Warren gets extra help from city workers and volunteers to patch potholes

By Ed Runyan | March 28, 2015 at 12:02a.m.

WARREN

City officials have deployed every available employee since March 17 to patch potholes in the city, including people from departments not normally considered blue-collar — such as the health department, and volunteer blue-collar workers.

This year’s springtime pothole “blitz” will last about two weeks with between 18 and 30 city workers on about six crews filling holes through about Tuesday, said Enzo Cantalamessa, city safety-service director.

In addition to workers in the Operations Department, which is responsible for road maintenance and repair, employees have come from water distribution, water engineering, water filtration, water pollution and stormwater.

“We have pulled guys [from departments other than Operations] before, but not on this scale,” Cantalamessa said.

Also new this year, workers from Laborer’s Union Local 935 started providing volunteer pothole repairs as well.

A crew of five Local 935 workers used their own truck and about 8 tons of cold patch provided by the city, working from 7 a.m. to about 2 p.m. to fill holes one day last week.

Jody Stringer, Trumbull County business manager for the union, attended a county commissioners meeting recently at which Trumbull County Engineer Randy Smith talked about the labor-sharing program he had arranged with Howland Township and Lordstown to fill potholes on county roads.

The county is reimbursing Howland and Lordstown for the labor they are providing.

Stringer said he approached Warren Mayor Doug Franklin after the meeting about the labor union participating in something such as that to provide labor, except at no cost. The city cleared it through the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 74, which represents city employees, Stringer said.

Stringer said he expects workers from the union to come back to help out again.

“This winter was horrendous,” Stringer said, adding that Warren’s roads would be worse, except the city paved a large number of them last year.

“I think it went great, and any little bit of help is great,” Stringer said.