At the Township Trustees meeting held on February 13, 2017, the elected officials received notification from Police Chief Jack Nichols that he will retire on January 6, 2018.

Over his 40-year career with the Boardman Township Police Department, Chief Nichols has held the positions of Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Chief. He was also assigned to the Special Operations Division as a Detective and completed the Federal Bureau of Investigations Training Program.

Most recently, as Police Chief he was instrumental in determining the need for a new county-wide radio dispatching initiative. The Joint Communications Center, which was designed to improve radio communications across Mahoning County, was developed with the Council of Governments created with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, Boardman Township and Austintown Township. This attention to the needs of our community and our safety forces will improve communications for generations to come.

Other notable accomplishments in Chief Nichols’ career include his leadership in:

• Developing Boardman’s Care Call system, which gives senior citizens and citizens with disabilities the option to request a daily safety call to their residence
• Working with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to establish a Prescription Drug Drop-Off box for disposal of outdated medications
• Increasing the number of School Resource Officers in the Boardman Local School District with support from federal grants and cooperative agreements with the School District
• Rebuilding the Police Department with the help of a community-supported Police Levy that allowed the Board of Trustees to hire 15 additional police officers and purchase the equipment necessary to re-establish a positive police presence.

Upon receiving Chief Nichols’ retirement letter, Board Chair Tom Costello stated “It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside Chief Nichols over the years. While he will not be retiring until January, and while I wish him every future success, he will be sorely missed.” Vice Chair Brad Calhoun said “Under Chief Nichols’ leadership, I am always confident that the safety of our community is in steady hands. I’m happy for him, but will miss him.” Trustee Larry Moliterno stated “I have had many opportunities to work with Chief Nichols over the years. I will miss his professionalism, his leadership and his community involvement.”

The Township’s elected officials will begin a search for a new Police Chief over the course of the next several months and will be looking at both internal and external candidates. Those interested in the position should contact Jason Loree at the the Boardman Township Government Center by calling 330-726-4150 ext. 61817, or by emailing jloree@boardmantwp.com or visiting the Township’s website, www.boardmantwp.com.

Pictured in the photo, L–R: Township Trustees Larry Moliterno and Brad Calhoun, Police Chief Jack Nichols, Township Fiscal Officer William Leicht and Township Trustee Tom Costello.

from The Vindicator, January 29, 2017
by Kalea Hall and Jordan Grzelewski

A craft beer bar, a redeveloped plaza and a new restaurant are just a few of the projects coming to the township this year.

The new and improved features are in line with an effort township officials have been focusing on the last few years: redevelopment.

The zoning office is increasingly turning its attention to economic development – reinvestments from businesses already here or attracting new ones.

Businesses and developers are following suit.

CTW Development Corp. of Boardman will start the redevelopment of the plaza at the corner of U.S. Route 224 and Tiffany South Boulevard this week.

The plaza, which houses a Dunkin’ Donuts, Papa John’s Pizza, Subway and other businesses, will be knocked down. A new plaza will be constructed before the old one is gone, and a stand-alone Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-thru will be built.

The new plaza, at 19,700 square feet, will feature about 10 storefronts, with most of the current occupants expected to stay.

The Dunkin’ will be 2,400 square feet and will have a drive-thru to accommodate 14 vehicles. The current plaza occupies 34,000 square feet.

“It will be more efficient,” said Chuck Whitman, president of CTW. “We are really excited about it.”

When complete, the plaza will be referred to as 1301 Tiffany Plaza. It is supposed to be finished this year.

“That whole plan … will make it look really nice,” said Krista Beniston, township zoning and development director.

The Casual Pint

A new, family-friendly craft beer market is coming to the township.

“We are a Starbucks for craft beer,” said Justin Homer, the Boardman Casual Pint franchise owner. “It’s an amazing setup. We are ecstatic to bring this to the area. It’s something special that I think will really take off in this area.”

The Casual Pint of Youngstown will be located in the Shops at Boardman Park between Sally’s Beauty Supply and Lane Bryant.

The first Casual Pint opened in 2011 in Knoxville, Tenn. At The Casual Pint, customers can purchase pints, buy canned and bottled beers and create their own six-packs. Growlers and kegs also are offered. Light-food menu options also will be available.

“We will be dealing U.S. beers and European beers,” Homer said. “Our focus is to help the local breweries grow a little bit, whether that’s in Ohio or Pennsylvania. That’s the beauty of this concept. This area here has the ability to pull a lot of beer from a lot of different places.”

