Bids to begin for work on courthouse

By Elise Franco

efranco@vindy.com

NORTH LIMA

The 4M Co. is ready to begin taking bids on a $177,000 project to remove the statue that sits atop the Mahoning County Courthouse.

Robert Mastriana, of the 4M Co. LLC of Akron, said during Wednesday’s county commissioners meeting the drawings are ready, and the project will happen in three phases.

The first phase is to stabilize the two-ton statue that is 15 feet tall and 40 feet long.

Then, a crew will temporarily remove the structure. Last, crew members will construct a temporary roof around the area where the statue once stood.

“In the last two weeks it appeared that there was more movement in the support structure,” he said. “It’s starting to torque and move out.”

Mastriana said the statue has little left to support it, except a pedestal weakened by corroding steel-support beams. He said gaps in the stone slabs have gone from 1/2 inch to 11/2 inches in a short period.

“There will be a catastrophic collapse if something is not done,” he said.

Mastriana said they’ll take bids for three weeks, and the project, which should begin in late August or September, will take about 45 days.

“It should be done for the fall session,” he said.

He said the courthouse’s front entrance can be reopened after the project is finished.