MetroParks agrees to review demolition options and costs

Warren Township resident Byron Shutt, left, stands near the wall and tells Trumbull County MetroParks board members his concerns about the Leavittsburg Dam removal. More than 50 residents, along with county and township officials, attended the nearly two-hour meeting Thursday at Kent State University in Trumbull in Champion. Seated at right is park board member Steve Maas.

CHAMPION — The Trumbull County MetroParks Board will examine costs as well as alternatives to removing the Leavittsburg Dam after hearing from numerous residents and county and town officials who want the dam to remain.

More than 50 people, along with Warren Township trustees, county commissioners and county engineer officials, gathered Thursday for a meeting of the MetroParks board of directors, which has moved to Kent State University in Trumbull.

While Leavittsburg and some town residents want the dam to remain intact, Braceville residents want the dam removed to alleviate flooding problems.

MetroParks, which owns the dam, is scheduled to remove it in 2025, but trustees had previously submitted an alternative study by DLZ that offered other options. DLZ is an engineering, architecture, survey and construction firm based in Columbus.

The cost of the study was covered by the county commissioners and the county engineer’s office.

The MetroParks board voted to proceed with dam removal in April 2021.

Park board member Steve Maas, who said he researched low-level dams, said he learned they were known as dams. “drowning machines” He gave the example of a woman who went underwater in her canoe after crossing the Summit Street dam in 2020.

That dam has since been removed.

Maas said the age of the Leavittsburg Dam, built in 1909, is concerning.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, there have been 1,400 deaths at low-rise dams in the last 20 years.

“This is a very troubled area with the potential for serious injury or death. We received funding to alleviate this problem,” Maas said.

Commissioner Denny Malloy said 76 people drowned in Mosquito Lake, but “We will not dry up Mosquito Lake.”

MEET DLZ OFFICIALS

Park board member Kurt Sauer said the DLZ study offers alternatives. He said the park board has a contract for services related to planning for the dam removal.

“The question is, can the board consider or undertake any of the alternatives to dam removal without putting the board and potentially the county at financial risk due to the contracts in place?” said Sauer. “There are consequences for postponing or terminating the contract.”

Sauer said $589,000 was spent on design work, plus more than $500,000 in contract damages, grant money to terminate the project and return it to the Environmental Protection Agency and possible fines.

“We are concerned about whether the EPA grant will meet the scoring criteria for the newly proposed solution that would allow funds to be used for any alternative construction,” Sauer said.

Sauer asked if DLZ representatives could meet with the park board and offer insight into the cost of alternatives.

Park board member John Brown said his decision in April 2021 was to do what was best for all county residents.

“There is nothing I have seen or read in the DLZ study that would change my mind or opinion on this issue.” Brown said.

Park board President Randy Fabrizio said the board is willing to listen to residents’ concerns but has discussed the dam in 14 park board meetings starting in 2019.

He said the Ohio EPA and Eastgate held a public meeting about the dam in October 2019.

Trumbull Engineer Randy Smith said there would be concerns about the safety of roads near the dam if it were removed.

Residents said they are concerned about the mess that would result if the dam was removed, just as removing the dam on Summit Street caused a muddy mess.

“You’ve already decided what you’re going to do. You don’t care about Leavittsburg,” said the calm Victoria Romack.

Sauer said the board is listening to residents’ input and then will discuss what the next step will be.

Warren Trustee Ed Anthony said residents have not been able to get a response from the park board.

“If you look at Summit Street where the dam comes out, I would say we all know where the water is going. You might call it the Mahoning Creek, not the Mahoning River,” Anthony said.

Trustee Kay Anderson said at a public meeting with the EPA and Eastgate in 2019 that residents and county officials opposed dam removal.

“We have been listening to our residents who do not want this dam to be removed for more than four years,” he said.

Attorney Tom Wilson, who represents the commissioners, said if changes are made to the dam project, the changes must be provided to the EPA before the project grant can be modified.

Fabrizio said if the dam is removed, the EPA will provide funds to assist with the cleanup.