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Timber Run Road no longer allows truck traffic
CANFIELD
Canfield City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting certain truck traffic on Timber Run Road as the first response to many public discussions about the controversial road.
Mayor Bernie Kosar Sr. said he wanted to cause as little hindrance as possible while taking care of some city residents’ concerns.
With the exception of emergency vehicles, mail-delivery trucks and municipal vehicles, trucks with three axles or more are prohibited from traveling on Timber Run Road, a road between Westbury Park Development in Canfield Township and Stonebridge Development in the city. Arguments to keep the road open or to close it have dominated several council meetings.
Cardinal Joint Fire District Chief Don Hutchison said although he is a neutral party, the passage between the developments provides emergency access to the township. If the road were closed, it would be in violation of a zoning ordinance.
Arguments against keeping the road open were based on high traffic volumes, and points for keeping the road open were based on emergency-vehicle access.
Residents got a response to some of their concerns at the Wednesday evening meeting.
Those in violation of the ordinance will have to appear in Canfield Mayor’s Court where their fines will be determined.
First offenses are a minor misdemeanor, second offenses are a second-degree misdemeanor and third offenses are a first-degree misdemeanor, Kosar said.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, fines for each offense are: minor misdemeanors cannot exceed $150, second-degree misdemeanors cannot exceed $750 and first-degree misdemeanors cannot exceed $1,000.
“We don’t want to fine anybody. ... We just want to keep the big construction stuff going on in the township,” Kosar said.
Kosar suggested construction vehicles use Gibson Road instead.
Another hot-button issue is leaf pickup.
In March, council cut $800,000 in spending out of 2016’s $11.3 million budget when it was finalized. The cuts came from nonmandated funds such as leaf pickup and brush pickup, and the city’s contribution to First Night Canfield, Concerts on the Green and the Fourth of July Parade.
“There’s just not money to fund that [leaf pickup] this year and leave us any type of balance for rainy-day fund. Some form of event like another tornado blows through town, we would be strapped,” said Joe Warino, city manager.
The rainy-day fund consists of a $200,000 surplus.
In other news, council approved a resolution for resurfacing state Route 446 from U.S. Route 224 to state Route 46 near the Canfield Fairgrounds.
Warino said because the project covers a small area, the Ohio Department of Transportation, which is funding the entire resurfacing, is trying to bump up the project to fit into this year’s schedule.
He estimated the entire project, across city roads would cost ODOT just more than $1 million.