Frustrated residents vent to Mahoning commissioners about flooding

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners heard from Boardman residents who said Tuesday’s heavy storm and flooding is just part of the township’s tidal cycle.

“I suggest that we do some riverboat gambling things because we could probably bring in a lot of money that way,” Bobbi Terwilliger of Applewood Boulevard said during a commissioners’ meeting today.

She said she’s spent about $5,000 within the past year to drain her yard, but that money ultimately gets flushed.

“[Flooding] is constant. It’s continuous,” she said. “Fortunately, I don’t need to put in an in-ground pool.”

Mike Sprague of Holbrook Road said his and others’ township properties take on water after any sizable rainfall, and it’s been that way for at least 15 years. He recalled during previous floods wading through high water with garbage bags taped to his legs, trying to reach sump pump breakers and thinking to himself, “does God really like me today?”

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com