BY Peter H. Milliken

milliken@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County commissioners entered into a $566,607 agreement Thursday with Gardiner Service Co. of Solon to replace the lighting system at the county jail.

The purchase is being made through the U.S. Communities Cooperative Purchasing Program.

The jail, located at 110 Fifth Ave., opened in 1996.

The project will replace the jail’s original florescent lights with LED lights that will save the county $102,000 a year in energy costs and generate $80,000 in rebates from FirstEnergy, said James Fortunato, county purchasing director.

The new system will pay for itself in nearly five years and have a 15-year life expectancy, he said.

The commissioners also awarded a $194,849 contract for a federally funded lighting and sidewalk installation project at U.S. Route 422 and state Route 616 to Daniel A. Terreri & Sons Inc. of North Jackson, and they issued a proclamation for Amateur Radio Week beginning Sunday.

The 20/9 Radio Club of Austintown will have its 24-hour public National Amateur Radio Field Day observance beginning at 2 p.m. June 24 at Pogany Pavilion in Austintown Park on Kirk Road.

Amateur radio operators can function on solar power, electric generators or car batteries for emergency communications and are not dependent on commercial power, said Dorothy O’Neil-Meleski of Lake Milton, club vice president.

Joseph Rossi, chief executive officer of the Niles-based Area Agency on Aging 11, told the commissioners services to the county’s residents who are 60 years old or older will begin July 3 under a new 1-mill real-estate tax levy that generates $4 million a year.

Several services are available, including home-delivered meals, chore services, home modification, personal care and adult day care. Those wishing to be evaluated for services should call 330-505-2300.

The commissioners’ next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Milton Township Fire Hall, 15992 Milton Ave., Lake Milton.