By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
With finite funds and miles of sidewalks, priorities were set Wednesday evening for sidewalk replacements next year in Bowling Green.
At the top of the list were the well-traveled narrow and uneven sidewalks along South College Drive and North Enterprise Street.
In the past, the city received Community Development Block Grants for sidewalk repairs and installations.
But the grant money dried up, so now the city uses a 50/50 program which splits the costs of sidewalk repairs evenly between the landowner and the city. Sidewalks are the responsibility of residents, but the city has stepped up to share the costs, according to Bowling Green Public Works Director Brian Craft.
The city public works department does the work at a fraction of the cost of private contractors, Craft said.
Sidewalk projects switch back and forth from those recommended by the city’s Sidewalk Commission in even years, to those requested by residents in odd years.
This year, in addition to the big sidewalk replacements on South Church Street from Pearl to Sand Ridge, the city also responded to landowner requests on South Grove, South Main, and North Summit streets, Craft said. An estimated 50 homes benefitted from the South Church project.
“The longer stretches are really the best way,” Craft said, noting they are more economical for the city. “We really want to fix whole corridors, especially where there are lots of walkers.”
The city’s sidewalk commission met Wednesday to identify sections of sidewalks that are in great need of repair for next year’s projects. Some walkways are hard to navigate because of uneven cracked areas. Others have grade problems that lead to pooling water and ice in the winter.
Members of the Sidewalk Commission are President Bill Herald, Lori Young, Cynthia Whipple, Ryan Sanner, Dick Martin, Rick Beaverson and Lori Tretter.
The following sidewalks were ranked as priorities to be replaced in 2022 (depending on how much money is budgeted for sidewalk work) They will be widened to five feet, and have ADA accessible curb ramps:
- South College Drive (both sides) from Clough to Fifth Street.
- South College Drive (both sides) from Fifth Street to Napoleon Road.
- North Enterprise (west side) from Court Street to East Wooster Street.
- North Enterprise (both sides) from Pike Street to Ridge Street.
- North Enterprise (west side) from Ridge to East Merry Street.
- South Prospect (both sides) from Clough to Lehman Avenue.
- South Summit (both sides) from Clough to Lehman Avenue.
- East Reed Street from Main to Enterprise Street.
- North Prospect Street from Ridge to Poe Road.
Young submitted photos taken on her walks of some problem areas. She encountered the most difficult sidewalk terrain on North Enterprise Street between East Wooster and East Court streets.
While the existing sidewalks on South College aren’t in horrible shape, they are narrow and are highly traveled by students at the university and Crim Elementary, Beaverson said.
In addition to looking at which sidewalks have the greatest need of repair, the commission looks at which areas of the city without sidewalks could benefit from them.
On that list are sidewalks extending west on Conneaut Avenue from Wintergarden to Mitchell Road, along Wintergarden Road between Conneaut and Poe roads, and along Lafayette Avenue from between Conneaut and Poe roads.
Young suggested that the city refrain from building new sidewalks when so many existing ones are in bad shape.
“There are so many areas in the city. I don’t think that should be on our agenda right now,” she said of the possible Conneaut Avenue sidewalk extension.
But another sidewalk commission member, Lori Tretter, pointed out the importance of providing walkways to new areas of the city.
“If the city is going to grow at all,” it is shortsighted to not build sidewalks, she said.
Young voiced concerns about big trees that might be lost to sidewalks along Conneaut. Craft suggested that the city look into weaving sidewalks around big trees, rather than making them straight walkways.
Some other problem areas were identified, but didn’t make the list for next year because they will need further study. Those include West Wooster Street between Haskins Road and Wood County Hospital. The sidewalks need to be built up so they don’t have standing water, Craft advised.
Another was suggested by sidewalk commission member Cynthia Whipple, who said the sidewalk along the curve on Clough Street between Troup and South College, is very narrow and is right next to the street.
“It strikes me as a very dangerous area,” Whipple said.
Craft pointed out the windmill and stone wall on the south side of the road that doesn’t allow for a sidewalk there. The city could check out if there is more right-of-way available on the north side of the street for a wider sidewalk, he said.
Steven Langendorfer, of the city’s Bicycle Safety Commission, said he would like to see a continuous 10-foot wide multi-use path along the north side of East Wooster Street, from Thurstin to Campbell Hill Road.
Herald said that might be a good topic for the city administration to approach the university about doing.
A big street project planned in 2024, will include sidewalks along South Main, from Ordway to Napoleon Road. Also planned is a multi-use path along South Main Street, from Napoleon to Gypsy Lane Road.
The city is also looking into a multi-use path connecting the community center, the Cogan’s Crossing development, and the city.
The 2022 budget for sidewalk repairs has not yet been determined.
Here is a description of how the city’s 50/50 sidewalk program works.
Once the project locations are ranked, city staff will measure the sidewalks to calculate total cost for replacement. The city will cover the cost for all ADA improvements, including curbs, at intersections.
A letter will be sent to the property owners outlining that their sidewalks have been identified by the Sidewalk Commission for repair at a shared 50-50 cost for the project along with the amount due to the city.
Property owners will be given a date to pay their share of the project or to have their share selected for special assessment collected through property tax. If no response is provided by the property owner, their share would automatically be submitted for inclusion on the tax duplicate.
The actual construction would be dependent upon the annual budget and the amount of funds authorized for sidewalk work. If funds needed for a particular project are not available or insufficient, the Sidewalk Commission may decide to delay the project until the next construction season. In that case, funds would need to be appropriated or transferred to a reserve fund in order to keep them earmarked for future sidewalk construction.
Residents would be given the opportunity to make an appeal to the Sidewalk Commission to prolong the term of the special assessment.
