Thursday, June 18th, 2020
A bridge for safety's sake
Pedestrian bridge to cross U.S. 33
By Sydney Albert
Photo by Ryan Snyder/The Daily Standard
St. Marys City Schools officials are planning for a pedestrian bridge to extend from near the middle/high school southward across U.S. 33.
ST. MARYS - School board members on Wednesday approved allowing the district superintendent to transfer temporary and permanent land easements to the city of St. Marys to allow construction of a pedestrian bridge across U.S. 33.
The transfers include some temporary easements to allow the bridge to be constructed and a more permanent easement in the area where the bridge begins on school land.
"It's been a longtime goal and wish of the board, for safety reasons, to get kids off of walking the highway out there, get them in a safe pedestrian bridge," superintendent Bill Ruane said. "Very fortunate to have the city come up with this and received a grant to pay for it."
City and state officials have been creating a plan for the proposed bridge across U.S. 33 to the middle/high school campus for some time. The plans include constructing a sidewalk starting from east of Scott Street on the south side of McKinley Road to Omni Manufacturing. The trail would then turn north, crossing McKinley Road and eventually reaching the bridge.
The bridge would end on school ground, just south of the school's west parking lot, Ruane said.
The estimated cost of the project as of October is $3.4 million, but city safety service director Greg Foxhoven said the city's share of the project would cost about $255,000. Officials hope to bid the project in the fall of 2021 with construction to begin in spring 2022. Construction is expected to take 8-10 months, according to Foxhoven.
Officials have already visited the planned site, measuring and surveying the area, according to Ruane.
Board president Brian Little said the district likely would need to extend a sidewalk from the school parking lot to the bridge to connect a short distance.
Also on Wednesday, board members,
• approved paying $11,232.07 to Dave Thornsberry for probation services, provided by the Auglaize County Juvenile Court.
• accepted a $100 donation from a private donor for senior school fees.
• held a moment of silence for Shelby Jacobs, who was a 10th-grade student who recently died as a result of a traffic accident, and John Andreoni, a former teacher who had served the district for 30 years.
• recognized Rebecca Dominguez for earning 14 varsity letters during her high school career in football and basketball cheerleading, diving and track.
• recognized Tyler and Trevor Hisey for being named state qualifiers and Tommy Mabry for being named a state qualifier alternate in the state wrestling tournament.
• declared all student athletes in grades 7-12 to be academically eligible to participate in sports for the first nine weeks of the fall sports season.
• reappointed Chris Falk to the Tri Star Advisory Board for a two-year term, from Aug. 1-July 31, 2022.
• approved early graduation for Brodie Cotrell.
Photo by Daily Standard Staff
St. Marys and state officials have been creating a plan for the proposed bridge across U.S. 33 to the middle/high school campus for some time. The plans include constructing a sidewalk starting from east of Scott Street on the south side of McKinley Road to Omni Manufacturing. The trail would then turn north, crossing McKinley Road and eventually reaching the bridge.
Photo by Ryan Snyder/The Daily Standard
St. Marys City Schools officials are planning for a pedestrian bridge to extend from near the middle/high school southward across U.S. 33.
