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Commissioners approve OPWC grant slate for sewer and road projects; engineers outline costs and a property dispute tied to a consent decree
Summary
County sanitary and highway engineers described a slate of OPWC grant applications including Crane Drive, Caleb Road sewer project and a highway project; project costs and available funds were discussed and engineers also briefed the board on a property-owner dispute tied to a consent-decree sewer project.
Trumbull County engineers briefed commissioners on grant applications to the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) and on planned road program designations for 2026, and they reported on a contentious property dispute tied to a sewer consent decree.
Grant slate and budgets: Gary Newbrough and Gary Schaefer (engineer’s offices) presented a joint resolution listing county projects for the OPWC funding round. The county ranked Crane Drive as its top project and listed a second highway project and the Caleb Road sewer project as subsequent priorities. Project funding requests discussed included about $750,000 for Crane Drive, $750,000 for the Caleb Road sewer project and an $800,000 request referenced for another project; the speakers said the total request package would be roughly $2.3 million. Engineers told commissioners that OPWC funds were larger this year (they cited roughly $1.4 million additional funds available in the regional pot), increasing the odds for more than one award. Engineers said Crane Drive has new permitting and permissions in place that should improve its score compared with last year.
2026 road program: The county’s 2026 road program was described; engineers said they reserve the right to make last-minute changes but listed candidate roads including Amines Road (east of 46 in Hubbard) and Marjorie Road from 62 to Chestnut Road. The OPWC application scoring process includes multiple scoring rounds; engineers said awards would likely be known in November.
Sewer project dispute and consent decree: Sanitary engineer staff summarized a dispute with a property owner (identified in the transcript as Mr. Howard) who questioned whether the county’s work remained under a health-department consent decree and raised concerns about trees removed in the public right-of-way. Engineers and county staff said the work is part of a consent-decree project and that the EPA and their staff affirm the county’s authority and obligations under the court order. The property owner has requested public records and raised objections; sanitary engineers said staff had responded and tried to limit conversational engagement.
Why this matters: OPWC funding and road program awards determine county capital improvements and sewer upgrade sequencing. The consent-decree discussion signals possible legal and public-relations work for the county as it proceeds on sewer improvements.
Ending: Engineers asked commissioners to adopt the joint resolution for the OPWC application slate and to authorize related submittals; the transcript excerpt shows the projects described and budget figures but does not include a formal recorded vote on that specific joint resolution in the provided excerpt.
