WARREN, Ohio - Warren homeowners who want to discuss possible solutions to flooding concerns linked to the city’s sanitary and stormwater system or sidewalk repairs are invited to a town hall style meeting Tuesday night. 

“The city of Warren should be helping our citizens, not hurting them,” Ken MacPherson said, councilman of the fifth ward. 

MacPherson says the city’s sanitary sewer problems have lingered for decades. While he says the EPA is calling them complicated problems, MacPherson believes the issues can be resolved with proper planning. 

He says the city’s $75 million to $100 million federal grant project to address some of Warren’s infrastructure issues needs to be refocused. He believes only 30 percent of the money that will be spent, will address the stormwater and sanitary system's problems. MacPherson says the project is already into phase one and two.

MacPherson would like to see the city turn the project over to the Trumbull County Engineer’s office for an independent study and possibly to handle the entire project.

Tonight he's launching a listening tour to learn more about what residents are dealing with and what changes they would like to see the city tackle.

The public is invited to the meeting that will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Warren City Council Chambers, within the Warren Municipal building. The city’s engineer will be at the meeting for discussion.

When it rains, MacPherson says some people have water back up into their basements. The homes where the water backs up through the walls is the homeowner’s problem to handle, but through the pipes is what he is calling the city’s problem.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO NEW SIDEWALKS

The meeting will also focus on possibly funding a program to make it more affordable for new sidewalks.

MacPherson also suggests the city create a program using American Rescue Plan funding to the tune of $1 million a year for four years to offer paving of sidewalks for a competitive price compared to a private estimate. 

“We should be fixing our neighborhoods, our streets, our sidewalks,” he said.

He says a homeowner in the city was recently quoted $1,600 to pave four blocks of sidewalk, he believes the city could charge closer to $200 and use the money to keep the fund growing over an extended period of time.