Canfield trustees talk road projects

By Robert Connelly | August 15, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

By ROBERT CONNELLY

CANFIELD

Township trustees approved one road project and tabled a vote on another this week.

A $42,242 contract for a culvert replacement on Pheasant Run Drive was awarded to Utility Contracting of Youngstown. Township Administrator Keith Rogers said the contractor had expected to begin work Thursday, weather permitting, and complete it in seven to 10 days.

The contract stipulates that the work be done before schools begin Sept. 2.

To pay for the project, township officials voted 3-0 for a $29,050 loan through the Ohio Public Works Commission; the remaining amount will be paid by the township.

Trustees originally were set to vote on whether to go forward on submitting a construction project to the OPWC for work to be done at Starr Centre Drive.

That project, which would include work done by the Mahoning County Engineer on Tippecanoe Road, would include resurfacing roads from Seville Drive to Tippecanoe, about 1,100 feet; replacing sewer piping; removing old catch basins and manhole covers and installing new ones and adding more catch basins.

The deadline for submitting projects for OPWC funding is Sept. 5, but township officials wanted more time to discuss the project because of the price.

Trustee Stephen Maszczak said the project was “considerably more than we anticipated.”

Township officials had budgeted $300,000 for the project, which came in at $600,500. Of that, officials have been working under an assumption that they would have to pay $90,000 in local-share funding.

With the higher amount for the project, that puts their estimated figure of $90,000 at only having a local share of 15 percent of the total project.

The trustees have been working on their budget for next year with the idea of a local share between 15 and 30 percent.

“We would have to take a loan on this,” Trustee Marie Cartwright said.

Rogers estimated the project would take two months, and officials want the project to be done right or not at all. “It only makes sense to do it right,” Rogers said.