BRADFORD — The Bradford Council heard cost estimates for the upcoming Harrison Avenue reconstruction project during its meeting on Thursday evening, going over the base project along with possible alternates that may go to bid.
Brice Schmitmeyer, president of Access Engineering, estimated the Harrison Avenue project at potentially costing around $1.5 million for the complete reconstruction of Harrison Avenue, which also includes new water lines, new sanitary sewer lines, new sidewalks, new curbs and more. Schmitmeyer also included the overlay of all the side streets between Harrison Avenue and Miami Avenue, with the exception of Walnut Street, in that cost estimate. The project also includes storm sewer improvements on Harrison Avenue as needed.
The project will be funded with $50,000 from a Community Development Block Grant allocation; $280,000 from another CDBG grant; $405,000 from a Ohio Public Works Commission grant; $405,000 from an OPWC loan and $360,000 of local funds.
Schmitmeyer also went over additional projects suggested for side streets off of Harrison Avenue, including a water line replacement on Church Street and sanitary sewer line replacements on Vine, Church, James, Smithfield and Elm streets.
The costs for each of those alternates were estimated to be between $40,000 and $60,000. The work also would be limited to the area near Harrison Avenue.
If the council decided to complete all of the alternates, the local portion of the project would rise to approximately $630,000. The village currently has approximately $460,000 budgeted for the local portion of this project.
“We want to bid this project in October,” Schmitmeyer said.
The council is expected to decide by its second meeting in September which alternates, if any, it may want to pursue with the reconstruction project.
In other news:
Later during the meeting, Village Clerk Brenda Selanders asked if the council wanted to increase the total amount of the village’s annual street assessment to pay for the cost of village lighting. She said that amount assessed in the past was $32,000.
The village has been considering moving to LED lighting on Miami Avenue and Main Street due to potential rebates from DP&L, according to Village Administrator Rick Looker.
Council member Jeff Wirrig suggested raising the assessment to $33,000, adding that the village had not increased the assessment for a few years. Wirrig later made a motion to increase the annual street assessment to that amount, which the council supported. The council later held a first reading on a resolution to approve the annual street assessment.
The council also held a first reading on an ordinance to increase the seriousness of charges for repeat offenses of property maintenance violations. Looker explained that people charged with property maintenance violations are currently facing a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
“It doesn’t call out an escalating offense,” Looker said.
This ordinance would charge repeat offenders with a third-degree misdemeanor and higher up the scale if needed.
The council also held the first reading of an ordinance updating their tax code instructing businesses to file local taxes through the Ohio Business Gateway. Looker said this ordinance should have been passed last year. It was not passed last year due to an oversight.
