Trustees to sue SBC over nonworking phone line

Trustees expect to spend about $100,000 on paving this summer.
WEATHERSFIELD -- A power outage caused Weathersfield Township trustees to keep Tuesday's meeting short; there was no air conditioning and the only light was a temporary one powered by a generator.
During the brief meeting, however, the trustees authorized their attorney to proceed with a lawsuit against SBC and Staley/Cattron Communications, said Dave Pugh, township administrator.
The trustees are suing for money they paid for a phone line that didn't work and is no longer in use. Fred Bobovnyk, trustee chairman, said the amount is not yet determined but will probably be about $20,000 to $30,000.
The township bought the phone lines about two years ago but they were defective, Pugh said, and they are filing a lawsuit because they "can't get satisfaction."
The fire department's line didn't work; the police department's line is working fine, Pugh said.
"We're moving the fire department dispatch to Niles so we shut that line down," he said.
Other business
In other business:
UThe trustees awarded Butch and McCree Paving Inc. the $69,729.60 bid for the 2005 hot mix resurfacing program; the resurfacing is routine paving, Pugh said.
UThe trustees authorized the clerk to advertise for bids on the Niles Carver safety upgrade. Pugh said the clerk has authority to award the bid so the trustees don't have to call a special meeting.
The upgrade includes paving, ditching and berming along the Niles Carver Rd. It is an issue II project; phase I is funded by a loan and phase II by a grant from the state of Ohio.
UThe trustees promoted junior firefighters Tim Grantz, Daniel Pirigyi, Dennis Simpson and Chris Hutchings to probationary firefighters and reinstated firefighter Donald Pugh in the Weathersfield Township Fire Department.