HUBBARD — Wednesday’s regular meeting of the Eagle Joint Fire District Board of Trustees started with a pause, as the board heard a presentation regarding an estimate for a road near a potential new location for the district’s fire station.

Hubbard Township Trustee Jason Tedrow reported the potential for a new station in an October trustees meeting, noting that an anonymous township resident offered to donate “upwards” of 3 to 5 acres for a location — if the EJFD can secure grant money.

Tedrow said the proposed property is about “dead-center” in the entire jurisdiction, which would create consistent drive time, regardless of where in the community an emergency happens.

Nick Coggins, the Trumbull County Planning Commission’s assistant director and director of economic development, said there was the potential of extending Franklin Avenue — which runs next to Love’s Travel Stop — to Drummond Avenue. Coggins said the extension would go through the property.

“I’ve spoken to the property owner, I’ve spoken with another business owner back there; the other business owner believes that this street would be extremely helpful to his business,” Coggins said. “The current property owner has talked about a willingness to donate the land in order to not only facilitate your potential feasibility, but to facilitate the building of the road.”

Coggins said they were at the point of “shaking down trees.” He noted that there is due diligence that needs to be done — such as a detailed design of the road to check what it would take and assess the environmental conditions present.

Coggins said the detailed design will provide an accurate picture of what the cost of building a road will be, allowing them to go into the costs of building later.

Coggins said he’s spoken to both business owners and the planning commission’s partners at the Lake to River development agency about different ways they could get funding.

“Our county engineer’s office is willing to get together a high-level estimate for us,” Coggins said. “They preliminarily gave me a number that they’re not comfortable with me sharing just yet of what the detailed design would be — they don’t want to commit to anything.”

Coggins said with two developments in that area and approximately 130 acres of industrial-zoned land that would be benefited by a potential road, it could open up “a lot of land” for future development.

“When I spoke to our partners at Lake to River, they were kind of excited because we need land. We don’t have enough developable land for the kind of inquiries we’re getting,” Coggins said. “Mulching that up could bring the potential of not only these two businesses that are going back there, but several other businesses — with 130 acres.”

POTENTIAL FUNDING

Coggins said plans were “still very preliminary,” but they have several sources of funding they could look at, such as the Trumbull County Transportation Improvement District, which they could introduce to the board as long as it was an economic development project.

“We could go through the TID for both design and construction; that does have a cap and it’s probably not gonna take all the funding away,” Coggins said. “There’s also other funds; I talked to Lake to River about 629 funds — slim possibility for the current investment that’s going there, but it’s still worth asking. We can’t get any money if we don’t ask.”

Coggins said one of the private business owners has also offered to put up some of their own capital to help pay for the road.

Coggins said he understands there’s also a joint economic development district in the property’s area, but he hasn’t spoken to anyone on its board.

“That JEDD has been established, and I’m assuming that they already made all of their capital improvements, but that is an ask that I think is worthwhile taking to them,” Coggins said. “Saying, ‘Hey, we have a new capital improvement that’s near your economic development district. It would benefit not only the businesses in it, but potential future businesses.'”

Coggins said grants were still a 50/50 chance, but there was a “real possibility” they could cobble together the funding for a road.

QUESTIONS

Hubbard City Councilman Michael Mogg asked about residential buildings near Drummond Avenue, and whether the property has been taken care of.

Tedrow said the business owner, Kilar Fabrication, owns the property all the way up to the road. Coggins said that business was one of the companies he had spoken to that was “very willing” to participate and bring a potential project to fruition.

Tedrow clarified to board member Erin Burns that, in connection with the fire district, the 130 acres were beyond the property.

“This road would give access to that for potential development in the future. You know where they did the new underpass for (Interstate) 80 down there, that jogs kind of around? That’s to open up that property to the right,” Tedrow said. “What we’re talking about, for where the road would be — 25 to 30 acres right there was what he (the property owner) purchased, and it goes back to Drummond. He’s willing to donate three to five acres directly adjoining to the rear of Love’s.”

Tedrow said that the property is close to the dead center of the fire department’s jurisdiction. meaning a road would open a “perfect corridor” to get to every corner of it.

“I think it would be a great benefit, not to mention the fact that with the proximity to 80,” Tedrow said. “Some of the severe traffic accidents, some of the more trauma-related stuff these guys might deal with — it’s gonna cut down on some of that time as well.”

Tedrow said it would also balance out the response times to everyone in the jurisdiction, adding that it comes with the added benefit of potential economic development areas for the community and the JEDD.

Tedrow said the property and road could stop any potential landfills, too.

Coggins said that regardless of whether the EJFD decides to move forward with its feasibility study, he believes that, based on the economic development potential, the planning commission and Lake to River will try and coordinate with the county engineer’s office to make something happen.