By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green officials want Columbia Gas to clean up their mess when they are done ripping up downtown streets to replace natural gas lines.
City council president Mike Aspacher expressed concern at last week’s council meeting that the street paving where Columbia Gas was done digging appeared to be substandard.
“We’ve already told them to tear it out and do it again,” said Brian Craft, director of public works for the city.
Though the city plans a street resurfacing job in downtown next year, that work won’t extend over the entire area dug up by Columbia Gas. The section of North Main Street located north of the Wood County Senior Center is not part of the city’s project. So, Craft told the utility company to do it again.
“We’ve been on them,” he said.
Aspacher said Columbia Gas is required to match the pavement so it is the same or better than it was before they tore up the streets.
But that hasn’t always been the case in the past. Aspacher said Columbia Gas has previously replaced streets with substandard work after past jobs in the city. “It’s had a negative impact,” he said.
Craft said once Main Street is repaved next year, it should all be smooth. A better type of asphalt will be used than during the Heritage 2000 project, when it was last paved.
However, until then, the downtown streets will be a little rough, he added.
In other business at last week’s meeting, council member Sandy Rowland noted how smoothly traffic seemed to move in the city over the previous weekend – despite the additional congestion from the National Tractor Pulling Championships, downtown construction by Columbia Gas, and the monthly Firefly Nights event downtown.
“In spite of everything going on this weekend, traffic moved well in Bowling Green,” Rowland said.
Craft noted the city gets to do it all again this weekend – with move-in at Bowling Green State University and annual soccer challenge event.
In other business:
- Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Otley reported that as the summer comes to an end, the city pool will be open the next two weekends, from 1 to 7 p.m. each day.
- Craft said Manville Avenue, which had been torn up most of the summer, should be finished soon after Labor Day.
- Council learned a public hearing about Firefly Night’s liquor permit request will be held Sept. 4 at 6:45 p.m.
