BOARDMAN A donation made to Boardman Township will allow for undeveloped land to stay in its natural state.
Township Administrator Jason Loree said the approximate 20 acres are located behind the new Meijer building on U.S. Route 224. Meijer previously purchased some 40 acres, and developed nearly half with the intent to donate the remaining portion to the township, Loree said.
A conservancy is attached to the remaining part of the land, which means it cannot be developed.
“This is something Meijer said they would do when they were building, and they are doing just that,” Loree said.
In the future, the land could be transferred to the ABC Stormwater District “to further protect that property from any future development,” Loree told trustees.
BOARDMAN Funding for the demolition of four homes in Boardman Township now is secured.
By tearing them down, the plan is to help reduce localized flooding, said Marilyn Kenner, township road superintendent.
A little more than $800,000 in grants have been awarded for the homes at 230 and 241 S. Cadillac Drive, and 230 and 233 Wildwood Drive.
Appraisals of the houses were approved for the Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, which will cover costs for the purchases, demolitions and regrading of each propery located within the Cranberry Run water course.
Once the homes are gone, the properties will be graded and become a two-stage channel so water stays put within the area rather than flooding adjacent homes.