ROAD IMPROVEMENTS Canfield Twp. paving stalls after trustee dissents

Five streets would be repaved if the plan goes forward.
CANFIELD -- The township's paving program is stalled.
Trustees voted 2-1 Monday, with Judy Bayus dissenting, to transfer $56,252 from the general fund to the road fund to supplement $66,012 in motor vehicle license plate tax revenue to support the $122,264 project.
However, trustees must unanimously agree for road improvement projects to go forward, unless residents of more than half the homes on each street sign petitions in favor of the work.
Trustee William Reese, who made the motion to transfer the money, said he thinks there's still enough time to collect the petition signatures and have the work done this year.
Optimal time
Road Superintendent Gary Cook said the durability of pavement is best when it is applied while the temperature is above 50 degrees.
The motion for the fund transfer was based on the assumption that trustees will award the contract to Cleveland Asphalt of Bessemer, Pa., which was the lowest of three bidders at $122,264. That figure is for repaving St. Andrew's Drive, St. Andrew's Court and Summit, Barber and Orlando drives, which have a combined length of 1.67 miles.
Bayus said she thinks the paving of Summit Drive should be deferred until after water and sewer line installation there is complete, to avoid having heavy equipment disturb new pavement.
However, Cook said pavement on that drive might not endure the winter well if heavy equipment passes over it in its present condition.
In an interview after the meeting, Bayus took exception to Reese's statement in a Sept. 7 Vindicator story that trustees expect to see liquor issues on the ballot along U.S. Route 224 because of the growth in that area and have no problem with that.
Not speaking for her
Although she did not express any opinion on any of the liquor issues on the ballot, she said Reese was not speaking for her. The liquor issues are up to the voters in the affected precincts, not the entire township, she said.
As for residents in the affected precincts, she said: "I'm getting an awful lot of calls from residents that live within that area. ... They feel like they're inundated with these permits all of a sudden all at once, and they're very upset." Four township businesses are making eight permit requests on the November ballot. Most of the permits are being requested in the Summit Drive and Raccoon Road areas.