A village in transition: Mix of old, new abounds

The village finds itself ready for the growth that never came.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Michael Chaffee understands that some people -- even those who live in the Mahoning Valley -- are surprised to hear about the village of Lordstown.
As the mayor, Chaffee has learned that some people hear "Lordstown" and immediately think of only the General Motors plant, not realizing there is a community that's stood much longer than the new home of the Chevrolet Cobalt.
"Actually, we are more like several communities in one," he says. "We have the industry -- like GM -- but we are also surrounded by farmland, populated by older folks and boast some very condensed neighborhoods."
A look back
Originally settled as Lordstown Township, a 2-mile square section in the southwestern area of Trumbull County gained village status in 1975. By the end of that year, voters in Lordstown Township agreed to be annexed to the village.
Today, Lordstown covers roughly 25 square miles and has fewer than 4,000 residents. More than half of those residents are 65 or older.
"We are a community that has an old-village feel to it, but has everything you want in a new village," Councilman William Dray explains. "We are definitely in a transition."
That transition, community leaders say, centers around ensuring people know where Lordstown is and what it offers.
"We have to get people away from that idea that Lordstown is 'way out there,'" said Chaffee. "We are just as close to everything and anyplace else around here."
The center of Lordstown is only 20 minutes from downtown Warren, as well as major shopping attractions in Niles and Boardman, he said. Easy access to the Ohio Turnpike and major highways make for easy travel to places such as Cleveland and Pittsburgh, he added.
Attractions within
But even within the village's borders are some fine attractions for businesses and residents.
"When General Motors first announced they were building in Lordstown, the infrastructure was really stepped up," Chaffee said.
Most of the village -- unlike other communities in western Trumbull County -- has sewers as opposed to septic systems. A road department works tirelessly to ensure the streets are maintained for heavy truck traffic throughout the village. Safety forces with numbers that rival neighboring cities -- 25 police employees and 37 volunteer firefighters -- protect not only the GM plant but all residents and structures in the village.
The growth was spurred by speculation in the 1960s -- when General Motors first broke ground on the plants -- that Lordstown as a community would grow to some 40,000 people. As workers moved their families into the area, they would need places to live, shop and educate their children.
But, Dray said, most people didn't count on the fact that much of GM Lordstown's work force would come from the Mahoning Valley.
"They hired people from Hubbard, Austintown, Warren," Dray said. "These were not workers who were going to relocate 20 minutes away to Lordstown. They were just going to commute.
"Now, here we are with everything we needed for growth, and the growth never came," he continued.
Also built up were the schools. The high school alone features an Olympic-sized swimming pool that is used by students and residents.
Superintendent Douglas Shamp said today, the Lordstown Local Schools educate about 600 children. The small numbers are both a boon and a drag for the district.
"There are always issues at small districts," Shamp said. "It's hard for us to offer more of the extracurricular activities that they do in larger districts because we don't have the money or the students," he said.
But the upswing is that each child in the district gets more individual attention when it comes to academics, and the state reports cards on the local schools have been consistently good.
Dray and Chaffee echoed Shamp's statements, saying they believe Lordstown schools are some of the best in the area. One problem, though, is keeping graduates in the community.
"Right now, we are a little void in provisions for younger people," Chaffee admitted. "It's something that we really have to look at."
Dray noted that Lordstown already provides a number of recreational opportunities "from the cradle to the grave."
"And we are working toward construction of a bike trail that can be used by all types of people," he added.
Chaffee said it's things like the bike trail and the village's accessibility to neighboring communities and attractions that will be the key to Lordstown's future.
"Our biggest challenge is that we have to find the best way to promote us," he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com