Residents need to fight proposed Hubbard landfill

Residents need to fightproposed Hubbard landfill
EDITOR:
Maybe because I survived cancer twice I see a correlation between my lifelong challenge and the proposed Hubbard landfill. This is not just a Hubbard Township problem. More than an eyesore, this landfill presents a perilous prognosis for our community and the surrounding area. Property values will plummet. The landfill will cause traffic problems, destroy our air and water supply, our wildlife and our health.
I am saddened by the apathy of many residents and frustrated by the helplessness of others. But it's certainly understandable. We look across Trumbull County to the history of Warren Hills Landfill and the complaints of noxious odor, animal fatalities and serious human health concerns, to see our own impending future.
While we continue to sit by, new landfills open in nearby Lordstown and Columbiana. Cheap tipping fees are making eastern Ohio a dumping ground for the northeastern United States. Don't let lax dumping laws and greedy business practices destroy another Ohio community.
We need your help in a fight for the life and future of the Mahoning and Shenango Watershed regions. Call Hubbard Environmental & amp; Land Preservation at (330) 360-9449 to volunteer.
Write letters to your elected officials who are in a position to help. Urge your state senator to support Senate Bill 119 and your state representative to support House Bill 259. For a list of names, phone numbers and addresses call the phone number above.
Register and vote for candidates who show they care about the environment and our plight.
My life is proof that people can win against the odds, but it takes work. We all need one another.
MARILYN STEWART
Hubbard
Renaissance Place would begood spot for family agency
EDITOR:
I have followed with keen interest the possible move of the Department of Jobs and Family Services from the East Side of the city to the downtown area by the Mahoning County commissioners.
As a lifelong resident of the Valley and a 20-year resident on the city's South Side, may I offer the following thoughts on making this move to the Oakhill Renaissance Place:
1) Newspaper coverage has lifted up the desire to have such a move as a part of the downtown redevelopment. I would hope that the Oakhill Renaissance location is considered to be part of the general downtown area just as many view YSU to be downtown.
2) As a member of the local transit authority (WRTA), we have had discussions with the management of the Oakhill Renaissance Place and are open to having some of the bus routes actually pull up to the front door for easy access, especially for the handicapped.
3) Oakhill Renaissance has nearly 900 parking spaces, which would be more than ample for both employees and clients of the Department of Jobs and Family Services. In my opinion, moving to the center of downtown would cause many parking challenges and obstacles.
4) With the continued development of the downtown area, many feel that a moderate amount of retail will probably return to the area around the city square. I have a concern that our main street will be lined with government buildings that will not allow for any street level retail development.
Many cities like Youngstown have had the benefit of nonprofit corporations providing development stimulus. Oakhill Renaissance is such a corporation and has been extremely open to development potential. Unlike many other buildings that stand empty during a myriad of "potential" projects, the former Southside Hospital has been a good South Side neighbor and has taken an active interest in the neighborhoods adjacent to their property.
The Rev. EDWARD P. NOGA
Pastor, St. Patrick Church
Youngstown