By Peter H. Milliken

milliken@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County commissioners authorized the county’s application for $75,000 in Ohio Public Works Commission money to re-line a storm sewer and repair a sinkhole on New Road in Austintown, just east of Raccoon Road.

The county would provide $25,000 in local funds for the $100,000 project.

The hole in the eastbound driving lane is now barricaded, and motorists must use the passing lane to bypass it.

“What caused the sinkhole was the bottom eroded out of the metal pipe and all the water ended up undercutting the road,” said county Engineer Patrick Ginnetti at Thursday’s meeting.

The hole, which developed several months ago, is about 20 feet long, 5 feet wide and 2 feet deep.

“These heavy rains certainly aren’t helping. The hole’s probably going to grow,” Ginnetti said, adding the repair should be completed about two weeks from now.

The commissioners also approved an agreement under which Ohio Edison will repair at its expense any damage its trucks cause to roads in New Middletown and Springfield Township in its forthcoming installation of electric power lines to the new NiSource natural-gas processing plant on State Line Road.

“We’ve been in this community for over 100 years, and we will be here, hopefully, for another 100 years, so we are always going to be concerned with the activity that we do in the county that affects our customers,” said David Turner, OE area manager.

“We want to ensure that our activity, while improving reliability to our infrastructure, also protects the communities that we serve,” Turner added.

The commissioners also approved a $25,000 agreement between the engineer’s office and Asplundh Tree Expert Co. for the company to trim trees overhanging county roads, which are beyond the 30-foot reach of the engineer’s high-lift bucket truck.

The commissioners’ next meeting will be at 5 p.m. next Thursday at the Covelli Centre, 229 E. Front St., just before the 5:30 p.m. public hearing there on the county sales tax to be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot.