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County lobbies US to keep city post office open
Public rally planned next Friday to support downtown mail center
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mahoning County commissioners have approved a resolution in support of U.S. House Bill 1351, which would assist the financially ailing U.S. Postal Service by relaxing some of its pension-funding obligations.
Also at Thursday’s commissioners’ meeting, Commissioner Anthony T. Traficanti released a copy of a letter he sent to President Barack Obama, which seeks the president’s help in saving the Youngstown mail- processing center from potential closure.
“The city of Youngstown could possibly lose nearly 500 local jobs and $500,000 in city income taxes, further adding to our already dismal unemployment rate of 10 percent,” Traficanti wrote.
Dominic Corso, president of the American Postal Workers’ Union Local 443, which represents postal clerks, and Robert Yambar, chief administrative representative of the National Postal Mail Handlers’ Union, announced a rally to save the city’s mail processing center will be at 11:30 a.m. next Friday outside the main post office at 99 S. Walnut St.
If Youngstown’s mail processing is moved to Akron or Cleveland, mailed benefit checks and medications will be delayed, Yambar said.
In other action, commissioners voted to close Raccoon Road between Austintown Middle School and the public library between 9 a.m. and noon Sunday for the 10th anniversary observance at the Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial Park.
Sam Swoger, of Viall Road, a 9/11 Memorial committee member, said the memorial bell will begin tolling at 8:46 a.m., the time the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center, and that eight to 10 firetrucks would take part in the observance.
The commissioners heard Kristen Yoder, of Tippecanoe Road, Canfield, complain about what she described as the unsafe condition of that road, which she said has potholes and is “starting to crumble.”
Marilyn Kenner, chief deputy county engineer, said an asphalt overlay will be applied immediately to the road between Leffingwell and Western Reserve roads, and that section of Tippecanoe will be reconstructed once the Western Reserve Road widening project is finished.
Kenner blamed the condition of Tippecanoe Road on excessive use by heavy trucks that should use Market Street.
Tippecanoe, which is part of the Western Reserve Road construction detour, has a 17-ton weight limit, but Market Street has a 40-ton limit, she said.
On Tuesday, the commissioners closed Western Reserve Road for construction between Tippecanoe and Raccoon roads through Sept. 26.