Local News

On the record

Austintown

WHAT: Board of trustees meeting Monday

PRESENT: Trustees Monica Deavers, Steve Kent, Robert Santos, and Administrator Michael Dockry.

ABSENT: Fiscal officer Laura Wolfe

Trustees:

-- Approved awarding the 2022 road resurfacing project and Country Green Drive pavement project to Shelly and Sands, at the lowest and best bid of $729,933.35;

-- Heard from Fourth of July parade chairman Bruce Shepas who said that the parade will have a "quieter zone" between Fitzgerald Avenue and Burkey Road for attendees who have special needs;

-- Approved the purchase of a Case 621G ZBar Wheel Loader from Southeastern Equipment Co. in an amount not to exceed $202,486;

-- Approved the disposal of 43 items deemed uneeded, obsolete, or unfit for public use by the Austintown Fire Department;

-- Accepted the bid of $136,952.39 from Foust Construction for the Fire Station 1 concrete pavement project;

-- Approved an Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority invoice for $128,853 for buildings, properties, and liability insurance coverage for May 16, 2023, through May 15, 2024;

-- Approved an advancement of $150,000 from the township's general fund to its communications fund.

-- Mason Cole

Local News

On the record

McDonald

WHAT: Village council meetings April 20 and May 3

PRESENT: Ray Lewis, Sean Schmidt, Kyle Joynes, Kerry Reckard, Chad Jones , John Metzinger and Mayor Glen Puckett

Council:

-- Approved the garbage contract with Ohio Valley Waste of Youngstown. The first year is $13.60 per unit, the second year is $14 per unit, and the third year is $14.45 per unit. The village has 1,318 households;

-- Named Andrew Bickerstaff as assistant fire chief;

-- Set the Memorial Day service for 1 p.m. May 28 at the war memorial at Woodland Park;

-- Will discuss at the May 18 meeting setting dates for the summer. Officials are also working on the summer firefighters festival to be held in late June;

-- Reported that increasing the pay rate for firefighters has resulted in four new members. Puckett appointed Trevor Willoughby, Gregory Wrightsman, Jason Wilson and Christopher Pekarek to the fire department;

-- Heard from Administrator Tom Domitrovich the street department employees have worked to keep the village safe after the two storms that caused wind damage;

-- Heard from police Chief Bill Woodley that following the school shooting in Tennessee, a lot of the area schools were getting threats and prank calls. As an extra precaution, extra officers were stationed in and around the school at specified times;

-- Reported Office Manager Amy Cummingham has completed her L.E.A.D.S. training and is a certified L.E.A.D.S. practitioner. The police department will be working over the next several weeks to get the mayor, council president and solicitor certified as well;

-- Heard from Woodley the Trumbull County 911 Center answered 859 calls for service for the police department in the first quarter of this year. Last year at the same time, there were 580 calls. The department is up 279 calls this year;

-- Heard from fire Chief Fred Marcum the department has applied for three state EMS grants with one to help to pay for an off-road vehicle to enable the department to get through the tracks. A state fire marshal grant was awarded for $10,000;

-- Heard from Joynes of meeting with the baseball organization to discuss improvement plans and ideas at the baseball fields;

-- Announced the park concerts will begin on July 6. There are six concerts scheduled, with a concert every Thursday.

-- Bob Coupland