WARREN TOWNSHIP — Trustees have decided to end their fight to save the Leavittsburg Dam after appeals they have filed to stop the demolition have been denied by the courts and financial costs to take it to the Ohio Supreme Court would be too high.

Trustee Chairman Ryan Yoho said trustees met Friday in executive session with their legal counsel before voting unanimously to end the fight to stop the demolition of the dam, which will begin this summer.

Yoho said the township has spent $50,000 since 2019 to fight the demolition and after two attempts to stop or delay the demolition were denied in court, trustees felt no more taxpayer money should be spent.

He said to appeal the matter to the Ohio Supreme Court would have cost another $50,000 or more.

“It is very disheartening. The trustees and many residents wanted to see the dam stay, but we can’t go any further and spend more taxpayer dollars,” Yoho said.

He said trustees continued to fight the dam’s removal because residents said that is what they wanted.

Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, an appellate court and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Review Appeals Commission all ruled against the township’s appeals, allowing for the demolition to move forward.

Yoho said trustees have spent the past six years on legal proceedings to stop the demolition, but it is an uphill battle they will not be able to win.

The Leavittsburg Dam is owned by the Trumbull County MetroParks, which voted in December to proceed with the demolition because of safety concerns.

Trustee Ed Anthony said previously there are concerns with the water level of the Mahoning River becoming lower and creating embankment issues. The metroparks have begun sediment removal at the dam, with the demolition expected later this summer.

He said the dam is expected to be taken out in August or September.

Anthony said he is concerned about the discharge from the homes when the river level goes down and what health concerns there may be since the sewer project will not be done for at least two or more years.

He said trustees agreed that already two appeals have been denied and it would be expensive to pay for an appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court.

“We can’t spend any more of the taxpayers money. I know many residents wanted us to see what we could do to stop the demolition. We can’t afford to go any further. We did what we could and unfortunately this is the end result,’ Anthony said.

He said the Ohio EPA has also provided funds to the metroparks for the dam’s removal

Anthony said he remembers an 18-member committee was formed in 2020 for residents to look at options for keeping the dam in place.

While many residents of Warren Township have mostly supported keeping the dam, residents in neighboring Braceville Township have wanted to see it taken down, saying it will help alleviate constant flooding issues.

Work is to set begin on a new sewage treatment plant in the nearby Meadowbrook area that officials said will take about two years to complete.

Trustees next scheduled meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday.