MAHONING VALLEY
ODOT updates for regional roads
n The Ohio Department of Transportation is announcing the following road-construction updates in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties for December and beyond. ODOT will not issue weekly construction updates during winter months. When the construction season begins in spring 2022, updates will resume. MAHONING COUNTY Ongoing: State Route 7 resurfacing, Beaver Township. State Route 7, between the Columbiana County line and state Route 164, has various lane restrictions. Estimated completion is early December 2021. TRUMBULL COUNTY New: State Route 7 retaining wall, Kinsman Township. State Route 7, between state Route 87 and the Ashtabula County line, is now open. New: Warner Road bridge replacement, Fowler and Hartford townships. Warner Road, between Cadwallader Sonk Road and state Route 305, is closed through mid-December for a bridge replacement. The detour is King Graves Road, to Sodom Hutchings Road, to Wilson Sharpsville Road. Estimated completion is early December 2021. COLUMBIANA COUNTY Ongoing: U.S. 30/state Route 7 interchange ramp closure. The state Route 7 south/state Route 39 west ramp, from U.S. Route 30 east, is closed for 45 days. The detour is east on U.S. 30 to Jackson Street, Jackson Street to U.S. 30 west, and U.S. 30 west to the state Route 7 south/state Route 39 west ramp. The completion date is Oct. 31, 2022. Ongoing: U.S. 30/state Route 39 westbound utility bridge rehabilitation. The bridge rehabilitation is
located at the Ohio/West Virginia state line. Two, 12-foot lanes of traffic are maintained. The scheduled completion date is Nov. 30, 2021. Ongoing: Elizabeth Street bridge replacement in East Liverpool. The completion date is July 31, 2022.
Commission OKs $130k grant to YSRR
The Ohio Rail Development Commission on Wednesday approved a $130,000 grant to the Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad to stabilize a railroad embankment in Columbiana County. The project involves engineering and permit coordination, restoration of a stream to its previous location, embankment stabilization and related work. The Youngstown and Southeastern Railroad is a subsidiary of the Midwest and Bluegrass Rail. Over the past several years, the course of Little Bull Creek, adjacent to YSRR’s line near Rogers in Columbiana County, changed course. The stream was directly against a YSRR embankment, which caused erosion. YSRR’s previous owner had attempted to prevent continued erosion by placing large concrete blocks against the embankment and partially in the new channel of the stream. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers became aware of this activity, which is considered an unauthorized fill in a regulated waterway and thus a violation of the Clean Water Act. The Corps of Engineers ordered the railroad to remove the unauthorized fill, which necessitated a long-term solution that would comply with applicable regulations. “The YSRR is grateful for Ohio Rail Development Commission assistance in resolving the Little Bull Creek embankment issue in Rogers, Ohio,” said Brendan Keener, Business Development Manager and Government
ELECTRONIC IMAGE COURTESY OF YSU
Students in YSU professor Dragana Crnjak’s Mural and Site-Specific Painting class last month completed painting the Andrews Avenue Memory Mural Project, a collaborative partnership between Lit Youngstown and the YSU Department of Art. The public art project, also supported by Youngstown Cityscape and the Andrews Avenue Business Group, is located in the Andrews Avenue corridor. A Neighborhood SUCCESS Grant from the Raymond J. Wean Foundation supports the project. Affairs, Midwest and Bluegrass Rail. “Addressing this situation will mitigate the possibility of a service outage and ensure YSRR’s continued operation to serve customers across the southern portion of its system from Rogers, Ohio to Darlington, Pennsylvania.” “This project is an excellent example of how investments in shortline railroads in the state have positive impacts on the region. By improving the rail infrastructure, ORDC is not only leveraging railroad investment but also increasing safety on the line and continuing service to the railroad’s customers who depend on it,” said Matthew Dietrich, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission. For Information regarding this project or for information on ORDC, contact Wende Jourdan at 614-728-9497.
Scrappers seek host families for 2022
n The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are looking for families interested in hosting a player during the 2022 Scrappers season. Since the Scrappers’ inaugural season in 1999, families in the Mahoning Valley hosted and provided a supportive atmosphere for players. In addition to life-long memories, host families receive the following: • Complimentary season tickets. • Parking pass. • Use of a suite for a game. • Discounts on concessions and merchandise. • On-field recognition at a game. • Eastwood Mall gift card.
If you are interested and would like to more information, contact Roxanne Polichetti at 330-505-0000 or email rherrington@mvscrappers.com. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are set to open the 2022 season at Eastwood Field on June 2 against the West Virginia Black Bears. Opening Night will feature post-game fireworks and Buck Night. Scrappers ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities are on sale now. To stay up to date with the Scrappers in the off-season or for more information, visit Visit mvscrapmetromonthly.net pers.com or or follow us contact the on Facebook front office for more at 330-505news and photos. 0000.
OUTREACH
Where to find food pantries in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana counties
S
econd Harvest Food Bank distributes food to member agencies in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties. To find the pantry nearest to you, visit http:// hhcc.bowmansystems.com to see agency listings. You may also call the Help Network at 211 or call the numbers below: n Columbiana County: 330-747-2696 or 330-424-7767; n Mahoning County: 330-747-2696; n Trumbull County: 330-393-1565. Second Harvest Food Bank also operates mobile pantries. The Mobile Pantry Program brings truckloads of food directly to people living in rural areas who would oth-
erwise go hungry. Each county has links to pantry locations and hours. Visit https:// mahoningvalleysecondharvest.org/programsand-services/need-food-assistance for information. Pantries are listed below. Monthly rural pantries n
Hanoverton/Columbiana
County
Fellowship of the Beloved, 13696 Bethesda Road, Hanoverton, Ohio 44423. 10 a.m.-noon, the second Thursday of each month. Bring a photo I.D. n Goshen Township/Mahoning County
Bunker Hill United Methodist Church, 15096 W. Middletown Road, Beloit, Ohio 44609. 10 a.m.-noon, the second
mestic hunger-relief charity. Second Harvest solicits, stores, and distributes food to hunger-relief organizations in Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties and provides education and advocacy. Second Harvest is a storehouse for large quantities of donated food and USDA commodities that are distributed to 160 hunger-relief organizations and programs located throughout its tri-county service area. Member agencies include church pantries, homeless shelters and soup kitchens, shelters for battered women and afterschool programs. To make a financial contribution, visit https://mahoningvalleysecondharvest.org/.
Friday of each month. Bring a photo I.D. n Mecca/Trumbull County. Mecca Community Church, 5920 Phillips-Rice Road, Cortland, Ohio 44410. 10 a.m.noon, the second Tuesday of each month. Bring a photo I.D. About Second Harvest – Second Harvest Food Bank is a member food bank of Feeding America, the nation’s leading doDECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 METROMONTHLY.NET 9
