Oxford council advances trail project while property owners seek more talks

City Council on Monday authorized staff to apply for Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) grants to advance the Oxford Area Trail System phase 6 and completed a series of first readings and easement authorizations tied to phase 5, while two nearby property owners urged more time to negotiate before the city moves toward appropriation.

The council unanimously approved a resolution giving the city manager permission to submit grant applications for design, planning and construction funding for Phase 6. “Our request will be in excess of $50,000. So we need a resolution from council to apply for these grants,” said Mike, a city staff member leading the trail presentation. He told council ODOT makes federal funding available and that “for our side city, there's no local match required for these projects.”

Why it matters: the trail links schools, transit hubs and neighborhood networks and is already partially funded through grants. Council and staff said timing is constrained by federal grant rules: once the right-of-way is secured the city must complete administrative steps, advertise for bids and award a contract in time to meet federal grant deadlines.

On the same agenda, the council read two ordinances that would authorize…