Wednesday, February 13th, 2019
West Market Street work OK'd
Celina council gives state green light to do reconstruction in 2020
By William Kincaid
CELINA - City council members on Monday night passed legislation authorizing the Ohio Department of Transportation to reconstruct West Market Street in 2020.
Councilors unanimously approved the ordinance as an emergency measure after suspending the rules requiring three public readings to meet ODOT's timeframe.
The project is estimated to cost $1.4 million. ODOT's Small Cities Program will pick up 80 percent of the cost, according to mayor Jeff Hazel.
"We all know how badly West Market Street needs redone in front of (Mercer) Landmark, and this is all part of that project," Hazel said about the legislation.
The section to be reconstructed, which ODOT designates as County Route 144, is "pretty much" from Main Street to the west edge of Mercer Landmark, city safety service director Tom Hitchcock pointed out.
Councilman Mike Sovinski then asked what city officials plan to do with a stretch of West Market Street that runs from the west side of Mercer Landmark to Riley Street.
"Not for this project because it gets into a lot of right-of-way issues and it would have pushed the project way back," Hitchcock replied. "That little triangle where (Brandon Avenue and Fayette and Market streets converge) causes a lot of problems with ODOT."
Sovinski then asked if plans exist to cover that stretch of road.
The work is expected to be undertaken sometime after the ODOT project, Hitchcock said.
Councilman June Scott asked if ODOT will reconstruct West Market Street knowing that Mercer Landmark experiences heavy truck traffic.
In fact, it averages about 100 trucks a day, Hazel noted.
"We look to also build that area out in front (of Mercer Landmark) with reinforced concrete so there would be base on there," Hazel said. "It's going to be (a) significant base because we have to reconstruct it. It's not just a repave job, this is a (reconstruction) of that area."
In anticipation of the ODOT-led reconstruction of the street, city officials this year aim to replace the underlying water line from Brandon Avenue to Main Street, which Hitchcock has estimated to cost $465,000.
An Ohio Public Works Commission grant will cover $200,000 of the cost.
