-related stories printed in The Vindicator with two completely different outcomes. This has to do with the response time of the YPD.
Mrs. Boyd and her daughter were held up in their own driveway. They waited 46 minutes for the police to arrive. Fortunately they were lucky and were not injured. I am sure they were traumatized by the attack though.
But what about the call that came in the very next night? Twice a neighbor called about a car running in the parking lot of the Royal Oaks Bar & amp; Grille on the city's East Side after bar hours.
The first article printed in The Vindicator said two calls came through, the first roughly at 2:30 a.m. and the other hours later. The second article printed Sept. 30 indicated calls coming in at 5:04 am and then at 6:29 am. The person in the car was not as lucky as the Boyds. Mr. Mulichak died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Just maybe if the first call had been answered promptly and maybe if the first police officer who showed up would have done his job accurately this could have been prevented. His friends and family will never know. I understand that the people involved in both cases are & quot;under investigation, & quot; but tell me how a slap on the hand or maybe the three days off without pay will bring back a young healthy man. It won't.
I know that 9 out of 10 our our men and women in blue do a great job protecting and serving, but something needs to be done with the few of our city's finest who don't take the job serious enough. Who is the community to rely on when we are in need of assistance and it's at the end of a shift? It is a scary thought that we cannot count on 100 percent of the YPD to protect us.
ARLIA SLAINA
Youngstown
511 years ago today ...
EDITOR:
The discovery of America by Christopher Columbus on Oct. 12, 1492, opened the way for the flow of people, goods, plants, animals and ideas back and forth across the Atlantic. Prior to his epic voyages to the new land, there were two "Old Worlds" populated by diverse and ancient cultures. Columbus achieved his prodigious goal, bridged this division and created a "New World."
Columbus was an exceptionally gifted sailor and the initiator of open sea navigation in the modern era, having the courage to navigate with no sight of the coastline. He had a sixth sense, the seafaring sense. Christopher Columbus surpassed all of his contemporaries in the art of navigation. His faith was strong, sincere, inexhaustible and free from superstition and hypocrisy, no matter what might befall him.
Columbus may not have been the first seafarer to cross the Atlantic, however his remarkable accomplishment served to provide long-sought marine documentation for sea captains who followed him. He took us from a world he left behind to our world of today.
VINCENT J. DORIA
Youngstown
Leaders deserve credit forkeeping word on airport
EDITOR:
It's about time we in Mahoning County created a stable source of revenue for our share of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. We made an agreement with both the federal government and the our neighbors to the north, Trumbull County, to share the funding of this regional asset, and now our three Mahoning commissioners have fulfilled our part of the bargain. This action is perhaps the most important economic development news since the announcement of Lordstown's new car model. Make no mistake: The air base alone produces in the range of $100 million, spent here, that this area would not see without the airport.
Our communities had been warned that if we were to keep the Air Force wing up at the air base, we would have to show our financial commitment: approximately $300,000 per county annually. We were also warned that if area public opinion was against the airport in any way, we would risk losing the air base. There are plenty of communities willing to host a $100 million air base, and now with budget cuts, communities that are divided are targets for the budget ax.
The decision to fund this priority commitment in this manner is a good decision in tough times. Congratulations to our region for our integrity in following through on our agreements. The next time somebody tells you that our local government is not doing the job, tell them about this action in keeping our word.
RALPH R ZERBONIA
Youngstown
Traffic idea for Mill Creektakes the wrong turn
EDITOR:
I am writing as a person who spends as much time in Mill Creek Park as possible. My favorite part is East Cohasset Drive, currently closed to vehicular traffic. I run on it all the time, and it's the first place I take visiting family and friends for a walk.
The park is considering opening East Cohasset Drive to automobiles. I hope that doesn't happen and that Youngstown residents can continue to enjoy running, hiking and dog walking on that road without the threat of a car roaring around one of the numerous sharp turns. It would be an impossibly dangerous place with two-way traffic, and still quite dangerous with one-way traffic.
The already dicey intersection at Old Furnace Road is also a concern, where adding cars either entering or leaving East Cohasset, or both, to the mix will raise the danger level exponentially.
Other than the single track trails, East Cohasset Drive it is the best place in the park to immerse oneself in nature, with minimal noise encroachment and in relative seclusion. The quality of this natural experience could be harmed if the road is opened to traffic.
GARY SEXTON
Youngstown