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Poland Twp. to address natural gas, sewer issues
By Ashley luthern
POLAND
Two groups of residents in Poland Township — one interested in natural-gas lines and the other in sewers — are asking trustees for help getting utilities to their areas.
Township Trustee Robert J. Lidle Jr. said some residents east of Quarry Road have approached the board asking about how to get natural gas to their area of the township. He said the natural-gas line currently ends at Quarry Road.
“We’re sending an initial letter just to see how many residents are interested in having natural gas in the area,” Lidle said.
The letters should arrive this week, and residents have until April 27 to respond.
Trustees also have heard from residents on Circle Drive who had questions about sewer systems. The streets surrounding Circle Drive, such as Riverside and Dunkin drives, have sewers.
“We have about 15 homes on Circle Drive that have septic systems,” Lidle said. “The township really has no authority when it comes to this, but we tried to bring the residents and [county officials] together to look at the costs associated with it.”
Representatives from the Mahoning County Engineer’s Office and the county board of health answered residents’ questions and said residents could possibly get a zero-interest loan to pay for the sewer and have it assessed on their property for 20 years, costing about $500 annually, Lidle said.
Trustee Eric Ungaro said the decision now rests with the residents. If a majority votes for the project, they will officially begin the process to get a sewer line there, he said.
But if sewer is available, all residents are required by law to tie in, Ungaro added.
Lidle said both types of utility projects benefit the entire township.
“Any kind of infrastructure is an improvement,” he said.
Ungaro said many people outside the township don’t realize its size and that much of it is still rural and could be developed.
“There is a lot of room to grow. The guiding question then becomes how much do you want to grow?” he said.