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Council authorizes utility work at Polk/Wind intersection; staff warns tree losses and proposes roundabout option
Summary
Public works staff urged moving forward with utility relocations this summer for the Polk/Wind Street intersection project to protect major feeder lines and enable future intersection work. Staff warned that undergrounding utilities and required right‑of‑way changes could require removing two to six trees near the cemetery and school; the council directed arborist consultation and further coordination with the school system.
Marietta public works staff advised the council to proceed with undergrounding major electrical feeder lines and other utility relocations at the Polk and Wind Street intersection this summer, saying the work must happen regardless of the final intersection design.
"Marietta Power has major feeder lines... They cannot span, and it spans over the intersection. The only way to protect those utility lines is to put them underground," said Public works official (Speaker 8). The relocation requires substantial underground duct bank work and may force removal of some mature trees in the southwest corner near the cemetery; staff said two trees are likely to be removed in a best‑case scenario and up to six if the school repurposes its property.
Staff presented a roundabout concept intended to resolve severe sight‑distance shortcomings at the intersection without creating long traffic backups. "The roundabout would take away all the sight‑distance issues and still allow traffic to keep moving," the public works official said, citing traffic modeling that showed the design would handle expected volumes without backing up Polk Street.
Council voiced strong concern about tree removal and asked staff to involve the city arborist to assess root‑system impacts and mitigation possibilities. Several councilmembers also urged staff to coordinate timelines with the school system, which has not yet finalized the site use for the adjacent property, and to examine bus routing and other safety details.
Staff recommended proceeding with utility work during the summer window so the city does not delay multi‑year improvements. "My recommendation would be to let us go ahead and do the utility construction work this summer because we will not be disturbing other than the trees," the public works official said. Council members asked staff to return with arborist findings, refined cost estimates, and a clear timeline for the next steps. The council later moved into executive session to discuss legal advice and acquisition/sale of property related to the project.
Next steps: staff will involve an arborist immediately, finalize utility construction plans, solicit cost estimates and return to council with options for how long to pause for school coordination and how to stage construction to minimize public impact.
