Saturday, May 27, 2006
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
HE PUDDLE WAS perfect, at least from the perspective of 2-year-old Collin Meehan.
Plenty big and full of ankle-deep rainwater, it stretched out invitingly in front of his mom and dad's unfinished three-bedroom ranch house on Florence Drive in Milton Township.
It was meant for splashing around in, as any 2-year-old could understand.
But Mom and Dad, Julie and Gary Meehan, didn't see it that way.
They quickly warned their son away from the puddle, which was just one challenge in keeping him clean and out of trouble on a construction site. There'd been a hard rain recently, and soft mud was all around. Collin's shoes were already caked with it.
It's a good thing their new house will have a mud room, the Meehans agreed. But mud is a small price to pay for country living when you start to add up some of the benefits.
Behind the Meehans' house, trees tower. Around the treetops on that muddy April afternoon a large bird circled, low enough so that its white-feathered head clearly identified it as a bald eagle. A pair is nesting somewhere around, Gary explained.
And though it's not visible through the trees, the Meehans' private inlet awaits them at Lake Milton, where they'll board their pontoon boat this summer for swimming and fishing.
That's an obvious reason for building on lakefront property: Who wouldn't want their own private dock all summer long?
Small-town atmosphere
But it's not the only reason. The Meehans have ties to the area. And those ties connect them to what they say is a small, personable community where they can settle in and rear their son with real Midwestern values.
Julie and Gary, sweethearts from Struthers High School, had their second date at the lake, where Julie's parents had a cottage.
They bought their lot eight years ago because they knew that they would want to retire there.
But last year, Gary's job in aviation brought them back to the area from South Carolina, where they lived for five years. While living elsewhere near Lake Milton, they began building on their lot in February.
"When we moved back, we had quite a few choices. We looked at Poland," Julie said. "We kept coming back to Lake Milton."
Julie's parents live a few doors down on Florence, where work crews were tearing up the street for a new sewer line. The Meehans' house will be the first to connect to the line, which is being built to accommodate the growth as more and more people build around the lake.
Harold Moore, a longtime resident who is now a Milton Township trustee, said sewer and waterlines are being installed, with a large grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to stop pollution in the lake. The waterlines are 95 percent finished, he said, and the sewer lines are expected to be finished by October.
Building on the lake
Clearly, the lake is the big draw when it comes to a location for home building in Milton. Zoning inspector Nick Bellas said that 50 percent of all new single-family building is being done there, with the other 50 percent scattered through the rest of the township.
The sewer and waterlines, Moore and Bellas agreed, will likely spur more growth if they are extended into farmland from the lake area.
Mostly, though, building has been single-family houses and some businesses. A luxury condominium complex was built two years ago in Craig Beach, a village along the lake.
Bellas said he knows there has been interest in housing development, but he has not issued any permits. "They're doing their homework."
People who are building now don't include too many newcomers, Moore and Bellas said.
About three-quarters of them already had property in the township, Bellas said.
Houses are ranging in price, from a low of $150,000 to one that's $5 million, they said.
Commuting times
As for jobs, a lot of people who live in the township work at Delphi and General Motors Lordstown, Moore said. Akron is only a half-hour away, Cleveland an hour and a half, and Canton 45 minutes. The owner of the $5 million house, he said, has businesses in Alliance. But more jobs have been found to the east and south -- in Warren, Columbiana and Pittsburgh.
Moore said the biggest change for the township was in 1980 when the state took over the lake from Youngstown, cleaned it up, built beaches and made the area a state park.
What about change in the future?
Bellas said growth is coming. But he can't predict when.
"The land that's here has been in people's family for years, and they aren't giving it up readily."
"I think we'll get a lot of inquiries this year," Bellas said. "I see it coming -- in a controlled and slow process."
No spot zoning for Milton, Bellas said, and he's not sure if the township would want "a 224."
"If they want Boardman, they'll make the drive and stay here for quietness."
Controlling growth
The township is loose about letting property owners keep boats in their yards. But those yards are going to have to be bigger from now on. Lot sizes have been increased from a minimum of 40 feet by 80 feet to 100 by 125, to control growth around the lake.
Throughout the township's document called "Concept for Growth" are phrases such as "preserve the natural resources," "scenic quality," "recreational opportunities," "preservation of green space," and "beauty, order and harmony."
"We try to be very careful that there won't be any changes to the overall plan," Bellas said.
Back on Florence Drive, the Meehans have their own plans. They hope their house is finished by the end of summer. If not, Gary said, "We'll definitely be in time to put the ice skates on."