Township reflects on progress while preparing for ’09

By Elise Franco

The zoning director said new businesses will continue to come to the township.

AUSTINTOWN — Like most Valley communities, Austintown will face some challenges in the coming year, school and government leaders said.

Regional Chamber members met Friday morning at Fifth Season Banquet Center on state Route 46 for “Good Morning, Austintown,” hearing end-of-the-year updates from schools Superintendent Doug Heuer, zoning Director Darren Crivelli and Trustee David Ditzler.

The focus of the annual breakfast was to discuss plans and goals for the township in 2009, progress and troubles the school district has seen over the past year, and zoning issues.

The township was put under the microscope this week after Forbes.com published an article naming Austintown the fifth-fastest-dying town in America. Ditzler, however, said those who live and work in the community should be proud.

He said the township and the Chamber have often paired to bring more business into the community.

“Austintown has the most partnership with community businesses than any other community in the Mahoning Valley,” Ditzler said. He said the township recently initiated meetings with Boardman and Canfield townships to discuss issues such as forming a joint fire district, joint water district and a 911 dispatch center.

“We’ve moved on that to try and do a better job and try to regionalize and improve as a community,” Ditzler said.

Crivelli added to Ditzler’s comments on continued commercial growth.

“We expect in the first six months of 2009 for a permit to be issued for a third Walgreens, more centrally located in Austintown,” he said.

Crivelli said not only is the township’s business growth up, but its private development is steady as well.

“In 10 years Austintown has issued permits for 1,447 single-family dwellings; 96 of those were this year,” he said.

Crivelli said that although the number of development permits has dropped slightly over the past few years, it’s nowhere near a dying community.

“Subdivisions are moving along, and housing is still moving along in Austintown,” he said.

Crivelli also discussed new changes to the Zoning Enabling Act approved by the Ohio House and Senate allowing the township to deal with quality-of-life issues on properties.

“We’ll see what we can do with property maintenance codes,” he said. “The new legislation gives us a stronger ability to deal with this.”

Heuer closed the program by discussing the school system’s achievements as well as its struggles over the past year.

He said by using local contractors during the construction of Austintown Middle School and a new bus facility on the main campus, the district has saved money and also allowed money spent to be recycled back into the township.

Heuer also discussed money issues the district has faced recently.

“We’ve reduced our teaching staff by 2 percent ... administration by 12 percent,” he said. “We’ve reduced spending by $8 million — that’s 7 percent of the total budget.”

He said that during the time these cuts were being made, the district went from having two of seven buildings with an excellent rating from the state to having all but two with an excellent rating.

Heuer also said Watson Elementary has been named an official nominee for the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon excellence award — a distinction Lloyd Elementary was given this past school year.

“How many schools in the country get to say they have two buildings nominated for the Blue Ribbon award?” he asked. “Except for Austintown, none.”

Heuer said it’s important for community members, especially those of retirement age and those without children in the school system, to remember that the standard of excellence within the district can only be maintained with their support.

“If it is to be, it’s got to begin with us, because there’s nowhere else to turn,” he said.

efranco@vindy.com