CORTLAND Ex-mayor urges landfill restrictions

There probably will be no more HBA Parade of Homes events in Cortland.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- The former mayor says the city should institute legislation to protect itself from the creation of a landfill in the community.
Melissa Long told city council Monday that such a measure can be restrictive but not prohibitive to satisfy state law.
Long called attention to the situation in Girard, where a construction debris landfill exists and an application has been made for a second.
Girard, a city that has been in state-imposed fiscal emergency since 2001, will have to spend a large amount of money to fight the second landfill.
Long explained that Cortland is ripe for a landfill because it's accessible to rail service and major highways.
"The [solid waste] industry can buy and sell Trumbull County on any given day," John Vogel, Weathersfield Township trustee, said of landfill companies' ability to fight communities.
Ohio has the weakest laws against landfills in the country, Vogel added, noting that debris from Hurricane Katrina will be soon be coming to Ohio.
Council President Diana Sweeney assured Long that council will look into the issue.
Parade of Homes
Also during the meeting, a local developer said he doesn't see the Home Builders/Remodelers Association of the Mahoning Valley hosting another Parade of Homes event in Cortland in the near future.
Jerry Carleton, a longtime HBA board member, said the event won't be held in the city again because of the negative press the HBA received because seven houses showcased in the home tour received free water.
He asserted the houses showcased brought in $3 million worth of construction to the city.
Free water became an issue when council learned that Service Director Don Wittman told the HBA the seven houses didn't require water meters until the owners moved in.
Councilwoman Deidre Petrosky pointed out that other houses in the city were required to have meters after the city installed the service line to them. She asserted there were double standards.
Since then, Fran Moyer, finance director who also is in charge of water billing, has sent out estimated bills to the seven homeowners ranging from $358 to more than $400.
Carleton told lawmakers the amount of water used at each house can't be proven.
Moyer responded that she asked the homeowners to contact her if they can provide more information for more accurate billings.
She noted that two owners have done that in an effort to lower their bills.
Sanitary sewer
In other business, lawmakers approved a resolution allowing the clerk to advertise for bids for a sanitary sewer replacement project on Woodview and Russell avenues, between Fowler Street and Rosewae Avenue.
Wittman said a single, 8-inch line will be replaced with a series of 8-, 10- and 12-inch lines.
The estimated cost of $199,370 will be paid out of the city's sewer fund. Bids will be opened Oct. 21 with work starting in November or December.
Wittman said the current 40-year-old, 8-inch line is too small, has structural damage, and has blockage caused by roots and grease buildup.
A public meeting on the line replacement will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 in council chambers.
yovich@vindy.com