Commissioners press for sewer and water groundwork, plan appeal to Eastgate on Crane Drive funding

At the Oct. 17 meeting the Trumbull County Board of Commissioners used its regular agenda time to underscore a strategic priority: expanding sewer and water infrastructure to enable housing and economic development.

One commissioner said the county must "lay the groundwork" for future development and described a planned appeal to Eastgate and the state reviewers concerning the Crane Drive sanitary project, which the board identified as its top priority among several projects under consideration. The transcript shows the board planned to make an appeal the next day and to press the scoring committee to reconsider the project's importance for housing and public‑health needs.

Commissioners discussed the complexity of juggling multiple funding sources and deadlines. A county official noted that OPWC extensions have been granted in the past and argued the county's sanitary engineer has managed those timelines. The board framed the appeal as emphasizing the project's broader economic and housing benefits, not only its public‑health rationale.

No formal vote on the appeal was recorded in the meeting minutes; commissioners described the appeal as an imminent administrative step. The board encouraged continued coordination with the sanitary engineering department and regional partners to align funding timing and called the Crane Drive project the county’s highest current priority for sewer infrastructure.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: the county planned to present before the Eastgate scoring body the following day and to continue coordination with the sanitary engineer on matching multiple funding sources.