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SALEM -- An East 11th Street resident is asking speeding drivers to slow down in his neighborhood, for their own safety and the safety of others.
Jason Murray approached Perry Township Trustees Monday for assistance with the speeders, saying he's called the police, spoken to dispatch and attempted to contact the chief about the issue.
The speed limit on East 11th Street is 25 mph but he estimated some of the vehicles are traveling at 45 to 50 to 55 mph.
He said a lot of the drivers are young, with the timing of the incidents usually after school after 3 p.m. He admitted at that age "we all probably did the same thing."
There was an incident last fall when there was a young person speeding on his street, he found out who it was and it stopped after there was some communication.
Murray said he's "just trying to raise awareness."
Trustee Vice Chairman Jim Armeni commented that there was just a hit and run on state Route 344. They don't want a similar incident in a residential area.
Murray said it's a major safety issue and an inexperienced driver may not realize what can happen at high speeds.
Trustee Chairman Steve Bailey said he'll talk with the police department to keep an eye on the area, maybe park there and that could get the vehicles to slow down.
"Thanks for bringing it to our attention," Trustee Tony Ieropoli said.
In other business, Zoning/Nuisance Officer Jeff Christopher said he's getting a lot of calls and at least three concerning new home constructions. He received a couple of complaints, one on Liberty and one of Jones, but he's expecting them to be cleaned up. He also reported not a lot of people are registering their animals as required by new zoning rules.
After the meeting, he said it's to the advantage of residents to register their animals now. No fees are being charged until May 22 for registering animals, at a cost of $10 per animal or in the case of bees, $10 per hive.
In a zoning-related matter, the Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. March 21 regarding a variance for a larger than normal garage for a property on Pine Lake Road and at 5:45 p.m. regarding a conditional use permit for a proposed Airbnb on Bethel Drive. Columbiana County Assistant Prosecutor Steven Yacovone introduced himself at the trustee meeting, noting that he works in the criminal division and county Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino was having personnel visit at least one meeting a month. He told trustees if they had any concerns to let them know.
Trustees mentioned outstanding checks several years old that they need to work on. Yacovone referred them to county Assistant Prosecutor Bret Hartup, who handles civil cases.
Monica Robb Blasdel also attended the meeting, just to introduce herself. She's running for state representative.
mgreier@salemnews.net