Bristol

WHAT: Board of education meeting Feb. 11

PRESENT: Don Mickel, Candy Bernus, Kristina Stephens and Jared Bilas

ABSENT: Brooke Vondrasek

The board:

• Recognized former board member Scott Chapman for 11 years of service.

• Approved the 2026-27 school calendar with the first day for students Aug. 19 and the last day May 21, 2027.

• Approved the trade-in of a 2012 school bus and a 2014 bus as part of a bus purchase from Rush Bus Centers. The total trade-in amount that the district will receive is $1,500.

• Accepted the resignation of Larry Richardson as Bristol Public Library Board Trustee.

• Approved the district’s membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the 2026-27 school year.

• Approved administering required third-grade English language arts and mathematics assessments in paper format.

• Approved the May 19 field trip for first grade to the Olympic Fun Center in Hermitage, Pa.

— Bob Coupland

Trumbull County

WHAT: Commissioners weekly workshop meeting Wednesday

PRESENT: Rick Hernandez, Denny Malloy and Tony Bernard

Commissioners:

• Announced that Trumbull County Planning Commission Executive Director Julie Green will be recognized by the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown Women’s Hall of Fame on March 19 for her dedication to public service.

• Heard from Hernandez that he is working to set up a meeting with members of the Mahoning County and Trumbull County commissioners during which they can discuss common agendas and find ways to work together for the benefit of the entire Mahoning Valley. Commissioner Tony Bernard suggested a possible site for the meeting could be the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, since both communities have interest in its expansion.

• Announced township trustees are set to meet with commissioners on Feb. 25 in Howland township concerning their budgets because of a proposal affecting property and sales taxes. The commissioners met with several school district superintendents and treasurers earlier this month.

• Authorized a letter being written to support McDonald Village’s request to receive state funding to resurface and revitalize its tennis, pickleball and basketball courts.

• Approved the advertisement of a 5 p.m., March 3, public hearing for the 2026 Trumbull County Community Development Block Grant program to be held at 45 North Road.

• Approved using a $48,500 professional service agreement with Smolen Engineering Ltd. of Jefferson, Ohio, to provide engineering services for the Newton Falls covered bridge enhancement project.

— Raymond L. Smith

Newton Falls

WHAT: Village council meeting Wednesday

PRESENT: Brian Axiotis, Brian Kropp, Kevin Rufener, Julie Stimpert and Mayor David Hanson

ABSENT: Bob Burke

Council:

• Approved up to $430 for registration and lodging for Kropp to attend the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s drive-in event March 10-11 in Columbus. Kropp said he will be able to meet with state legislators to address issues affecting Newton Falls. He said the village has not had a representative on such a chamber event before.

• Tabled by a 3-1 vote until the March 4 meeting an ordinance for an electrical pole attachment agreement, which will receive a legal review. Kropp said language and other information needs to be changed in the ordinance to protect the village. Hanson said the village owns the poles and has control over what companies are attached to them. Stimpert voted against tabling.

• Heard from Stimpert the joint fire district discussed difficulty in covering shifts at the fire department due to staffing shortage. She said that during one week on weekdays there were 56 open shifts and 22 open shifts on the weekend. In January, the department received 22 mutual aid assists but gave only three assists to other departments. Stimpert said the staff shortage issue is nationwide.

• Heard from Axiotis that it is difficult for one zoning inspector to do an annual inspection of all the properties in the community and noted 60% of those are rental properties. Kropp said council members would like to receive a monthly report from the zoning inspector on what items and issues are being addressed.

— Bob Coupland

Mecca

WHAT: Township trustees meeting Feb. 11

PRESENT: Tom Domes, Christen Clemson and Dan Gladd

Trustees:

• Opted to postpone a decision on the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office contract until the March 10 meeting.

• Passed a resolution ratifying the agreement with Phillips-Sekanick Architects extending the septic / wastewater bid submission deadline to March 6 after no bids were received by the Feb. 2 deadline. Trustees approved the firm to reissue the septic / wastewater bid.

• Authorized the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office to advertise bids for the Ohio Public Works Commission Geauga-Portage Easterly Road paving project.

• Heard from Domes about trustees inviting public input for the design of a Mecca Township seal or logo. A sample design was circulated for review.

• Heard from Gladd about updating the township’s letterhead.

• Heard from Domes and Gladd, who attended the Emergency Management Agency Advisory Board meeting Jan. 28. Gladd was appointed to the EMA Executive Board for a two-year term. Gladd also spoke about various programs available to the township through the Trumbull County EMA, including township IDs.

• Heard from Domes and Gladd who attended the Ohio Township Association annual winter conference in Columbus. Domes reviewed upcoming Americans with Disabilities Act compliance requirements for township websites and social media to meet U.S. Department of Justice standards.

• Heard from Domes the Ohio Department of Natural Resources funded observation tower project at Mosquito Lake will not be completed. ODNR is exploring alternative improvements near the northeast end of the causeway, including the addition of a fishing pier and / or playground. Domes reported that ODNR will shift some hydrilla mitigation funding from Mosquito Lake to Springfield Lake, a private lake within the Lake Erie Watershed. ODNR officials believe early treatment of Springfield Lake will help control the spread of hydrilla more effectively.

• Passed a resolution granting all elected township officials access to Strategic Solutions, the township’s digital records storage system, provided no additional fees are incurred.

• Passed a resolution to renew a four-year agreement with MediCount to continue providing billing for the township’s EMS transports.

• Passed a resolution to opt-in to the Trumbull County natural gas aggregation program.

• Approved the 2025 Ohio Department of Transportation mileage certification, confirming that Mecca maintains 14.798 miles of township roads.

• Approved the purchase of cameras with GPS trackers for the township’s three road department vehicles.

• Scheduled a workshop for 10 a.m. Saturday at the township hall on the Town Hall/ Daycare Center project, beautification of Mecca Center, the sidewalk project, updates to the township handbook, employee job descriptions and the sheriff’s contract.

— Bob Coupland

Lordstown

WHAT: Village council meeting Tuesday

PRESENT: Robert Bond, Mark McGrail, Lamar Liming, Jamie Moseley, Jessica Blank, Ron Radtka and Mayor Jackie Woodward

Council:

• Approved settling a pending dispute with Michele Mercer and the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association by selling Mercer her duty gun for $1. Mercer worked for the police department and wanted to purchase her gun and when council voted last year not to sell it, she filed a grievance.

• Approved the purchase of an additional 420 tons of salt from the Trumbull County engineer at $48.99 per ton. The village previously purchased 2,800 tons of salt from the engineer’s office for the winter season and has used a lot because of heavy snowfall and ice the past few months. Road Supervisor Martin Nelder said the village is allowed to purchase 15% more, noting the dome will be filled with salt.

• Heard from Radtka that the planning / zoning committee has been discussing updating the comprehensive plan with future plans to put the project out for bids. He said there also was discussion to increase the rear-usage fee for property owners from 10% to 25%.

• Hired Anthony Fairbanks as a firefighter / paramedic and accepted the resignation of Dustin Hajnosz from the planning / zoning board.

• Approved advertising for an assistant planning / zoning administrator.

• Heard from Woodward the utility committee will review the electrical aggregation contract with Energy Harbor, which expires in 12 months.

• Heard from Village Engineer Chris Kogelnik that there are state capital budget funds available for community improvement projects such as work in the parks.

• Passed a motion opposing First Energy Corps’ proposed company-wide reliability performance standards changes and revisions before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and asking PUCO to reject or substantially modify the proposed changes.

— Bob Coupland