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Council authorizes engineer to accept OPWC award and expands 2026 road program
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Summary
Council authorized the city engineer to accept an OPWC award for Euclid Avenue and voted to add East 300 Street, Cindy (Sydney) Drive and Kennedy Drive to the 2026 road program, plus a concrete slab replacement program; staff described funding and scope and a roll-call vote authorized engineering work.
Council on April 27 moved to accept an Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) offer and to authorize additional 2026 road work using funds returned from the Euclid Avenue project.
City Engineer Pete told council that the OPWC offered a package tied to the city’s Euclid Avenue application: approximately $478,600 in grant funds and $421,400 in an interest-free loan, totaling the $900,000 the city requested. “We asked for $900,000 — OPWC sent us an offer of $478,600 of a grant and $421,400 in loan money,” the engineer said, and asked council to authorize him to notify OPWC whether the city accepts the award.
Finance director reported the general-fund carryover and explained why staff recommended reallocating returned Euclid funds: the March unencumbered balance was about $9.2 million and income tax receipts were down roughly $320,000 year over year, so staff said they would continue to monitor revenues while pursuing one-time project funding. The finance director said the city had about $450,000 available from previous Euclid earmarks and that adding the three smaller road projects would increase the 2026 program by roughly $100,000 in net budget encumbrance once reimbursements and invoicing were completed.
Council approved a motion to allow the city engineer to accept the OPWC award and then voted to authorize the engineer to prepare plans and specifications for East 300 Street, Cindy (Sydney) Drive and Kennedy Drive plus the 2026 concrete slab replacement program. The engineer explained the scope of work: base repairs, joint repair or replacement, and a 3-inch asphalt overlay on affected streets.
Council members asked about costs and timing; staff said Euclid will be bid later in the season and that this adjustment flips some work between 2026 and 2027 to accomplish more this construction season. The motion to authorize engineering work passed by roll call.
Next steps: staff will accept or reject the OPWC award formally, proceed with engineering and bid documents if authorized, and return to council with final cost estimates and the construction contract for award.
