Wednesday, October 9, 2002
Council will decide the issue Tuesday.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- The bridge on U.S. Route 224 is going to be replaced. But will residents find the new bridge pleasing to the eye?
The Ohio Department of Transportation will begin replacement work in spring of 2003 because of safety concerns. ODOT uses a standard form of bridge but agreed to allow the village to add aesthetic features if the village is willing to pay any additional costs.
Mayor Ruth Wilkes said the structure should be replaced with a more aesthetically pleasing bridge, complete with railings similar to those found on the nearby state Route 170 bridge. ODOT agreed to the railing addition but handed the village a bill for $168,000 to cover that cost.
ODOT is expecting a commitment from village officials by Tuesday.
No public money
Councilman Bob Limmer said the village does not have the money for the railings. He said there are more important things that must be taken care of first.
"I am all in favor of adding very nice railings to the bridge and would be for this if money was available, but right now there is no additional money in the budget for this," he said. "I think private funds should be used for this."
According to Limmer, the village has postponed buying a new street sweeper even though the one being used has major problems. He said the machine can be used only on rainy days because the water producing mechanism does not work.
Limmer also said village officials should work on increasing the pay level for police officers before any project such as the bridge renovations are considered.
Wilkes agrees that money is short for such projec, but said making sure the bridge aesthetically fits the community is too important to let go. She said some public money would be needed and efforts are being made to gather funding from various sources. The mayor is also hoping to get the village's portion of the cost reduced.
"This is vitally important. I have talked to a number of people and everyone said it is very important that we do not have the type of bridge that ODOT would normally put up," said Wilkes. "We are keeping all the plates spinning and looking under every rock we can for money."
Council will vote on whether to commit to the project at Tuesday's meeting.
jgoodwin@vindy.com