Poland works at getting land to complete sidewalk project

The village previously scaled back the project because of financial reasons.

By Denise Dick

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POLAND — The village is negotiating with property owners to make a U.S. Route 224 sidewalk project a reality.

In 2008, the village received a federal transportation- enhancement grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation to install sidewalks along Route 224 from the U.S. Post Office to Sunrise Assisted Living. Eastgate Regional Council of Governments administered the grant.

Mayor Tim Sicafuse said the village needs to acquire between 7 feet and 8 feet more of property to install the sidewalks. He is in talks with two property owners to secure the additional land.

That’s turning into an involved process, as one of the property owners wants an appraisal done and the village to pay for the land.

“With it being a grant, we have to have two appraisals from a list of certified appraisers,” Sicafuse said.

When that is worked out, the project is ready to go, the mayor said.

“We have to do something because with that grant, there’s a time line,” said Joe Mazur, council president.

Sicafuse said the grant requires construction to occur this year. He estimates it will take six weeks to two months to move forward with the project once the additional property is acquired.

“We have everything else done — the engineering, the drawings,” the mayor said. “Once we get that done — if we do — we’re good to go.”

This is the latest issue to crop up with the project.

Early last year, the village scaled back a plan to to install sidewalks, street lights and benches and plant trees on that stretch of Route 224 to just sidewalks. That was for financial reasons.

The change reduced the total cost from about $186,900 down to about $73,000 and the village’s portion down from $64,980 to $30,600.

Sidewalks run along sections of U.S. 224, but the proposed stretch will link them.

“We hope that the people at Sunrise will use it,” Mazur said.

Though the village will receive reimbursement from the grant, it must foot the bill up front.

Mazur is looking into whether there are ways to further decrease the costs.

denise_dick@vindy.com