GIRARD City wants SBC to get rid of poles

Video arraignments will begin next month at Girard Municipal Court.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- The city administration will be negotiating with SBC to get rid of the company's telephone poles along State Street.
The communications company erected 18 poles along North State Street last week, though the project to widen the road calls for the lines to go underground with no poles showing.
The poles were erected between Prospect Street and Smithsonian Avenue.
The issue was raised at Monday's city council meeting by Sam Pagano of Squaw Creek Drive, a downtown businessman and property owner.
"It's ugly and getting uglier," Pagano said.
Mayor James J. Melfi and Safety Director Frank Rich explained that council approved $2.25 million in 1999 to pay for having utility lines placed underground with the widening of State Street (U.S. Route 422).
They said $1.2 million was paid to have electric and cable lines placed in an underground conduit, but the balance, about $1 million, was used to pay for other unrelated projects.
Melfi said he didn't find out the money was spent elsewhere until after he took office. "The money was not there."
Melfi said that although the city didn't have the $325,000 it would have cost to have SBC put its phone lines underground, the company did install lines without poles behind buildings off State Street from Interstate 80 to Prospect for free.
Councilwoman Kathleen O'Connell Sauline, D-2nd, contended the poles were put up last week because of the lack of planning on the part of the administration.
"Nobody was more irritated than me," Melfi responded.
Councilman Joseph Christopher, D-at-large, said the city paid $630,000 that it shouldn't have been charged, for engineering work. Christopher said the city should not have to pay SBC $325,000 to put its lines in the underground conduit that already exists.
"We want those ugly wires out of there," said Larry Williams, who is an unopposed candidate for 2nd Ward councilman in the Nov. 4 general election.
Williams, a retired SBC employee, agreed to sit in on future discussions with the communications company.
Video arraignments
Rich announced that municipal court will begin video arraignments in November to reduce costs. Police officers have been picking up prisoners at the county jail in Warren and delivering them to the court in Girard.
By using wireless communication links, the city can connect with the sheriff's department to share data and for video arraignments so prisoners don't have to be moved.
yovich@vindy.com