Fostoria outlines Lytle Street project, splash pad construction and ADA upgrades

The director of public service and safety told the Fostoria City Council on Monday that the long-awaited Lytle Street reconstruction project is tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-July and will proceed after an East Side of Bettsville project is completed.

The director said crews will begin on the East Side of Bettsville and extend to the city limits on Route 12, then start Lytle Street work "from mid block all the way to Columbus Avenue" and on Route 23 south to the southern city limits. He described the Lytle Street project as one the city has anticipated for years and said residents have welcomed it.

Demolition at the site for the new splash pad is nearly finished, the director said, and construction of the splash pad is expected to begin shortly after demolition. When asked how long the splash pad would take, the director said he did not have an exact timeline and would report back at the next meeting; he said it will most likely be finished "sometime in the winter, most likely."

The director also reported that a community development block grant project to make the front of the community development building ADA-compliant is in progress: concrete work, a new ramp, and steps have been poured, and ramp railing was installed. He said interior work — new doors, an inner alcove and counter improvements at the water office — will follow. Additionally, the director said the city is preparing structural repairs to a settling corner of the building, including installation of stabilizing pilings (referred to as "pylons"), and that repaving and restriping of the parking lot will follow as the project goes out to bid.

The director reminded residents that the police department drop box remains available for water-bill payments and that online payments continue to be accepted while construction proceeds.