BOARDMAN — Many Boardman residents are outraged at the amount of money they have already spent to repair their homes after flash flooding on Sept. 4 and are questioning how they will afford future repairs.

The ABC Water and Stormwater District, which services Boardman, is also questioning how it can afford to make repairs to its system in an effort to avoid another disaster.

The district, which encompasses Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships, began receiving money to operate in 2018. Before its creation, the townships would have to spend money out of their general funds to pay for stormwater system repairs. Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree, who is also on the board of directors for the ABC, said at that time, Boardman would have to make the decision between street resurfacing and fixing storm water lines.

ABC was formed in 2003, but did not begin any projects until 2018, because it was awaiting an Ohio Supreme Court decision to determine if it could even exist. Loree said the district chose not to collect fees during those first 15 years because if the court had come back with a decision that said the district could not exist, it would have had to pay back all the money it collected with no revenue stream.

“We’re relatively small as an operation, but it’s a start,” Loree said.

When the district could begin projects five years ago, it soon became overwhelmed with the amount of repairs or replacements needed for the system because the funds it brings in relative to the cost of projects needed is low. The district collects $1 million from Boardman residents and $260,000 from Canfield Township residents each year.

Austintown is not levying a fee. The money collected from each community can be used only on projects in that community. Loree said the only time funds would be combined is if a project affects multiple townships.

This leaves Boardman with just $1 million per year for use to complete projects that Loree said cost anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000 or more.

Almost all the stormwater lines in the township were installed between the 1930s and 1990s. Loree said the only exception to this is a development put in in 2010 off Western Reserve Road. These older lines are made mostly of either clay or metal. Now, plastic lines are installed because they last longer.

In a Boardman Township trustees meeting Monday, during which Loree gave a presentation on the work ABC has been doing, he displayed a metal pipe that had been in the ground for about 10 years. It had been partially flattened and rusted.

“We are dealing with pipes that were put in at different times and under different regulations,” Loree said.

Flash flooding has been an issue in Boardman for years. In 2018, 2019, and then again earlier this month, the township received a downpour of 4 inches in just three hours, which the stormwater system is not equipped to deal with.

To get more funds to revive the antiquated system, Loree said there are two options: increase the fees residents pay towards the district, or create a regional or countywide approach to the problem. He said he does not want to do the first because the people of Boardman have already paid enough for storms.

Currently, the district employs three part-time staffers and has a board of directors made up of the township administrators from Austintown, Boardman and Canfield. By creating a regional system for stormwater, the district could have more hands on the problem and would have more money in cases of emergencies.

“I would love to hire a full-time director to work for this district, but that would take $100,000 to $120,000 away from projects every year,” Loree said.

He said in an ABC board of directors meeting Tuesday that storm water does not care about county, township or municipal boundaries. By approaching the issue from a county or regional view, storm water systems could better ensure that storm water from one area is not negatively affecting another. Loree said that even if the district could pump water out of Boardman faster, it would have to go somewhere and then could negatively impact another community.

A different approach could also help spark more community support and involvement. At the board meeting, several residents said they would be interested in starting a community group to assist the district. They could take the part of a fundraising committee or an advisory council, or could act in some other capacity. No decisions have yet been made.

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