BOARDMAN — Even as the township prepares for the design phase of a $47 million federally funded flood mitigation project, crews are working on smaller-scale improvements to minimize stormwater damage.

The Forest Lawn Stormwater Park on Market Street is making progress, and several other localized projects either have been completed or are underway. All of the projects are overseen by the ABC Stormwater District.

The district includes Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships. It is funded by taxpayers in those areas.

Boardman Road Department Superintendent Marilyn Kenner credited the district for its efforts, which include securing a $35 million Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Mitigation Assistance grant that will overhaul the entire stormwater management system around Cranberry Run and Boardman Plaza.

“There is just so much we’re doing with ABC, and sometimes people don’t realize how much the district has done for Boardman,” she said.

After approving the FEMA grant in October, the agency immediately released $3 million to begin the design and planning phases, Boardman Administrator Jason Loree said.

But it will take five to seven years for that project to yield dividends for residents and businesses affected by flooding during heavy storms.

In the meantime, Kenner said, several hyperlocal projects, valued at more than $2.3 million, are being completed around the township, and the $3.6 million Forest Lawn project is well underway.

BIG HOLES

On Pierce Drive, the township needs to line a deep storm sewer to offset the damage from voids in the pipe joints.

The resulting leaks have caused large holes in residents’ yards. Those have been temporarily filled with dirt and rocks, but they will continue to wash out and grow unless a liner is run through the interior of the pipe to keep water flowing through without leaking.

Along St. Albans Drive, the township has completed the design phase for a $62,000 project to replace a deteriorated stormwater pipe between two homes that also has created a large sinkhole. Kenner said the district is waiting on a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because the work will have to be done along a natural water course.

Bidding will open Friday for Phase 1 of a $472,000 project that runs from Colleen Drive to Lockwood Boulevard. There, the township will replace a triple-barrel pipe system to guide the water from Lockwood Village along a natural water course.

“We are replacing those pipes because they are so deteriorated that a driveway is collapsing, and there are holes in residents’ yards, so we need something that is much more efficient,” Kenner said.

Phase two of the Colleen project is in design. That portion will partially remove a stormwater pipe behind several residences, and line other portions of the pipe — all depending upon the degree of deterioration. Phase two is budgeted for about $1.5 million.

Along Baymar Drive, the poor condition of the storm sewer had created several holes in the road and yards. The township completed the work there in September, replacing some parts of the pipe and lining others. The project totaled $256,400.

And along Pennsylvania Avenue, near El Vallarta restaurant and the Poland Village border, the lid of a concrete box-style catch basin installed by the Ohio Department of Transportation had deteriorated from long-term exposure to salt and other traffic detritus. Kenner said the catch basin was replaced two weeks ago for $21,430.

FOREST LAWN

The largest of all the projects — short of the FEMA project — is the Forest Lawn Stormwater Park on the site of the former Market Street School.

Officials have said the finished project will include an outdoor pavilion with a laboratory in the front for middle school students to conduct science experiments, like testing water quality samples and planting rain gardens.

Kenner said the township has received a $750,000 state grant, but is still pursuing other funding. The pavilion is in the design phase, but the final design will depend upon how much money is available to build it.

At the back of the property will be the retention pond for water from the Cranberry Run Watershed to collect, significantly reducing flood threats to homes and businesses along Market Street, Southern Boulevard and surrounding neighborhoods. The park also will include trees, the roots of which will suck up some of the water and beautify the area, pollinator gardens to do the same, and a hike and bike trail.

So far, Kenner said, they have already replaced a sanitary sewer pipe in the middle of the property, working with the Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer’s Office.

“It won’t leak now and does not allow water infiltration, and so we expect there will be less backup in the sanitary sewer systems of the homes in that area during a major storm,” she said.

In addition, the township will build an S-shaped stream to lengthen the channel and slow the water.

“So when large storms occur, it will negate the floodplain and the floodplain will act as the detention area until the water level goes down and can flow normally,” Kenner said.

Kenner said the stormwater park will be functional in the springtime, and the contractor has until October 2025 to get all the seeding and plant life installed.

For residents who have suffered from sanitary sewer backups, Kenner said there is some financial assistance toward relief.

The best approach, she said, is to purchase a backflow prevention system. However, installing one can cost around $8,000.

The process usually involves installing a sump pump and connecting it to the footer drains in the basement, and then putting the backflow prevention valve onto the basement drain to prevent water from coming up through it.

Kenner said Mahoning County will pay up to $3,600 and ABC will contribute up to another $1,500.