Norwich trustees approve $516,300 for Schirtzinger Road drainage, limit tree removals after resident input

Trustees approved the Schirtzinger Road Improvement Project and amended the township’s 2011 permanent appropriations to add $516,300 for construction and related work, a decision the board said was necessary to prevent further rapid deterioration of the rural road.

The Franklin County Engineer’s Office had presented several design options and a revised plan that reduced tree removals from an original estimate of about 90 trees to roughly 40. Engineer Cornell Robertson told trustees the May 2 revision uses 12-inch storm piping with restrictor plates and is intended to fix on-site hydrology without increasing water flow into Holcomb Ditch. Robertson estimated the plan would lengthen the road’s useful life to seven to ten years and said minimized tree removal and in‑place drainage fixes were priorities.

That technical briefing followed a lengthy public comment session in which multiple Schirtzinger Road residents raised objections or concerns. Residents asked about easement rights, potential ponding, whether replacing 10-inch lines with 12-inch lines would force more water onto private yards, and the number and species of trees slated for removal. The board agreed to post the county’s Holcomb Ditch report and an arborist’s inventory online and gave residents two weeks to review the May 2 plan before the board voted.

On May 16 trustees voted unanimously to authorize the Franklin County Engineer’s Office to proceed with final plans and to amend permanent appropriations, increasing the General Fund capital outlay by $516,300 to provide funding for the Schirtzinger improvements. Trustee Charles Buck asked that tree replacements be coordinated with the county and that replacement species include maple or oak where possible; the board discussed timing so planting and seeding would avoid damage during construction.

The board also authorized limited, site-specific contingencies: additional core sampling where subgrade strength is in question, targeted homeowner coordination for driveway and drainage connections, and maintenance of traffic with periodically implemented one‑way traffic control. Trustees instructed staff to coordinate school notifications for traffic impacts and to ensure any property damage during construction be addressed with affected homeowners.

Next steps: the county will finalize design details, coordinate final easements or temporary work agreements with property owners, and schedule the remaining construction work; the board recorded the appropriation amendment related to this action.