Liquor license causes a stir

The township road supervisor is asking the public to report missing road signs.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- The township has requested a hearing on a proposed liquor license for a carryout store.
Fiscal Officer Carmen Heasley told the trustees at their meeting Monday that she sent a letter requesting a hearing to the Ohio Department of Liquor Control, with copies to the Mahoning County Commissioners and the Mahoning County prosecutor.
The hearing will be in the county seat. The trustees are going to protest the license on behalf of the school district, said trustee Bill Reese. The district owns property behind the land at state Route 46 and Shields Road where a strip mall will be built. The carryout store, Creekside Beverage, will be in the strip mall, Reese said.
Reese said the school district cannot protest the license on behalf of itself because there are no buildings on the property.
School board president pro tem Martha Zarlenga said in a phone interview that the school district bought the property, about 30 acres, in the late 1990s for expansion, though there are no specific plans for it yet.
Creekside's liquor issue passed in the November election. The township trustees were automatically notified when the business applied for its liquor license. Public entities such as schools, churches and libraries within 500 feet of a business applying for a liquor license are also notified automatically.
Missing signs
In other business, township road supervisor Gary Cook told the trustees it would be a good idea to require developers to post a bond in case roads are damaged while vehicles are moving equipment and construction materials. Cook said he will consult with the county engineer's office, which has a similar requirement for county roads.
Cook also told trustees that street signs have been stolen from roads off Leffingwell Road. He said the signs were from Sugar Bush Drive, Spring Lake Lane, Memory Lane, Victory Lane and Winner Circle.
He said that vandalism to signs could cost someone their life if emergency crews couldn't find a street, and that missing signs should be reported right away.
Zoning inspector Dave Morrison reported year-end housing figures.
He said there were eight multifamily units and nine villas built. There were 56 single-family homes built -- the lowest number since 1995, he said.