The Casual Pint of Youngstown is about 3,000 square feet and will feature an outdoor patio. Homer would like to have the beer market open by mid-March.

BJ’S Restaurant and Brewhouse

A BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse will open in April at the site of the now-shuttered Cheddar’s Casual Cafe, 7327 Market St.

BJ’s purchased the land, knocked down the former restaurant and built new. BJ’s, a California-based chain with 177 restaurants in 23 states, submitted construction plans to the Boardman Zoning Department in July 2016.

BJ’s first opened in the late 1970s at locations on the coast of Southern California. It has seven locations in Ohio. The Boardman BJ’s will feature the restaurant’s 130-plus-item menu, including its well-known deep-dish pizza and craft beer.

Hiring for BJ’s will begin in March. It hires between 150 to 200 people for each new restaurant. For information go to: careers.workatbjs.com.

GetGo

Giant Eagle still plans to bring a new GetGo location to the township.

“We remain excited to eventually bring Boardman, Ohio, the GetGo Cafe + Market experience,” said Dan Donovan, director of corporate communications for Giant Eagle, in a statement to The Vindicator. “We continue to work with state and local officials to finalize plans for the site at California Avenue and Southern Boulevard and look forward to beginning construction in the coming months.”

The Pittsburgh-based company applied to build the new location at the busy intersection in 2014. The GetGo will feature a restaurant, convenience store and fueling station.

Being Proactive

Going forward, township officials plan to devote more attention to economic development. When Beniston took over leadership of the zoning office last year, for example, she took on a new duty: development director.

“We added that on there because that’s essentially what we’re doing here in the township,” said township Administrator Jason Loree. “We want to have a stronger thought process for our development.”

Beniston said her goal is to be more proactive about development opportunities, rather than just giving out permits to businesses that reach out to her office.

A longer-term goal, she said, is to revitalize a business corridor township officials believe has enormous potential: the stretch of Market Street north of Route 224.

She and Loree envision the corridor as someday being walkable, similar (on a smaller scale) to places like Columbus’ High Street.

Market Street Model

Whereas much of the township features large-scale commercial properties, Beniston said that area would be ideal for a different model.

“I think it really could be a mixed-use, walking corridor,” she said.

“I’ve seen it in other communities,” Loree said. “Can it work on Market Street? I believe it can. … It’s an exciting prospect.”

Realization of that vision is a long while out, but Beniston would like to start planning this year.

“I don’t want to say this is something we’re absolutely going to do, but I want to explore it,” Loree said. “You don’t want to sit here and not think about those things.”

The Boardman 2021 Plan was developed by township officials to communicate the priorities and objectives of the Township. The Boardman 2021 plan will provide not only the vision but the mission of the Township Trustees and Fiscal Officer for the next five years.

Boardman Township residents may now recycle their household batteries at the Township Administration Building located at 8299 Market Street.

The following types of batteries will be accepted:

• AA, AAA, C and D batteries
• 9-volt (rectangular) batteries
• Button batteries (from hearing aids, watches, etc.)
• Ni-Cad batteries from your household electronics

(Note: Lead-acid and fluid-type batteries are not accepted.)

Township Trustee Larry Moliterno renamed Boardman as “Meat Town USA” on Wednesday for Arby’s grand reopening on U.S. Route 224.

The fast-food restaurant got its start in Boardman 52 years ago.

“Today’s grand opening celebrates the restaurant chain’s rich heritage and brings together the many dedicated employees who were instrumental in building the foundation of one of the country’s leading restaurant chains,” he said. “We are very, very proud of the history and partnership with Arby’s.”

Arby’s, 29 Boardman-Canfield Road, was first opened in 1964 by brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel of New Castle., Pa., across from the current location on Market Street and Route 224 – where Wild Birds Unlimited is now.

Moliterno said the trustees are working diligently toward putting a historical marker on the original property to represent the start of the restaurant chain which was originally named RB’s for the Raffel brothers.

The restaurant had a soft opening Nov. 28 and gave the first 50 guests free Arby’s meals.

Arby’s CEO Paul Brown said the restaurant’s upgrade has been something long awaited.

“It’s great to finally see the excitement from the community that it has around it,” he said.

Brown was excited about the new look – the “Inspire” design.

A high-topped wood surfaced table in the center of the restaurant offsets red metal chairs and black accents on the walls and floor. Large open windows allow an abundance of natural light in, giving the room a bright glow.

As far as windows, Brown laughed that the infamously difficult drive-thru of that location – the drive-thru window was on the opposite side of most drive thru restaurants – is corrected.

“You can finally go the right direction,” he said.

