43
Federal Station’s east lot to undergo concrete testing
YOUNGSTOWN
Improvements at Federal Station continue, even as the new concrete on the east parking lot is tested for its durability.
The Western Reserve Transit Authority began a repaving project of the Federal Station parking lot, plaza and decorative concrete dividers earlier this year, and work was completed in June.
The entire paving project cost about $660,000, said Michael Fagan of Olsavsky Jaminet Architects of Youngstown, which does design work for WRTA. Fagan said the east parking lot is still blocked from buses.
“We saw imperfections, and we weren’t entirely happy with it,” Fagan said.
Those imperfections are not cracks but light marks on the surface of the concrete, he said.
Jim Santini Builder Inc. did the paving, and the company is working with WRTA, Fagan said.
Fagan said he will collect prices from companies that do “nondestructive testing” of concrete, which would determine the material’s durability.
He declined to give an estimate to the WRTA board of trustees at its Thursday meeting because he hadn’t collected prices yet.
Fagan said that because of the high traffic volume on the parking lot, the concrete should last for at least 10 years and up to 20 years.
Federal Station also is getting a new metal roof. Construction began last week and should be completed by Oct. 1, Fagan said.
This work also is part of a larger project of replacing roofs on several WRTA buildings, such as the annex and storage buildings. The total cost of the project is $620,000.
As part of the improvements, the station’s exterior will be painted light brown, replacing the current blue, he added.
During public comment of the WRTA meeting, a former employee alerted trustees that signs urging people to vote yes on “Issue 2” were still on buses from the last general election.
The signs on the bus refer to a renewal levy for the Mahoning County Mental Health Board that was on the November 2010 ballot. This November, Issue 2 is a referendum on Senate Bill 5, a bill that would strip public employees of many collective-bargaining rights.
WRTA Executive Director James Ferraro said the old signs would be removed.