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Officials consider options for fire station in Springfield
NEW SPRINGFIELD
Township officials are considering options for the aging Fire Station 21 on Struthers Road.
Springfield Township trustees said they will set a special meeting with members of the fire department to discuss the building’s future.
They will discuss options, including modifying the current building, acquiring another building or even building a new one. They also will discuss potential financing.
Fire Chief Matt Gebhardt said the building dates to the 1940s, and the three bays are barely large enough for today’s fire engines. It needs to be re-shingled, the block walls need work, and the restrooms are not up to ADA standards for handicapped accessibility, he said. About 26 firefighters operate out of the station.
Trustee Robert Orr said calls are increasing to the station with the construction of the Masternick Memorial Nursing Home and assisted-living facilities nearby.
Trustees also heard from Daryl Hoffman of Petersburg, who complained that nearly two years after the Petersburg sewer project, his property still has not been restored to its original condition.
Hoffman, who lives at the corner of Wood Street and state Route 170, said the slope of the road was changed during the construction, causing water to run into his yard and flood his house.
An attempt by the township to fix the problem has eliminated part of his driveway and the walkway to his house, he said. He said the ditch adjacent to the road is also a safety hazard.
He said after the meeting that he wants the township to install about 80 feet of pipe and two catch basins to deal with the problem although he said the best solution would be to restore the road to its original slope.
Orr asked Hoffman why he didn’t complain during the year after the construction when the contractor’s construction bond was being held. Orr said the township already has done work and asked Hoffman if he is willing to pay for additional pipe.
Hoffman said he doesn’t feel he should have to pay for pipe and said after the meeting he complained to Mahoning County and state officials when he first noticed the problem but no one told him what to do.