Former trustee critical of Boardman's delays in drainage repairs

BOARDMAN

Drainage systems in need of repair in the township may not be complete until the end of the year or 2015 due to staff shortages, weather conditions and funding issues, township officials said.

“It’s obviously something we’d like to be able to take care of in a much-quicker fashion, but it’s a matter of staffing and dollars and cents,” said Trustee Tom Costello. “We have to do it as our budget allows to keep the public safe.”

Road Superintendent Larry Wilson said about 100 catch basins are in need of repair, as well as one culvert on West Parkside Drive. Catch basins catch rainwater as it runs down a street, whereas culverts direct water from one area to another.

An engineer’s survey by MS Consultants of Youngstown found that culvert pipes under West Parkside were in danger of collapsing, leading to the road department’s decision July 18 to close the road until the pipes can be repaired.

Kathy Miller, a former trustee and resident of Creston Drive, has been critical of the township’s handling of the issue, saying the road department and trustees have taken too long to address it. Miller said there are a number of collapsing catch basins in her neighborhood, near Crystal and Spring Garden drives.

“Things just don’t get done until there’s a crisis,” Miller said. [There are] a lot of things that need repaired, and they need to take care of it. There’s just no excuse.”

Read the township's response and more about the issue in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.