No stimulus money coming for Boardman flood projects

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

It turns out that the township won’t receive federal-stimulus money to address any of its flooding projects.

Administrator Jason Loree also found out during the last regular trustees meeting of 2009 that he’s got a new one-year contract.

Wednesday night was the final session for two-term Trustee Kathy Miller and one-term Trustee Robyn Gallitto. Both were defeated in last month’s general election.

Last July, township officials received word that 15 projects aimed at flood control would receive federal-stimulus funding. That number was later whittled to seven because of the length of time required to secure permits.

But Gary Diorio of MS Consultants told trustees that now, none of the projects will be funded with the stimulus money.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency determined that the Tara Drive/Alverne Drive stormwater detention basin and Boardman Park stormwater detention basin projects didn’t meet the agency’s requirements regarding the removal of infiltration and inflow from sanitary sewers, Diorio said.

That left the Aylesboro storm replacement, Boardman Lane detention basin phases one and two, Midwood Drive detention basin and storm sewer, and Westview Drive detention basin and storm sewer projects. Early last month, the township began advertising for construction bids for those projects.

The township also asked OEPA to waive some requirements to allow projects to move forward.

But on Nov. 13, the agency said that the Westview project would be the only one that it would fund.

While the Westview project is on the list of work submitted, it’s not as high of a priority as many of the others, Diorio said. Midwood, Boardman Lake and Tara/Alverne are more critical, he said.

Because proceeding with the Westview project would have meant a higher-rate interest loan, the township decided not to move forward.

“The cost benefit just wouldn’t have worked out,” Diorio said.

Larry Moliterno, trustees chairman, said it sounds like OEPA set up a protocol that even under the best of conditions, the township couldn’t meet. Some of the same requirements it had for township projects were waived in other communities, he said.

“I think if they wanted to, they could have done it,” Diorio said.

The change doesn’t mean the projects are dead, though, he added.

Trustees went into executive session at the end of regular-meeting business and emerged to approve a one-year contract for Loree. The pact keeps his annual salary at $60,000 and his healthcare contribution remains 15 percent.

In making the motion, Gallitto said that while she has previously opposed contracts for department heads, she believes Loree deserves a chance to prove himself with the new board.

“I feel he’s in the crosshairs, and he deserves some job security,” Gallitto said.

The contract also provides a three-month severance package if Loree is terminated before the pact expires.

She and Miller voted in favor of the contract with Moliterno opposed.