Ditch delays raise a stink

Flood-control work 5 months behind, Trustee Oles says

By ELISE FRANCO

Vindicator staff writer

AUSTINTOWN — Township officials said five months is too long to wait for drainage work that was promised to be a “top priority.”

Trustee Lisa Oles said the Mahoning County Engineer’s Office told the township that ditches would be dug on Turner, Ohltown and Fairview roads, which had severe flooding last spring and summer.

“They promised us in April that digging those ditches was a top priority,” she said.

But Oles said even after as many as six phone calls to the engineer’s office the work didn’t begin until the end of September.

“I didn’t want to publicly criticize another public entity because obviously we want to work with them in the future, but when you wait five months, it’s too long,” she said.

Marilyn Kenner, chief deputy county engineer, said work on the ditches on Turner and Fairview roads was completed Oct. 2, and digging will begin in two weeks on Ohltown Road.

“We cover 424 square miles of area, and have approximately 483 miles of road,” she said. “It’s difficult to move from one area to another immediately, so it’s not like we weren’t listening. We understood it was an issue.”

Kenner said when the request for ditching came from Austintown, the engineer’s office had workers in Coitsville. With nine workers laid off last December, she said it was easier to work across the county.

“We worked our way west across the county,” she said. “To be fair, we do listen to the complaints, but sometimes when our backhoes are in other areas, it’s easier to work our way across.”

Oles said last week she drove out to the sites where work was completed — but was not satisfied.

“Only a very small portion of ditches were dug on Fairview,” she said. “I can’t understand for the life of me if they have the equipment there why they wouldn’t do the whole street.”

Oles said a letter was drafted by township Administrator Mike Dockry and sent to the county prosecutor’s office, asking for permission to complete the work and then bill the engineer’s office.

Dockry said the letter was sent Oct. 2, and he hasn’t received a response.

“If it reaches the point where they don’t have the manpower and the time, somehow our township needs to start taking care of the county roads,” Oles said. “We’re not allowed to expend any township money to do any of that work, so we’re requesting the approval from the prosecutor’s office to do it, then get reimbursed.”

efranco@vindy.com