RESTORATION Kinsman project to begin next year

The restoration is part of a multiphase Riverwalk project.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Restoration of the exterior of the historic Kinsman House is expected to begin early next year.
Mayor Michael J. O'Brien said at a council meeting Wednesday that advertising for the work would begin next month. A contract would be awarded and work would likely start in March.
The estimated $450,000 project includes historic preservation funding, Community Development Block Grants, and state money.
"While we're starting restoration of the exterior, we're engaging in discussions about the use of the interior of the building," O'Brien said.
The Kinsman House on Mahoning Avenue was built in 1834 by Fredrick Kinsman as part of what was once known as the Simon Perkins Family Farm.
Riverwalk project
Kinsman House restoration is part of the multiphase Riverwalk project, which included construction of the Warren Community Amphitheater. The facility just finished its first full summer of activity with programming by the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County.
Eventually, the city hopes to extend the Riverwalk trail through Packard Park and snake it along the river from the city's northern to southern boundaries.
In late 2000, the State Controlling Board approved $1 million for the Riverwalk, amphitheater and Kinsman House projects.
Late payments
In other business, council members unanimously passed an ordinance to enact penalties on accounts that are delinquent in paying for leachate treatment.
Those accounts will be charged a 1.5 percent on the outstanding balance per billing cycle, or monthly.
In September, the city stopped accepting leachate, the liquid runoff from landfills, from Warren Hills landfill on Martin Luther King Avenue because the company hadn't paid for the treatment.
Warren Hills has since been placed on a payment plan.
Warren Hills owes about $21,000 while Regus, the company that formerly operated the landfill, owes about $35,000, city officials have said.
denise_dick@vindy.com