Broad Street project may be shortened
Feb. 5—CONNEAUT — City Manager Nick Sanford said at a Monday work session the city may truncate upcoming work on Broad Street.
Sanford said the potential change comes after hearing back on the project from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
"Their estimation has completed at the state level for construction of phase one of Broad Street," he said. "The numbers have come back escalated."
"We could truncate the project for one to just shy of the underpass on Broad Street, in lieu of delaying the project, and risk having to refile, rather than value engineering," he said.
Sanford said a truncated project would cost around $325,000.
"That is still doing concrete," he said. "If we were to go to asphalt, that would force a redesign."
Different sections of Broad Street are divided into their own projects, Sanford said.
"The reason for segregating different sections of Broad Street is because of the different widths of the roadway from State and Main and Main and Liberty," he said.
Sanford said the project's cost includes work on Broad Street's storm sewer.
"There is a prolific amount of storm sewer in this project that I don't see as necessary," he said.
Storm sewer replacement is not necessarily bad, he said.
"Storm sewers are grossly neglected anywhere," Sanford said.
A shortened Broad Street project could still affect summer events in the city, he said.
Sanford said he will keep council updated.
"We'll continue to be in constant dialogue with ODOT on how this is coming in, bid-wise," he said.
Sanford said Verdantis will be contracted for the city's road projects.
Wastewater Superintendent Brian Bidwell said he's given a list of road projects to Verdantis.
The city will also soon put chipseal on South Ridge Road, he said.
"As soon as the weather breaks, we need to be on South Ridge Road ... preparing for this project," he said.
Other possible road projects include work on Salem Street from its end to Rowe Street, Day Street from Lake Road to Erie Street, Main Street from Mill to Broad streets and Hiler Street from its end to Harbor Street.
Conneaut City Council President Terry Moisio said the city should hold off on zoning marijuana until Ohio leaders decide on Senate Bill 56.
The bill would bring marijuana taxation under state authority and cap dispensaries in Ohio to 350, Moisio said.
"At this point, it's fruitless to move forward until things get resolved one way or the other," he said.
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