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Liberty trustees discussed roads that will be resurfaced this year
Projects expected to begin this summer, be complete by fall
BY samantha phillips
liberty
About eight miles of township roads are expected to be paved this year.
This year is the first of the 12-year, 2.5-mill levy approved by voters last year.
The levy will generate about $544,000 a year for road paving and cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $88 a year.
Trustee Arnie Clebone has said improving roads is one of the township’s top priorities.
“Roads are something people deal with every day,” Clebone said.
Trustee Greg Cizmar added that having resurfaced roads is vital for safe travel.
A comprehensive study last year by the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office on the township’s 62 miles of roads showed that 39 roads need immediate surface treatment, and 62 roads need immediate maintenance and will need treatment.
Trustees secured a $1,625,000 zero-percent interest loan plus a $75,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission for road resurfacing and maintenance projects. Payment on the loan will be $135,000 annually for the duration of the levy period.
The township was also awarded a Community Development Grant Block grant. The township contributes a $33,000 local share for the $330,000 grant.
Through that funding, portions of Klines, Northlawn, Logan Arms, Wildfern, East Arms, Green Acres and Country Club drives; Pinecrest, Sampson, Keefer and Cardinal roads; Catherine, Laurel and East Montrose streets; Virginia Trail, Northgate and Trumbull avenues and Fifth Avenue Extension will be repaved this year.
Roads were prioritized based on factors including traffic frequency and number of residences on the roads.
Trustees hope to also secure federal funding to resurface Goldie and Fifth avenues within the next couple of years.
The resurfacing projects are expected to begin this summer and should be completed by the fall.
Clebone said repairing more roads annually will result in less vehicle damages, and having more resurfaced roads means more resources can be directed to preventative maintenance instead of fixing potholes.
“The more we take care of these bad roads, the less potholes [the road department] has to chase,” he said.
Tim Monroe, head of the township road department, said ongoing maintenance will be vital to prolonging the life of the resurfaced roads.
“We are patching potholes on an ongoing basis; we have been for the last three to four years,” he said.
The township and the Trumbull County Engineers will provide maintenance such as crack sealing for the roads this year in addition to the resurfacing.