Ken Hannaman, senior director of operations, said getting the building restructured was one of his top-tier goals when he came into his position three years prior.

“I was told countless people before me could not get this done, and I said, ‘Unless [Arby’s] fires me or I quit, I’m going to get this done one way or the other,’” he said.

“We just couldn’t have that building represent our brand.”

The amount of money invested in the rebuilt eatery was not disclosed by the company. Construction started in August and was finished by November.

Hannaman said he was proud to have “ruffled a few feathers” for the better of the business.

“We finally got it done and I’m happy,” he said.

by Amanda Tonoli
Reprinted from the Vindicator, December 8, 2016

In the photo above, Arby’s CEO Paul Brown, center, talks with Boardman Township Trustees Larry Moliterno, left, and Tom Costello at the ribbon-cutting for the new Boardman Arby’s.

The Boardman Police Department K-9 Unit will be featured in upcoming informational videos that will soon be posted on Boardman Township social media. The videos will explain the role of the highly trained dogs, and will also show the training regimen of  K-9 Officer Eros. You’ll see Eros practice an “apprehension” and also a “drug sniff.”  Watch for a launch date of these new videos.

Seen in this photo are Patrolman Darren Tallman with K-9 Officer Sumo and Patrolman Brian Cionni with K-9 Officer Eros.

 

The Boardman Township Trustees will be conducting their annual Leaf Pick-Up Program beginning Monday October 24, 2016 and ending Friday November 18, 2016. The 2016 Program will follow the same schedule for leaf pick-up as it has in the past. Please click here for a complete list of pick-up days for each road.

Leaves are to be placed in recyclable brown paper bags and brought to the curb for pick-up by the Township Road Department. The paper bags are available for purchase at local retail stores.

Due to the Veteran’s Day Holiday on Friday, November 11, 2016, leaves scheduled for pick-up on that day will be picked up on the following Monday. If you have any questions, please contact the Boardman Township Road Department at 330-726-4190.

 

As a Boardman resident or small commercial customer, you should have recently received a mailer sent by IGS Energy about your natural gas supplier. The letter concerns Boardman Township’s Natural Gas Aggregation Program.

You will fall into one of four groups of customers in Boardman, and the mailer you receive is tailored to your current status with regard to this program. The groups are:

1. Current customers. You may choose to opt out of the program in the 21-day period as directed in the mailer. If you take no action, you will remain in the program.
2. Newly eligible customers. You may choose to opt out of the program in the 21-day period as directed in the mailer. If you take no action, you will automatically be added to the program.
3. Customers who are in the parallel program with IGS Energy who receive the same rate as program members. You will remain in the parallel program unless you choose to remove yourself as directed in the mailer.
4. Customers who are currently with another supplier. You will be invited to enroll in the parallel program with IGS and receive the same rate as the aggregation program members. You will need to contact IGS Energy to join.

If you have any questions about Boardman’s Natural Gas Aggregation Program, please call the Township Offices at (330) 726-4177. Or you may contact IGS Energy at (877) 353-0162.

______

Bring the entire family for the Boardman Township Fire Department’s annual Open House — Saturday, October 1 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Main Fire Station on Rte. 224.

There will be demonstrations, including a live fire burn and an extrication with the Jaws of Life. The Safety Trailer will be on hand so that children can learn what do to in case of a fire at home. Kids can also enjoy the gigantic Fire Truck Bounce-Around Slide, along with face painting and a chance to see a fire truck up-close. Helmets, stickers and coloring books will be given out.

For adults, flu shots will be administered by a Rite Aid pharmacist, and there will be certified car seat inspections by Akron Children’s Hospital.

At a September 19 dedication ceremony at the Boardman Township Administration Building, a two-mile stretch of Market Street, from Route 224 to just north of Western Reserve Road, was renamed the Donald V. Clark Memorial Highway.

The honor recognizes the sacrifice of Donald V. Clark Jr., a 1989 graduate of Boardman High School, who was killed in action while serving in the Army near Mosul, Iraq in 2008. Monday’s event, which was attended by several family members, took place on what would have been his 45th birthday.

Also participating in the ceremonies were state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, state Rep. John Boccieri of Poland, D-59th, and Boardman Trustee Larry Moliterno.

A plaque was presented to Clark’s parents by Joyce Mistovich, chairwoman of the Boardman Park Commissioners. The plaque will be placed in the park’s Veterans Memorial area near the Maag Outdoor Arts Theater. A portrait by local artist Ray Simon was unveiled that depicts a scene symbolic of Clark’s service.