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Warren Township trustees urge commissioners to cut Metroparks funding over Levitsburg dam dispute
Summary
Warren Township officials and trustees urged the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners to withhold Metroparks budget funding until the Metroparks halt plans to remove the Levitsburg dam; trustees said the EPA told them there are options that might avoid dam removal and cost taxpayers nothing.
Residents and township officials told the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners on Thursday that the Trumbull County Metroparks should not receive the county funding they requested unless the parks board halts plans to remove the Levitsburg (Levetsburg) dam.
Jason Minor, speaking for Warren Township, said the township trustees had submitted a letter asking commissioners to give Metroparks a $0 county budget and argued the Metroparks’ campaign to remove the dam is "dangerous and irresponsible." Minor said the 2022 levy supporting the Metroparks failed widely across the county and urged commissioners to consider that in budget decisions: "So, again, we're request a $0 budget so they cannot continue, this crusade." (public comment)
Kaye Anderson, a Warren Township trustee, told commissioners she had arranged a virtual meeting offer from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in which an EPA deputy director would explain options tied to a federal grant. Anderson said the EPA described alternatives that could allow the grant to be modified without additional county expense and that the agency "stated that they had no interest in whether the dam was removed or stayed." Anderson asked the commissioners to allow township representatives and park board members to attend that meeting before the county acts on Metroparks’ budget request.
Commissioner Denny Malloy said he had engaged the governor’s office and the EPA to arrange a virtual briefing and asked that the county attorney or staff attend. President Rick Hernandez said the board hopes a virtual meeting and review of a DLZ study and EPA input could lead to a peaceful resolution. Commissioners did not take any formal vote to alter the Metroparks’ budget in Thursday’s meeting; commissioners said they will seek the EPA briefing and additional written materials before making budget decisions.
Trustees and some residents also raised technical concerns cited in prior engineering and sanitary reviews — including possible road structural issues, septic and well‑water impacts, and insurance/liability costs if ownership were transferred — and urged commissioners to press the Metroparks for alternatives such as a "rock ripple" approach that trustees say would reduce undertow and cost substantially less than full removal.
The Metroparks board and its president were referenced in public comment but did not appear at the meeting. Commissioners said they had DLZ study copies in the office and expected additional information from the EPA virtual meeting if it is scheduled.
