BOARDMAN Officials to address flooding woes

The township administrator has three goals in mind for the meeting.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- A plan to handle flood problems in the township is ready to be presented to trustees and the public.
Township Administrator Curt Seditz and Road Superintendent Gary Dawson will meet with trustees at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 in the township government center to go over three maps designed to address the flooding problems. Trustees are encouraging residents to attend the meeting.
According to Seditz, township officials have spent the last four to five months putting the maps together. Officials also met during that time with Mill Creek Park officials, Mahoning County engineers and Ohio Department of Transportation staff to discuss flooding issues, he said.
What maps show
The first map pinpoints township residents who have had problems with flooding, Seditz said. They are categorized by those with sewage backup issues, those with clear-water flooding and those with a combination of the two.
The second map shows where retention ponds maintained by the township are, and several locations where more could be added.
Seditz said there are about 10 maintained by the township and many more on private property. The township does not maintain retention ponds on private property.
A third and final map shows where major infrastructure projects have been completed and where more projects may be needed to improve the system, Seditz said.
Big concern
Trustees plan to have the 3-feet-by-3-feet maps available for review at the meeting.
The issue of flooding has been a major concern in the township in recent months and comes up whenever trustees meet.
Dozens of residents met with an attorney to discuss a possible lawsuit against the township over flooding problems.
Seditz said he does not know if the meeting will completely calm the situation, but he said it will be a step toward addressing any problems.
"There are three things I want to come out of this: Present the findings, talk about specific projects and we have to discuss how to fund these things into the future," he said.
According to Seditz, the study and upcoming meeting would have been conducted even if the area had not been hit with heavy rain in 2003.
He said the township has identified and addressed water and drainage problems in the past and the new findings are part of the next set of projects officials want to complete.
jgoodwin@vindy.com