Officials balk at bridge plans

The city has not signed off on any plans to build a bridge or road over the lake.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

GIRARD — A local businessman is determined to place an elevated road across a portion of the Lower Girard Lake, but city officials say it won’t happen unless the city approves of the bridge’s design and placement.

James Coates of Niles bought the land surrounding the lakes in 1982 with plans of developing the land with single-family homes and condominiums.

The land is divided into three sections, each separated by a finger of Lower Girard Lake. Development has been ongoing on one section of the land, but Coates says he is now ready to begin developing a second section. The second section has no access unless a bridge or road crossing the lake is put in place.

Coates has an easement to install the road granted by Ohio Water Service when he bought the property from them in 1982.

Mayor James Melfi said the city bought the lakes in 1995 and had no knowledge of an easement to install a bridge or road across the lake.

Coates said he met with city engineers several years ago and made it known that he would be moving forward with the plans to build a bridge or road “when the time is right.” The right time came along, he said, when he recently acquired a large amount of fill dirt from a construction project.

Coates said he has had plans drawn up for a two-lane road with a 72-inch culvert under it to allow water to pass through. He is now waiting on approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must approve all construction projects affecting wetlands, such as the lake bed.

City’s response

The city would not sign off on the plans.

“Nobody is going to stop me because the easement was granted and is recorded,” Coates said. “That easement stays; even if I sell Jesus Christ the property, that easement stays.”

Melfi said the city is not interested in stopping Coates from acting under the conditions of the easement, but only interested in making sure any structure placed at the lake is done in the best interest of city residents. He said the city has the right to approve the design and placement of any bridge or road and that is what will be done.

“We have yet to approve any of this and we will not approve it until we are sure it is in the best interest of the city,” he said. “The first drawing he showed us was very rudimentary and definitely not sufficient. A lot of study must be done before any bridge is placed at the lake.”

Coates said he is ready to move forward with construction of the road as soon as the Army Corps gives its approval.

Coates said city officials should be more than willing to work with him in the development of the land because the city stands to make revenue off of the property. Portions of the undeveloped land, he said, are in Liberty Township but will be annexed into the city once any issues with repairing the dam are resolved.

Questioning the sincerity of any plans to annex the land, Melfi said Coates should make application to annex the land now. He said that Coates is concerned with personal profit but that city officials must be concerned with the interest of city residents.

jgoodwin@vindy.com