Grant may help redo

Celina has landed another grant to help pay for the future reconstruction of Main Street that will provide some decorative touches to the project.

City development consultant Kent Bryan announced at Monday's Celina City Council meeting that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has approved a $509,000 grant to pay for decorative street lighting and other aesthetic amenities as part of an estimated $2 million project.
The city has now secured about $1.75 million in grant money toward the project, Bryan said.
"We were expecting it, but it was nice to get the letter confirming it," Bryan said of the latest grant award.

The project involves a complete reconstruction of Main Street between Lake Shore Drive and Livingston Street. The work will include completely rebuilding the street surface, including removal of the bricks that once made up the pavement, along with new curbs, gutters and sidewalks. The project is slated to be done in 2009.

City officials still are pursuing grant money to help cover the costs of rebuilding the remaining stretch of Main Street not covered in this project.

ODOT had previously committed more than $1 million toward the project and the city also is in line for an Ohio Public Works Commission grant for the work. The latest ODOT grant will allow the city to do some decorative work that likely would not have been possible without state assistance, Bryan said.

In addition to decorative street lights, Bryan said he hopes to include some intricate brick work, possibly at crosswalks, and to bury the multitude of overhead utility lines for a cleaner look downtown.

Bryan also did not rule out the possibility the city could further reduce its $250,000 commitment toward the project.

"We've got three years to look for another source," he said.