Springfield sewer project is expected to spawn growth

A sewer project planned in the township is expected to spawn more growth.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
OBERT AND FAITH POOR MOVED FROM Illinois to their Midway Drive home in Springfield Township two years ago to be closer to their daughter.
The Poors, who live in the Carousel Corners Development off Calla Road, are examples of people who have moved into the new homes that have been built in the township and New Middletown Village over the last several years.
The uptick in the township started about six years ago. Mahoning County Building Inspection Department's records show an increase of single-family building permits issued from five in 2000 to 27 in 2001. The highest number in recent years was 50 in 2004.
Robert Poor joked that his daughter, Janice Kay Royalty, who lives in Struthers with her family, wanted her parents "to grow old with her."
He and his wife looked for houses in surrounding communities, initially expecting to buy an older home. They instead decided to build in Springfield.
"It didn't break us to purchase it," Poor said.
Although the cost of living is a bit higher in their new home than where they lived in Illinois, the couple says they enjoy their new surroundings.
"We love it here," Faith Poor said.
"The neighbors here are outstanding," Poor added, noting the friendliness of Mahoning Valley residents.
Another reason to move
Michael and Shari Simko and their son, Michael, moved to the same development from Coitsville in 2000. The school district was a motivator.
"My son was starting school and this seemed like a more rural area," Michael Simko said.
The younger Michael is now a fourth-grader at Springfield Elementary School. In Coitsville, the boy would have attended Lowellville schools.
The couple also chose their house because it was on a cul-de-sac, which cuts down on traffic.
Michael Simko pointed to the new houses still being built in his development.
"This is quite a big area here," he said.
Jim Holleran, a township trustee for two years who's worked with the fire department for 25 years, said there's been a gradual increase in emergency calls for service in recent years.
He attributes at least some of that growth to the township's decision not to have zoning regulations.
"That appeals to some contractors," Holleran said.
Besides the growth off Calla Road, the trustee also points to developments of single-family homes, condominiums or four-plexes on Springfield Road at Western Reserve Roads, on state Route 170, near Springfield High School, and on East Calla, near Wood Street.
He's also seen an increase in traffic, particularly trucks headed to and from the limestone facilities located within the township.
In the center of much of that truck traffic is Knesal Hardware at state Routes 170 and 616 in Petersburg, which is part of the township.
Joe Hankinson's family has owned the store that opened in 1894 for years. He started working there in 1947.
What might help
Hankinson, also a Springfield resident, said he hasn't seen much effect in his end of the township from growth. It's possible, he said, that a long-awaited sewer project expected to start this summer may be an impetus for additional growth, however.
That project, being undertaken by the Mahoning County sanitary engineer's office with the township's involvement, calls for three pumping stations that will feed into a main station near East Garfield and Unity roads.
Waste material would then be fed through a pressurized force main pipe that will run along East Garfield to a sewerage plant on Unity.
Holleran also believes the planned sewer project will spur growth.
"There's some beautiful land out here," he said.
The Carousel Corners development is already served by Aqua Ohio and the county sanitary engineer.
Robert Carson, who's been mayor of the one-square-mile New Middletown Village for more than seven years, said most of the growth has been in the township, although he pointed to a new condominium development that has cropped up in recent years off Main Street.
The village has been able to maintain its small-town character, but there has been some commercial growth on Main Street, he said.
Seven years ago, the village employed no full-time police officers.
"Now, we have three full-time officers," the mayor said. "It's answering the changing needs of the community."
More people
Development means more people, he said.
"We've had more traffic and more people coming through," Carson said.
Doug and Courtnay Chandler moved into the township from a Poland apartment in 1999, shortly after they were married.
"We were looking in Poland and then we heard about the development, and the housing was affordable," Doug Chandler said.
They also live in Carousel Corners. In April 2001, after the birth of their first child, they moved into a larger house in the same development. The family has since grown to four.
Chandler believes the township's growth spurt is because of people's urge to get away from city life.
"The big thing for us is the convenience," Chandler said. "We're about 10 to 15 minutes from Boardman or Poland."
Though some perceive the area as rural, it's still close to Mahoning County's shopping and business centers -- minus the congestion.
"I think people like it out here," he said.