State stands firm on deadline for Girard Lake dam plan

The state wants construction on the dam to be completed by May 2006.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- The state is not backing down from a May 24 deadline to schedule work on the Lower Girard Lake dam.
"We must have a schedule of construction by May 24," Mayor James J. Melfi said after a meeting Monday involving state officials and some members of city council.
The deadline will not be changed because of the city hall meeting with Rodney Tornes, a project manager with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and Atty. Joan I. Fishel, an assistant attorney general representing ODNR's division of water.
Richard S. Bartz, chief of ODNR's water division, issued a directive Jan. 12 requiring the city to come up with a schedule to remedy the long-running safety problem of the dam by March 15.
City council then asked that the deadline be extended to Dec. 31.
In response, Fishel wrote in a letter to the city March 25 that the division rejected the city's offer and set a new May 24 deadline.
"They're not backing down," Melfi said.
The state also wants any construction completed by May 2006, the mayor explained. This will either be a partial dam breach involving removing 12.5 feet from the top of the aged concrete structure, or demolishing the entire dam.
Melfi said the state is not telling the city which option to take.
"This administration and council will comply," the mayor said, noting that Fishel will take the issue to Trumbull County Common Pleas Court if the May 24 deadline is not met.
"We have every intention of meeting their demands. We made it clear that we're not here to fight them," Melfi said.
Who will make plan
The mayor will ask the Army Corps of Engineers to put together the schedule of work because the corps has been the city's engineer in dealing with the dam. If the corps declines to put together the schedule, he explained, council will decide if a private engineer will be hired.
In the meantime, the search for funding to do the work will continue, Melfi said.
The corps has said that if the dam topples, six homes with an estimated 18 residents and some industry along the Mahoning River would be damaged, with probable loss of life.
yovich@vindy.com