Fast bridge work pleases businesses

After detours and loss of revenue last year, business owners petitioned ODOT.
By JOHN SKENDALL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BERLIN CENTER -- Business owners by Berlin Reservoir are still recovering from last year's summerlong construction project that detoured all cars -- and customers -- 16 miles around their campgrounds, marinas and restaurants.
If they hadn't fought the system, owners said, this summer they might have been forced to close up shop for good.
After a bridge replacement project on Berlin Reservoir from February to late October 2002, Bob Philabaun found out the Ohio Department of Transportation had plans to work on yet another nearby bridge this June and July -- the start of vacation season and his yearly source of business at Philabaun's Hidden Cove Resort on U.S. Route 224.
The state planned a 60-day closure and detour to restore a smaller bridge over Turkey Broth Creek, just east of the reservoir on U.S. Route 224.
The closure, added to the loss of road traffic last summer, would mean disaster for his campground, he said.
Petition drive
In response, he drafted a petition and gathered 800 signatures from local residents, store owners and customers asking ODOT to reschedule or speed up the bridge replacement on Turkey Broth Creek.
After contacting state Sen. Leigh Herington of Ravenna, D-28th, and making several trips to Columbus and speaking on the state Senate floor, Philabaun got this spring's closure reduced.
It was originally slated for 60 days, but ODOT agreed to a 30-day closure starting June 1. ODOT also offered a $2,000-per-day incentive to the contractor, Shook Brothers Inc. of Berlin Center, for every day sooner the project was finished.
The closure and detour lasted until June 19 -- ahead of schedule.
Philabaun said he called Herington's office after receiving a "friendly but firm" reply from ODOT that it would not change the project date.
Businesses relieved
Local business owners who signed and promoted the petition said they are relieved to see the construction go so quickly.
Martha Cobb of Les's Bait Marcko Landing off Route 224 said the effects last summer were devastating, costing her 85 percent of her store and launching business. She said she lost $20,000 in May alone.
"We lost the whole season last year," Cobb said. "If I wouldn't have been here so long, I would have been out of business."
Cobb thinks it was unnecessary for ODOT to do construction at that time of year. She said a lot of people sold their boats last year because getting to the reservoir became such an inconvenience.
Mark Bann of Spillway Marine, a boat sales and service store on Bonner Road off Route 224, said he usually sells his entire stock of 25 to 30 boats in a season. Last summer, he said, he had 12 left over.
People from Youngstown and Canfield saw the "bridge out" sign and just turned around, Bann said.
The scheduling
Philabaun calls it poor planning on the part of ODOT that the small project on Turkey Broth Creek was not aligned with the longer Berlin Reservoir bridge replacement.
Roy Shook, president of Shook Brothers Inc., said having two bridge closings in the same season would create a danger to residents living between the two bridges, and that working in the spring or fall "wet season" hinders bridge projects.
ODOT spokeswoman Jennifer Richmond said funding, environmental issues and design affect the scheduling of construction projects.
She said ODOT frequently works with communities when there are business conflicts or conflicts with festivals and events.
On the Turkey Broth Creek project, work began on either side of the road before the bridge was closed, Philabaun said. Now, as construction wraps up, the bridge has stayed open to at least one lane of traffic at all times.