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Resident urges council to consult property owners before changing Juniper Road access; city says Maple Ave reconstruction would cost about $4 million
Summary
A resident whose family owns property near Juniper Road asked council to consult owners before making access changes; city staff and council noted broader infrastructure constraints on Maple Avenue, including an OHM estimate of roughly $4 million to construct the road with utilities.
Huron — During public comment at the July 22 council meeting, resident Sean Bickley asked the council to consult property owners before taking steps to change access to Juniper Road, which he said has grass grown over it but historically was a stone road for about 50 years.
“My wife and I invested in some property on Cleveland Road 1514...There seems to be some discussion here recently on access to Juniper Road,” Bickley told council. He said the east side of the road is owned “almost exclusively by Mr. Steve West and myself and my wife” and asked that the city meet with property owners before decisions are made. Bickley said he is willing to stone or pave the road and that he and his wife are prepared to bring deeds or past documentation requested by council.
Council members said the safety committee will review the matter and that meetings on the issue are open to the public. Council member Dyke specifically requested that safety staff consider the surrounding Maple Avenue area as they study access and traffic concerns; he noted businesses nearby experience congestion during drop-off and pickup times.
City Manager Hamilton said the city has studied the area and obtained an engineering estimate from OHM for constructing Maple Avenue with utilities. ‘‘We actually had OHM give us an engineer's estimate for constructing it with utilities and everything else, and it came in right around $4,000,000 by the time we put sanitary and water in, all utilities and constructed a new road,’’ Hamilton said. He said the project is on the city’s radar and that timing will depend on capital planning and finding the appropriate funding.
Hamilton also noted that sanitary infrastructure is a primary cost driver: ‘‘I think sanitary is one of the big issues that we'd have to come off Cleveland Road,’’ he said.
No formal action or ordinance relating to Juniper Road access was recorded at the July 22 meeting; council directed staff and the safety committee to continue studying the matter and to meet with affected property owners as requested.
