POLAND Village council will vote on bridge railings

Officials are looking for methods of funding the upgrades.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Village council will decide tonight whether a replacement bridge to be built on U.S. Route 224 should have railings that will cost residents about $168,000.
The Ohio Department of Transportation will begin replacement work on the bridge in spring of 2003 because of safety concerns. ODOT uses a standard bridge but agreed to add aesthetic features if the village is willing to pay the 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.
She said many village residents think it is very important that the bridge have the added curb appeal created by the upgraded railings.
Village resident Helene Melrose agrees and wants the more expensive railings added to the bridge. She said money should not be an obstacle to maintaining the appeal the village has always had.
Residents weigh in
Some residents, however, say expensive rails for the bridge should be considered only if there is extra money after every other issue in the village is addressed. Resident Carole Pezzuto said it is not important to have fancy railings on the bridge. She said the money could be better spent doing other things in the village.
Pezzuto's neighbor Marybeth Brennen said the village is already a beautiful place to live because of a number of other projects. She said if there is $168,000 that can be made available, it would better spent on sidewalk repair or additional maintenance personnel.
"This beautification thing for the village is getting out of hand," she said. "I am just one of those people who would rather see the money spent elsewhere."
Resident Merle Madrid said a "pretty" bridge is not that important to him, but he doesn't have a problem spending the money as long as the village will not suffer and he is not taxed to pay for it.
"If they can find the money, then fine, if not, forget about it," he said. Finding the money will be the main issue. The mayor and council agree that there is not enough money in the general fund. Wilkes said some public money would be needed, but efforts are under way to gather funding from various additional sources.