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Attorney slams Market St. drainage project
BOARDMAN
Although a local attorney has expressed concerns about an upcoming drainage project on Market Street and circulated letters to neighboring residents, that project is not related to current work under way on the street.
The Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 began a culvert-replacement project Wednesday on Nisonger Road at Market Street (state Route 7). During that project, Nisonger Road will be closed for about two weeks.
Other culvert replacements on Market Street near Palestine and Southwoods avenues will cause lane restrictions. The work is part of a $400,000 project to replace the Market Street bridge over the Charles ditch, and that project will be complete by October.
Earlier this month, Boardman attorney Zvi Ariel Zuckerman sent a letter to residents and local and state officials opposing a separate $750,000 drainage project on Market Street set to begin in spring 2013.
“What we’re basically doing is a highway-improvement project to facilitate drainage. It will be storm- water improvements that would get the water off the road. We’re still sending water to where it goes now. ... We’ll be adding some drainage pipes and catch basins,” said Justin Chesnic, spokesman for ODOT District 4.
Zuckerman has several objections to the project, according to a letter he sent to neighbors and officials.
Specifically he criticized ODOT’s publicity about the project, citing the lack of a public hearing, and alleged ODOT workers trespassed onto his property. He also states that he believes the project would actually increase flooding because strong rain already overflows shallow ditches in the area.
“There are other tie-ins that [ODOT] is using, which will increase the flow of water over his property,” said Atty. James Pazol, who is assisting Zuckerman. Zuckerman was unavailable to comment Wednesday.
“This will flood over a period of time with heavy rains, knowing that the clean-out areas [retention ponds] have not been taken care of. It will damage his property and others,” Pazol said.
Chesnic said ODOT received Zuckerman’s complaint and the agency’s attorney is reviewing the allegations and will respond.
Chesnic said the project’s public-comment period was from March 28 through April 26. He added that no public meeting was required.
“A public meeting is required for widening a roadway or changing how traffic moves; if we would add a turn lane for example, or if there was a 90-day closure,” he said.
Chesnic said the project is planned to alleviate flooding, not add to it.
“We want to get it to flow like it should to those outlets. We’re not going to send a pipe here or there and let it go in the middle of someone’s property. ... We’re going to put in those access points, piping and catch basins and flow the water to the outlet where it would go anyway,” he said.