Poland sidewalk paves an imperfect picture

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by Todd Franko   | 340 entries

Published: Mon. September 22, 2014 at 10:35p.m.

 
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It's just 12 or so feet of old sidewalk and bumpy grass.

But that small area will prove to show big a problem it can be for small government and state programs ot get along.

Poland Township built a fabulous sidewalk. It sits about 200 feet short of being perfect in that it stops short of a street corner and ends in the middle of a block, just 2 houses short of the corner.

That spot is officially known as the township line with the village. But it is fast becoming a symbol for how government can screw up such a good thing.

Here was an http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/aug/15/dispute-leaves-poland-sidewalk-project-incomplete/">original story we wrote in August on the issue.

This was from last week's Poland village board meeting:

Village council members also discussed an issue with the sidewalk project that is nearly complete along state Route 170.

The sidewalk, which extends along 170 in the township and was installed using funds from a state grant program called Safe Routes to School, does not connect to the sidewalk that runs through the village on South Main Street. The gap in the two sidewalks spans two pieces of property near Nesbitt Street.

Village council members have been in talks with township trustees to find a way to connect the two sidewalks, saying they were told originally that the sidewalk would extend to Nesbitt.

“We didn’t ask for this problem,” said Linda Srnec, village council member.

Srnec contacted an Ohio Department of Transportation official about the issue in an email, saying the gap in the sidewalk defeats the purpose of the project, which was to provide a route for kids to walk to school.
The sidewalk, which could be called Bob Lidle Way, is a great addition to "Poland Villship." I use the term "villship" on purpose because most of the 10,000 or so of us in the area do not see a separate village and township. We just see "Poland."
Poland has one school district; one fire department; one youth soccer and baseball league.
Yet this sidewalk will become a poster child for how state funding programs bind dollars in such a way that it suppresses logic and discourages two to become one.

Village council members also discussed an issue with the sidewalk project that is nearly complete along state Route 170.

The sidewalk, which extends along 170 in the township and was installed using funds from a state grant program called Safe Routes to School, does not connect to the sidewalk that runs through the village on South Main Street. The gap in the two sidewalks spans two pieces of property near Nesbitt Street.

Village council members have been in talks with township trustees to find a way to connect the two sidewalks, saying they were told originally that the sidewalk would extend to Nesbitt.

“We didn’t ask for this problem,” said Linda Srnec, village council member.

Srnec contacted an Ohio Department of Transportation official about the issue in an email, saying the gap in the sidewalk defeats the purpose of the project, which was to provide a route for kids to walk to school.

- See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/18/poland-officials-continue-efforts-to-get/#sthash.vCgypecH.dpuf

Village council members also discussed an issue with the sidewalk project that is nearly complete along state Route 170.

The sidewalk, which extends along 170 in the township and was installed using funds from a state grant program called Safe Routes to School, does not connect to the sidewalk that runs through the village on South Main Street. The gap in the two sidewalks spans two pieces of property near Nesbitt Street.

Village council members have been in talks with township trustees to find a way to connect the two sidewalks, saying they were told originally that the sidewalk would extend to Nesbitt.

“We didn’t ask for this problem,” said Linda Srnec, village council member.

Srnec contacted an Ohio Department of Transportation official about the issue in an email, saying the gap in the sidewalk defeats the purpose of the project, which was to provide a route for kids to walk to school.

- See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/18/poland-officials-continue-efforts-to-get/#sthash.vCgypecH.dpuf

 

Village council members also discussed an issue with the sidewalk project that is nearly complete along state Route 170.

The sidewalk, which extends along 170 in the township and was installed using funds from a state grant program called Safe Routes to School, does not connect to the sidewalk that runs through the village on South Main Street. The gap in the two sidewalks spans two pieces of property near Nesbitt Street.

Village council members have been in talks with township trustees to find a way to connect the two sidewalks, saying they were told originally that the sidewalk would extend to Nesbitt.

“We didn’t ask for this problem,” said Linda Srnec, village council member.

Srnec contacted an Ohio Department of Transportation official about the issue in an email, saying the gap in the sidewalk defeats the purpose of the project, which was to provide a route for kids to walk to school.

- See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2014/sep/18/poland-officials-continue-efforts-to-get/#sthash.vCgypecH.dpuf

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