AUSTINTOWN TOWNSHIP Trustees consider gas consortium with Boardman and Canfield

A resident told trustees she's worried about speeding in her neighborhood.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Trustees are considering a way to try to ease the pain of high prices for natural gas, and that could include a consortium with Boardman and Canfield.
At their meeting Monday, trustees indicated they are considering putting an issue on the November ballot that would ask voters to allow the township to find the best gas rates through a broker.
Township Administrator Michael Dockry said he has sent a letter to the prosecutor about language for a ballot issue and is waiting to hear back.
Dockry said township residents who did not want to participate in the program, should it pass in the election, would be able to opt out and find their own deal for gas.
Because a broker would cost $10,000, Trustee Lisa Oles suggested asking Boardman to split the cost with Austintown.
Trustee Bo Pritchard suggested that Canfield should also be asked. Trustees speculated that a bigger consortium would be better when it comes to getting a better deal.
Resident's concern
In other business, trustees asked Police Chief Robert Gavalier to find out if the township has the authority to put in four-way stops at intersections, and if so, what criteria the township should use for them.
Penny Lane resident Kim Veltri told trustees she would like to see a four-way stop at Penny Lane, Oak Trace Street and Birch Trace Drive.
She said a township study last summer showed that between 800 and 900 cars a day use Penny Lane, with 90 percent of them going 40 mph or faster. The speed limit there is 25 mph.
Many of the cars, Veltri said, are using Penny Lane to get to New Road and then to Kirk Road. She said that despite the data, the township said last summer that because there are no crashes there, the intersection doesn't warrant a four-way stop. There are stop signs now on Oak Trace and Birch Trace.
Veltri contended, though, that because there are 10 children all under the age of 11 living near the intersection, it's a safety problem.
Trustees David Ditzler and Oles said they would agree to a four-way stop if they were permitted to do so by the state.
Ditzler said it was his understanding certain criteria need to be met before the state will allow a four-way stop.
Veltri said she was told there had to be five or more crashes at the intersection before one would be allowed.
Dockry said stop signs are not supposed to be used as a remedy for speeding, but he believes the township could put in a four-way stop there because there's no liability risk in doing so.
Dockry said speed bumps are not a good alternative because they cause drivers to lose control of their cars.
He said speed tables, which use a 6-foot incline and a 6-foot decline, are a possibility. They cost between $5,000 and $15,000 he said.