Trumbull officials reject ‘re-engineering’ project

A veterinarian would like to provide a spay/neutering/
vaccination program for the kennel.

WARREN — A spokesman for the Lakeshore neighborhood in Bazetta Township asked Trumbull County officials to start over with engineering for the neighborhood’s sanitary sewer system because of mistakes and delays, but officials were not receptive.

Spokesman Paul Carlson asked county commissioners Wednesday to “re-engineer” the project for the 60 properties on the west side of Mosquito Lake, saying the engineering work done by Youngstown company ES&C International has been “an absolute train wreck.”

On Tuesday, Rex Fee, executive director of the county sanitary engineer’s office, told commissioners ES&C would need to provide revised bid specifications for the project because of flaws in the originals. The bid specifications contained some details that were not supposed to be included, such as electrical items.

The project will be delayed about six weeks because of the problem. The county expects to award contracts around the first of December, Fee said.

Carlson said the project was initially going to go out for bids in January, meaning delays totaling nearly 11 months have occurred so far. “The project has been replete with errors and delays. I think it would be reasonable to re-engineer it,” he said.

Fee, however, responded that it is too late to re-engineer the job. He said it is not necessary to “re-engineer the wheel because a few spokes are missing.”

ES&C representatives at the commissioners’ meeting said they would correct the problem at no extra charge.

County kennel

In other matters Wednesday, Sandra Paris, the Portage County woman who recently called commissioners’ attention to the county dog kennel’s high euthanasia rates, returned to introduce Dr. Sukhbir Singh, a veterinarian with Animal Medical Care Center on Youngstown Road in Niles.

Singh said he would be willing to help the dog pound spay, neuter and vaccinate dogs to make them more attractive for adoption at the cost normally charged to animal rescue organizations — around $80.

He also offered to help the county switch to an injection form of euthanasia. Paris said the current method of euthanizing dogs — using a gas chamber — is inhumane. Dr. Singh would travel to the kennel to carry out the injections, he said.

The commissioners took no action on the kennel.

runyan@vindy.com