Council OKs plan to resurface street

Legislation was introduced to pay $100 for reporting thefts on vacant property.
By AMANDA GARRETT
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- City council approved an ordinance entering into a partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation for construction on Mahoning Avenue/state Route 45.
The proposal calls for the street to be resurfaced and reconstructed from South Street to the north end of the city limits.
The project begins in 2009 and is estimated to cost about $1.6 million.
The city will be responsible for about 20 percent of the cost, with the rest being paid with federal funds, city Engineer William Totten said.
The city will bear all the costs for right of way acquistion and rearrangement of utilities such as water or sewer lines.
Council also passed an ordinance to enter into an agreement with the transportation department for the renovations of the W.D. Packard Music Hall and the expansion of the National Packard Museum, both of which are on Mahoning.
The $1.5 million in renovations for the music hall and the $1.2 million museum expansion are being paid for with a federal grant, Totten said.
The legislation in front of council was to ensure that all the agreements and contracts will be handled in a timely fashion, Totten said.
Remark on lawsuit
In another matter, Law Director Gregory V. Hicks mentioned the lawsuit filed Wednesday by two unions against the city during his remarks.
The lawsuit, which asks the city to clarify its residency requirements, was not meant to be adversarial, Hicks said.
"We have an amicable relationship with both these unions," he said. "They just want to know what the parameters are."
Hicks said city officials will meet with union representatives in coming months to clarify the issue.
Reporting reward
Councilman James Pugh introduced legislation to pay residents for reporting theft or damage to a vacant building. Pugh will have a meeting of council's health and welfare committee at 3 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the legislation and make any necessary changes.
As the legislation now stands, the ordinance would reward residents with $100 for reporting theft, damage or destruction to ongoing properties.
The payments would be made upon the recommendation of the police chief or building department official. A fund for the payouts would be established within the engineering, planning and building department.
The reporting of each incident would only receive one $100 payment no matter how many people reported the matter, the original legislation says.
agarrett@vindy.com