Officials OK purchase of repair device

By Ed Runyan | June 9, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

WARREN

Trumbull County commissioners have approved a proposal by county Engineer David DeChristofaro to spend $182,333 to buy a device that repairs lesser-used roads by grinding up the current surface and re-using it.

Marty Patrick, highway engineer at the engineer’s office, said the portable reclaimer by Asphalt Zipper of Utah will allow the engineer’s office to repair lesser-used roads at a fraction of the cost of current repaving methods.

The reclaimer can be especially valuable on roads that have become uneven due to settling problems because the device can grind down as far down as 12 inches, meaning that the dirt/slag base can be repaired along with the pavement, Patrick said.

The device grinds up the road, which is then watered down and moved around with a grader and other tools. Generally, the only thing added is a sealing coat on top that costs about $10,000 per mile, Patrick said.

This will be the first time the county engineer’s office will use this type of device, but it could be especially useful in the current economic climate and in light of the amount of damage the weather has done to county roads over the winter and spring, Patrick noted.

“We had the worst winter in history and I swear the worst spring in history,” Patrick said. “The roads took a beating this year.”

In other action, commissioners approved the recommendations of the Trumbull County Senior Services Advisory Council for distributions of funds from the countywide seniors levy.

The distributions approved Wednesday are essentially unchanged from the first set of distributions in 2007, said Diane Drawl, levy administrator.

Commissioners approved $239,000 for protective services, $840,000 for in-home services, $680,000 for community services involving community centers.

One part of the seniors levy funding that will be determined later is transportation funding. Commissioners are weighing options as a result of the city of Niles notifying commissioners earlier this year that it will no longer operate Niles Trumbull Transit as of Jan. 1, 2012.

Niles Trumbull Transit provides much of the transportation countywide that is funded by the levy.

The levy raises about $2.3 million annually to benefit county residents age 60 and older. The levy was first approved in November 2005 and was renewed for five more years in May 2010.