Austintown isn’t getting its fair share of road work

Austintown isn’t getting its fair share of road work

EDITOR:

Wake up, Austintown. It is time that the community of Austintown commands some respect and consideration from the Mahoning County engineer’s office for the upkeep and conditions of the roads within the Austintown Township.

The latest decision of the engineer’s office is to utilize the “Road (federal) Stimulus Fund” to pave South Avenue — again— from Matthews Road to Presidential Drive. This is a very prime example that whenever federal road funds are available to this entity, the communities of Canfield, Canfield Township and Boardman Township receive the lion share for their roads and paving.

Austintown has many heavily traveled roads such as Mahoning Avenue, Raccoon Road from Four Mile Run to Kirk Road, Ohltown Road from Route 46 to Turner Road, and finally Fairview Road from Turner Road to Mahoning Avenue that have not been touched or improved for at least 20 years. It would be a blessing and a pleasure to have the “old surface” of South Avenue from Matthews Road to Presidential Drive on some of these Austintown roads. Also, in Canfield and Boardman the road surface is super smooth, the manholes are level with the road surface, there are reflectors and heavy road lane markings and new halogen lighting. This is not being employed outside of these communities.

It is time for officials at the engineer’s office to represent all Mahoning County communities, not just from Canfield, Canfield Township and Boardman Township. In looking at my real estate taxes, I see that I pay taxes for Mahoning County and that Austintown Township is part of Mahoning County.

NEIL D. FRASCA

Austintown

It’s time for change in Youngstown schools

EDITOR:

I agree wholeheartedly with the person who wrote in from Canfield about Youngstown schools. Any adult who has the capacity to think clearly has been aware of our poor standing prior to the news from the state that placed us academically at the very bottom.

Taking time to review on line what the requirements are for board membership clarifies points regarding how the board can or cannot micromanage. The board’s powers regarding discipline and academics are only a reference point. Actual administration of discipline and academic achievements are left to local superintendents and their staff. In our district, discipline has been left to the superintendent and her subordinates. I am aware that the board has had final say in some disciplinary appeal actions.

Also she has utilized so many grants for programs that have not helped academics. We no longer enjoy a “watch” standing; but now have an “academic emergency” standing. It is my hope that this academic commission the state is sending will do much more than the fiscal emergency commission has done. We property owners are now in deeper debt such that I will not live long enough to see us emerge from this indebtedness. It will take “double digit” years to pay off.

It is time we stopped looking at what a nice person our administrator is and require her to meet the academic mark. It is time for her to generate some real change with the tools she has or else find someone who can. It is strictly business. Where else can you keep your job with a progressively poor work performance? It is time for a superintendent who will make some serious gains, use some creative thinking and achieve some measurable goals. All the gains in programs means nothing unless we meet the reasons we have schools in the first place, to educate our prime resource, our children.

It’s time to stop ignoring discipline just to keep the attendance numbers up. It’s not time to placate, but to educate.

DELORES T. WOMACK

Youngstown