Grant would fund land purchase

A new park would provide a venue for hiking and bird-watching.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County is looking to acquire about 370 acres to develop into two parks in Farmington and Mesopotamia townships, county officials revealed Tuesday.
Trish Nuskieviecz, a planner with the county planning commission, told commissioners that she is preparing to apply for grant funding through the Clean Ohio Fund. This would be for acquiring about 270 acres near the Farmington Woods housing development off Girdle Road in Farmington Township.
The land, valued at about $1.6 million, would be used to create a metropolitan park for flood control, land preservation and activities such as hiking, canoeing, photography and bird-watching, she said. It would be larger than any other current Trumbull County metropolitan park.
The largest one currently owned by the county metropolitan parks district is about 160 acres along Elm Road in Bazetta Township that was previously acquired using Clean Ohio funds.
The owner of the Farmington Township land, John Scimone, developer of Farmington Woods, would donate $400,000 of the land back to the county to offset the amount that the grant would require for matching funds, she said.
Land survey needed
On Tuesday, Nuskieviecz learned that an item originally intended for today's commissioners' agenda, to authorize the planning commission to apply for the Clean Ohio grant for the Farmington Township land, will have to be tabled until a land survey is done.
She said the grant application has to be turned in by Aug. 4, and she expects a decision on the funding by Aug. 17.
A 100-acre parcel in Mesopotamia Township valued at $110,000 that the planning commission also wants to acquire with Clean Ohio funds will go on today's agenda. That land is located on state Route 87. A portion of this includes a part of the Grand River.
The land, which would be valuable for flood control, includes open space, riparian forest and wetlands. The owner of that land is also willing to donate the part of the land necessary to pay the 25 percent matching funds required.
Commissioner Paul Heltzel called the two potential park acquisitions "great" and said he believes commissioners will approve both. No county general fund money is needed for acquisition of either project.
Nuskieviecz said she thinks the applications for both parcels have a great chance of being funded because the projects fit the criteria of the state's Clean Ohio program.
runyan@vindy.com