Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Roads topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Richfield advances South Wheatley road, seeks permits and wetland mitigation funding
Summary
Richfield’s Finance Committee approved engineering and permitting steps for the South Wheatley Extension, reported a $500,000 wetland mitigation budget, and said construction could start in Q2 pending permits and third-party reviews.
The Richfield Finance Committee on March 3 reviewed permitting and funding steps needed to move the South Wheatley Extension Road into construction, with plans tied to wetland mitigation and third-party reviews.
P and Z Director Brian Frantz told the committee that Davy Resource Group completed a wetland evaluation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a jurisdictional determination requiring wetland credits; the committee budgeted $500,000 for mitigation. Frantz said the village filed a nationwide permit application in February for minor wetland impacts (0.5 acre or less) and has applied for a $400,000 federal grant to cover wetland credits associated with moving or removing a pond in the Crossroads District (the former Frank’s Nursery site).
Frantz said engineering by GPD is complete and Cleveland Water applied for its PTI in January; the village expects Cleveland Water’s PTI around the week of March 23, after which the village will seek the Ohio EPA PTI. Because the project uses a TID grant, ODOT requires a third-party plan review. Tree-clearing quotations were awarded to H and H Land Clearing, which will fell trees before March 31 and leave them in place until construction to meet protected-species timing, Frantz said.
Service Director Scott Waldemarson said the bid package was expected to go out the week following the meeting and that, contingent on permits, construction could commence in Q2. The committee discussed alternatives to avoid high wetland-credit costs, including a drain-down and stream restoration approach that would require additional approvals.
Why it matters: the road is tied to planned development in the Crossroads District and requires coordination with state and federal permits; delays or additional mitigation costs could push schedules and increase the village’s capital outlays.
Next steps: GPD will finalize bid documents pending PTIs and ODOT review; the village will pursue the federal grant and confirm mitigation approach before committing to construction timing.
