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LORDSTOWN – The village police department is planning a shooting training range on the former Kunkel property off state Route 45.’
Village council previously had approved spending up to $1,500 for a training range.
Police officer Brett Blank said the barriers for the shooting range have to be changed due to the sandy ground and soil at the property.
Blank said there will not be concrete barriers due to the soil being unstable. He said instead of concrete blocks, grindings and dirt will be used for the lateral walls to protect the range.
He said most of the dirt will come from a large pile in a section of the cemetery.
Blank said the project will cost less without concrete.
Road Supervisor Martin Nelder said the ground may be dryer and firmer in the spring after the snow and water are gone.
Blank said the range will be 50 feet wide and 22 feet long but with dirt and grindings on the side to prevent bullet ricochets.
Councilman Ron Radtka suggested discussions on who will take care of the range.
Councilman Robert Bond said the village buildings/ grounds committee and the police committee will meet to discuss the project and its foundation.
Mayor Jackie Woodward said the committees will need to revisit the project before a final decision is made.
Police Chief Brent Milhoan said Lordstown police had trained at the Newton Falls shooting range, but when that department ended, the departmnent went to the Austintown Police Department range.
LORDSTOWN ISSUE
Also, Lordstown Fire Chief Travis Eastham said a fire department open house this week allowed the public to have the chance to see what the fire station is like and what the needs are.
Eastham said the public could see the equipment and vehicles.
In Lordstown, a ballot issue in the Nov. 3 election would not increase the amount residents pay toward the fire department. Instead, it would change the language of an existing half-percent tax levy to allow funding to go toward a new fire department building.
Eastham has said some emergency vehicles cannot fit inside the current building, creating a need for more space.
"We’re just trying to get ourselves set for the future where we can fit everything under one roof," Eastham said.
About four potential sites near the village center are under consideration for a new fire department building, but a final location has not been selected.
Eastham explained that when the village approved the half-percent tax in 2023, the ordinance included language about using the money for new buildings and maintenance. However, this language was accidentally left off the actual election ballot, he said.
The fire department portion of a proposed safety services building would be financed through a low-interest U.S. Department of Agriculture loan, with payments coming from the existing levy if the measure passes, Eastham said,
Eastham says the ballot measure is simply a language change and will not add any cost to residents. He said the department has more emergency vehicles than the current building can hold noting fire trucks are much larger than they were back in the 1960s when the station was built.
The department has been struggling for the past 15 to 20 years with a lack of needed space at the Salt Springs Road station, Eastham said. The goal is to bring all first-responder departments together inside a safety services building
Eastham explained that a previous ordinance included language authorizing the use of the money for new buildings and maintenance, but that the language was accidentally left off the ballot in 2023. In May 2023, Lordstown voters approved a 0.5% income tax increase, from 1% to its current 1.5%.
OTHER BUSINESS
Council also approved an agreement with Utility Service Co. for maintenance and tank asset management for the village-owned water tank which is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency with the project needed for improved water distribution.
The cost for the maintenance and tank asset management is $66,448. The water storage tank maintains 3 million gallons of water.
In other business, council:
• Approved seeking a clerk for the planning/ zoning department after Andrew Kozely was terminated from the position effective Oct. 20. Kozely was still in his probationary period.
• Approved $9,800 for Verdantis for engineering work for the site plan for Foxconn.
• Gave first reading to increase the pay of the full-time clerk from $69,243 to $75,663.
• Announced the mobile market 10 to 11:30 a.m. Oct 27 at the Imperial Mobile Home Park.
• Set Christmas tree lighting 6 p.m. Nov 20 at the park next to the fire department.