CANFIELD TOWNSHIP — Nearly a dozen residents attended this week’s trustees meeting to complain about a water problem in their Timberland Trail neighborhood, which is in a planned unit development (PUD) off Tippecanoe Road.

“Runoff water is a problem,” Ernie Zavoral said. “We had one car with 3 inches of water inside it.”

He said the mud and flooding were coming from a detention pond placed in the northwest end of the PUD. The residents believe the detention pond was put in incorrectly and is not doing the job for which it was intended.

Zavoral said the developer, RDW, was taken to court some time ago about the pond, and a judge told the developer to fix it and have the township sign off on it.

“It was signed off by the developer’s engineer,” said Canfield Township Zoning Inspector Traci DeCapua. “The township does not have the ability to enforce anything in a PUD.”

She said the roads are private and not even plowed by the township. At the time, the judge was in error to tell the township to sign off on it, she said.

DeCapua also noted the pond was dug into the Marathon gas line easement, possibly feet away from the line. She said Marathon has been notified of the issue.

Chairman Brian Governor agreed with DeCapua, and said as long as the issue is only on PUD property, the township’s hands are tied. He added that should mud from the pond enter the township’s storm sewers on Linden Place — which is the next street over — and cause a problem, then the township could step in.

“Encroachment on township roads will be an issue,” Governor said.

Trustee Marie Cartwright said the only thing that can hold the developer responsible is the court system. Zavoral said they tried to take RDW to court a second time and the courts refused to do anything and threw it out.

Also during the public comment portion, John Esarco from Montereale Drive told trustees the recent paving of his street was not right and there was water coming up through the road. He said the job was “poorly done.”

Township Administrator Keith Rogers said he set up a meeting with the contractor and would be doing a walk-through of the street.

Also Tuesday, trustees discussed the use of golf carts on township roads, which DeCapua said is prohibited.

She said that only if trustees pass a resolution to permit it can the carts be legal. Governor said more research into the issue needs to be done before a decision is made.

In other business, trustees:

* Approved AM Door and Supply to replace two entry doors on Fire Station 3 on Messerly Road at a cost not to exceed $5,062, an entry door at the Public Works garage at a cost not to exceed $2,164, and an entry door at township hall not to exceed $2,020.

* Approved the donation of 40 meeting room chairs to the Mahoning County Agricultural Society. The chairs have a value of $2,500 or less.

* Trustees approved Robert Satterlee for removal of buckets, containers, sinks, propane tanks, tires, wood debris, discarded lawn equipment and other debris, garbage and refuse from 8184 Gibson Road at a cost not to exceed $4,000. Carl’s Towing was approved at the same location for the removal of a camper, boat and trailer not to exceed $240 per tow plus a disposal fee not to exceed $1,000. DeCapua said the township could get the money back as it will be assessed to the owner’s property taxes.