Trumbull engineer promotes collaboration with pothole-patch program

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

Two or more road-department workers each from Howland and Lordstown will spend a month helping the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office deal with potholes.

The assistance will enable the county to work seven days per week, 10 hours per day to address what Engineer Randy Smith says is one of the public’s biggest concerns. It said the concept has never been tried here.

The county will reimburse Howland and Lords-town for the hours their workers spend.

Smith also plans to employ eight part-time seasonal workers in a way that will use up much of the time they are allowed to use for the year, he said.

Smith said some of his 40 highway workers are fixing potholes now, but the program likely is to be in full swing in a week or two.

But just as important is the collaborative nature of the project — finding a way to pool resources to address a specific concern, Smith said. He and the county commissioners gave resolutions to Howland and Lordstown at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting, commending them for being partners in several collaborative projects with the county engineer’s office.

Among them are participating in the engineer’s salt-buying co-op, its road-use and maintenance agreement group for gas-well-drilling projects, local and federal grant applications, transportation projects and the pothole project.

Darlene St. George, Howland Township administrator, said it may seem like a sacrifice to allow let two Howland personnel work for the county, but it is likely to benefit township residents in ways not readily apparent.

There are many major roads in the township that are maintained by the county — such as Squires Lane, Howland-Wilson Road and North Road. Howland residents are just as concerned about the quality of those roads as those maintained by the county, but the township doesn’t have control over maintenance of county roads, St. George said.

Through this project, county roads in the township will be repaired more quickly, which may provide a greater service to township residents than if the workers focused only on township roads, she said.

Smith is advertising a phone number that should be used to notify the engineer’s office of roads that need to be fixed: 330-675-2640.

In other business, Smith is sending a letter to Gov. John Kasich asking him to consider his request for consideration under the governor’s Ohio Bridge Partnership Program.

The letter contains a listing of 20 bridges throughout the county that meet the criteria for funding. Their total cost is $17 million.