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Council committee advances ODOT contract to rebuild sidewalks on North Van Buren corridor
Summary
City engineer requested emergency legislation to enter a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation to rebuild and install sidewalks on parts of North Van Buren and nearby streets; council committee voted to move the legislation forward and asked staff to pursue additional lighting options for adjacent dark stretches.
City Engineer Michael Tiedecki told Baberton City Council’s streets, sidewalks and lighting committee on Jan. 6 that the city has requested legislation to enter into a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation to reconstruct sidewalks on sections of North Van Buren and nearby cross streets.
The project area, as described by Tiedecki, includes North Van Buren from East Tusk to Lake (east side of the road); East Tusk Avenue from North Van Buren to First Street; East Park Avenue from North Van Buren to First Street; and East Castle from North Van Buren to First Street. Emergency wording was requested in the request letter, which was reviewed at the committee meeting.
Council members asked for a map during the discussion; Tiedecki said the plan set and parcel identifiers had been circulated by email. One council member raised safety concerns about the segment of Van Buren between Fairview and First Street, asking whether it would be included; Tiedecki said the current project stops at First Street because funding did not cover extending the work farther south. He said staff will hold neighborhood meetings with the planning department to discuss priorities for future sidewalk work.
Council members also raised nighttime visibility and asked whether additional lighting could be added where sidewalks are planned. Tiedecki said staff would work with FirstEnergy to evaluate existing poles and bulbs and to see whether light intensity or spacing could be increased in that stretch.
The committee moved the item to a vote and recorded an affirmative procedural vote to advance the legislation to full council for consideration. No ordinance number or contract amount was specified at the committee meeting; the request letter from the city engineer asked council to authorize a contract with ODOT and to apply emergency wording.
The discussion was informational about project limits and community safety; staff indicated further outreach and design details will follow with the formal legislation and plan package.
