Austintown takes bids for sidewalk addition

By Elise Franco

Trustees said a pedestrian walk will bring new life to an already populated part of town.

AUSTINTOWN — Township officials hope a sidewalk project will help bring a new element to a busy part of town.

Trustees took bids during Monday’s meeting to begin construction of the first phase of the pedestrian walk project, which will add a sidewalk to South Raccoon Road from Burkey to Viall roads, Township Administrator Michael Dockery said.

Construction is scheduled to begin after schools let out for the summer, he added.

“We hope construction will start early- to mid-June,” Dockery said.

Of the nine construction companies that put in bids, the low bidder was Parella-Pannunzio Inc. of Youngstown at $163,155. The second-lowest was Joe Lafaro Concrete of Girard at $182,600.

Phase II of the project, which is being funded through a separate grant, will extend the sidewalk from Viall Road to Mahoning Avenue, Dockery said. Each phase should take about 30 days to complete, he said.

Trustee David Ditzler said the project is something the township has been pushing for years.

“We applied for this grant about six years ago, and it’s just taken forever to get the engineering work done,” he said.

Ditzler said the initial intent of the project was to tie the library and the Austintown Fitch campus into the Wedgewood area of town.

“We wanted to give the area an influx of something new,” he said. “It’s the most densely populated area in town, and we found more of a need for this sidewalk than was originally thought.”

Ditzler said plans include placing benches along the sidewalk, as well as lanterns and lights.

“We want to light it up and really try to make it like a little city walk to help out that area,” he said.

Long-term, Ditzler said the township would like to see the sidewalk extended to Kirk Road as well.

Dockery said trustees will approve a bid for Phase I at the next regular meeting, scheduled for March 23.

efranco@vindy.com