Latest news with #Ginnetti
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Poland walking bridge at center of concern for village and county
POLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – The damage to what's known as the 'Graffiti Bridge' over Yellow Creek in Poland was enough to even surprise Mayor Tim Sicafuse. 'It's pretty extensive damage. Trees are blocked up into the bridge and underneath it,' Sicafuse said. 'Obviously, the bridge has changed trajectory. Some of the rails are bent, asphalt's leaning and cracked, so it's something we need to address for sure.' In addition to the trees piled up against it, the once level span now has a pronounced arch to it and girders underneath with holes in them and guardrail supports that are no longer connected with beams down below. Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti said a sewer line runs under the bridge, and both are to be replaced using $636,000 in American Rescue Plan funds that were approved in February 2022. 'The bridge is fully designed. The sewer line's designed. It's at the EPA for approval,' Ginnetti said. But Ginnetti's concerned the Village has left the bridge open to pedestrians despite recommendations made to close it. In July of 2021, an official with MS Consultants urged the mayor and council then to shut down the bridge and have it replaced. Two years later, Ginnetti emailed the mayor, calling the bridge a 'major safety issue.' Sicafuse said he was aware of the warnings. 'And I still think, until this happened, it was still safe to just walk across. That's why we did not because there's a lot of people on the other side of this bridge that — up and forth and downtown to school thing like that,' Sicafuse said. Sicafuse said the bridge has been ordered closed. Ginnetti said he is worried the situation could get even worse. 'If the structure comes down and that sewer line goes with it, you're talking a major pollution issue and Yellow Creek leads directly into Hamilton Lake,' Ginnetti said. For now, it's likely that construction of a new bridge won't happen until this fall at the earliest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Issue Two fuels work for Valley projects
(WKBN) – Across the state, voters will decide if a ballot referendum will be re-authorized. It's known as State Issue Two and has been on the books since 1987. If you happen to drive through a local paving, water or sewer line project in the area, chances are that at least some of the money to pay for it came from Issue Two. 'My opinion is this is probably one of the most successful programs that the state of Ohio has ever put out,' said Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti. Issue Two was originally established for road, bridge and infrastructure projects. It has been reauthorized three times and appears again on the May primary ballot. If approved, it would provide $250 million each year for the next 10 years. 'For small communities, it might be the only dollars that they can get to pave a road,' said Hubbard Mayor Ben Kyle. Money from Issue Two is overseen by the Ohio Public Works Commission, which divides the state into 19 districts based on population. Mahoning and Trumbull counties make up District 6. Governments within those districts have their project ideas judged using specific criteria. 'It provides fairness. It takes politics out of the equation and it forces us to come up with good projects,' Ginnetti said. This fiscal year alone, roughly $10.5 million is being used in District 6 to help pay for more than $47 million in construction projects. 'We are able to take these dollars, leverage them to then be able to make our local share for large paving projects and infrastructure improvements, just a little bit less. So, we're able to do more,' Kyle said. In the last year, Hubbard installed new water lines and then repaved both Rebecca and Caroline avenues using Issue Two money. In Mahoning County, Issue Two funds helped replace a pair of bridges in Poland Township, as well as a new wastewater pumping station in Springfield and the widening of Western Reserve Road. 'If we didn't have this, our program's going to shrink drastically,: Ginnetti said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
