TRUMBULL COUNTY Contractor woes causes Warren road project to stall

The project was to be finished more than a year ago.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A long-awaited road improvement project on the city's Southwest side has stalled again -- this time because the contractor lost its insurance.
Rhino Excavating & amp; Milling of Girard was awarded the $869,000 Parkman Road reconstruction project in fall 2002.
The project was to be finished Aug. 17, 2003, but stopped last year, before restarting earlier this summer. Equipment sat idle on the road Monday.
"They've lost their insurance," William "Doug" Franklin, city safety-service director, said of Rhino.
Rhino officials couldn't be reached.
"They're in the process of securing new insurance and we've been informed that should happen this week," Franklin said.
The company has been accumulating fines of $1,000 per day for not completing the work on time. The fine total will be deducted from the contract amount.
Work involved
The project involves reconstruction of Parkman Northwest from Summit Street to just beyond Northfield Avenue and Parkman Southwest from West Market Street to Palmyra Road Southwest.
The company resurfaced some of the road, and replaced some of the curbs in the first section shortly after the contract was awarded.
"We're discussing the best way to proceed to get the project finished," Franklin said.
The project is being paid for with Community Development Block Grant and state Issue 2 money.
This is the latest in a series of stalls in the work.
Earlier this summer, the city stopped work on the road amid concerns that the material being used didn't meet city standards. The city wants contractors to use granulated slag on road projects.
Lab tests, which cost the city about $500, showed the material contained slag with a trace of debris.
The company was allowed to use the product it had on-site for the project, but when additional material was brought in, the city required the company to present documentation of where and how much was purchased.
denise_dick@vindy.com