About 25 to 30 people came out on a rainy Saturday to talk about how a grant could improve their neighborhood in southern Masury.

Brookfield trustees have been working with Trumbull County Grants Manager Julie Green to collect information for a Community Development Block Grant application.

The money comes from the federal government and is available to communities with a predominance of low- and moderate-income families. South Masury, south and east of Route 62, qualifies because of Census data, Green said.

The grant could provide up to $750,000, and Green said she is asking the commissioners to put in another $75,000.

On March 30, Green outlined the competitive nature of the grant and how the application will be scored. The state wants “at least three activities” in the grant, she said, explaining that while street paving, curbs and sidewalks are eligible projects, they are considered to benefit only people who live on the street, while a park and fire hydrants would be considered to impact the entire area.

The project started from complaints about flooding, particularly on Second and Third Streets, and Tim Radachy said that is his biggest concern.

“When you spend thousands of dollars fixing up your home, keep it nice and neat for everybody, and then the floods come in and ruin your basement and everything you got in there, you gotta spend another $10,000 to get it straightened out, the drainage,” said Radachy, a resident of Second Street.

He said he has spent probably $15,000 over the years putting in sump pumps, getting his basement waterproofed and performing other remedial tasks.

Danielle and Joe Sveda of Elm Street said they would like to see drainage improvements and sidewalks.

“The park is a good idea,” Joe Sveda said. “A neutral spot would be perfect for a park.”

Brian Reiser of Second Street said he would like to see dilapidated homes razed.

“Everybody likes to see eyesores tore down,” he said.

Bill Brown of Locust Street complained of the heavy trucks on Masury streets that were not designed for rigs as big and as heavy as they make them nowadays. The grant could be used to expand the radius of intersections to make for easier truck passage, Green said.

However, the discussion veered into subjects that cannot be addressed by the grant, such as truck routes, street lights, and four-wheelers and dirt bikes, which trustees said can be addressed in other ways.

Green said the grant application is due by June 14, and the state typically would let her know in mid-August whether it would be funded.

Trustees will meet with Green at 2:30 p.m. April 11 at the township administration building, 6844 Strimbu Drive, to continue discussions on the project.