By Peter H. Milliken

milliken@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning County commissioners approved closings of a series of roads for repair work on bridges that carry them over the Ohio Turnpike.

Raccoon Road will close for about 14 days beginning Monday. State Route 46 will close May 23; Herbert Road on June 20; and Beard Road on July 18, each for about 21 days.

The Route 46 and Raccoon and Herbert road crossings of the turnpike are in Canfield; the Beard Road crossing is in Springfield Township.

Work also will be performed on the U.S. Route 224 bridge over the turnpike in Canfield, where traffic will be maintained, but that work won’t be performed during the Canfield Fair, said county Engineer Patrick Ginnetti.

Although Raccoon, Herbert and Beard roads are county roads, the work is to be performed by the Ohio Turnpike Commission, not the county, he said.

“It’s going to be a temporary inconvenience, but, fortunately, you can easily get around these closures through the detours,” Ginnetti said.

Also Thursday, the commissioners approved creation of the county’s volunteer peace officers’ dependent fund board under new state legislation (Senate Bill 11) that authorizes disability and death benefits for volunteer reserve law enforcement officers disabled or killed in the line of duty.

The local board, consisting of Sgt. Steve Lindow, Deputy Robert Russo, and reserve deputies Kristina Russell and Gary Boosinger, all of the county sheriff’s office, will process applications for compensation.

In case of a reserve deputy’s death, the surviving spouse gets a $1,000 lump-sum payment and $300 a month; $125 per month is allotted for each dependent child, said Gina Bricker, an assistant county prosecutor.

Each participating county contributes toward the fund.

“It’s fair, and I think we need to take care of those that are taking care of us,” said Carol Rimedio-Righetti, chairwoman of the county commissioners.

The last reserve county deputy to be killed in the line of duty was John “Sonny” Litch, who was fatally shot in 1981 while transporting a prisoner.

The commissioners also bought a 2016 Jeep Cherokee for the county building inspection department for $23,500 to replace a vehicle with more than 180,000 miles on it, and accepted a $28,036 state grant for this summer’s Berlin Reservoir sheriff’s department boat patrol.

The commissioners’ next meeting will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Oakhill Renaissance Place auditorium in conjunction with a veterans job, training and benefits fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day at Oakhill, 345 Oak Hill Ave.