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Trustee Carano, state legislators look to pursue legislation to aide Wynclift Circle residents
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
Township officials are working with state legislators to pursue a bill to address resident concerns about firearm discharges in the Wyndclift Circle neighborhood.
Austintown Trustee Ken Carano said he talked with local legislators who remember a bill vetoed by then-Gov. George Voinovich, who was in that role from 1991 to 1998.
According to the Ohio Township Association, the legislation it argues for is similar: It would be for “approximately 20 townships in Ohio that have populations above 25,000 people in the unincorporated area and 50 townships with populations above 10,000. These population figures demonstrate that townships are not just the rural areas of vacant farm lands as they once were.”
The Ohio Township Association continued that it “proposes legislation that would put townships on equal footing as municipalities with language that would permit the adoption of firearm discharge regulations based upon population and density within the township.”
Several residents of Wyndclift Circle and the Cross Creek Condominium Association on Wilcox Road voiced frustrations and concerns over what is believed to be three properties where there are residents shooting guns in their backyards. The bullets, however, are not staying in those backyards.
Wyndclift Circle is within the Fairview Heights subdivision off of Fairview Road, which comes off of Wilcox Road in the western part of Austintown. Wilcox Road is off of Mahoning Avenue and a Popeye’s Chicken sits at that intersection, 6073 Mahoning Ave.
Steven Ruggles of Wyndclift Circle talked about a bullet going through his home and several walls on May 28 at that July 13 trustee meeting.
While both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate are on summer recess, Carano explained what the township is doing until a bill could be introduced in either house.
“Some people were shooting in areas that belonged to the township and we had that surveyed,” Carano said. There are now signs up saying “No Trespassing” with stakes marking it township property.
That area includes township-owned property that has a wooded section and a “steep ditch,” said Mike Dockry, township administrator and road superintendent. “If people are caught on that property shooting now, we’ll have the ability to file ... a trespass complaint against them,” Dockry said.