Pepper Pike committee recommends roads, sewers and trail projects; budget preview for 2026

The Pepper Pike infrastructure committee presented recommendations for road and sewer projects and prioritized pedestrian-trail work to inform the 2026 budget process.

The committee recommended proceeding with repairs on several roads rated fair to poor and confirmed that two sanitary-sewer projects (Belgrade and South Blum) already have grant awards and are underway. The committee recommended budgeting phase 2 of the Gatesville Boulevard multi-purpose trail for 2026 at an approximate cost of $750,000, estimated to serve 62 households. Additional trail priorities included Brainerd (Cedar to Kersdale), estimated at $960,000 serving about 230 households, and Fairmount (Brainerd to Landau) at about $680,000 serving roughly 100 households. If adopted, the committee said the total proposed 2026 trail and related projects would be about $2.4 million, up from $1.4 million in the prior year.

Council members said the committee's recommendations will help inform Peter and the finance director as they build the city budget; members acknowledged contingencies tied to coordination with neighboring municipalities and to grant timelines. Staff will present budget options in the coming weeks for council review and prioritization.

Why it matters: the package includes both grant-funded sewer work already underway and locally funded road/trail projects that affect pedestrian safety, connectivity and the city's capital program.

What's next: the finance director will incorporate these committee recommendations into the proposed 2026 budget for council consideration.