Council approves final phase of Great Miami River Trail extension and moves ahead on street-lighting assessments

Franklin, Ohio — The Franklin City Council on April 6 adopted a final-resolution step for the Great Miami River Trail Extension and approved a preliminary measure to begin street-lighting assessments for 2021.

City Engineer Barry Conway described Resolution 2020-16 as the final phase of the Great Miami River Trail Extension project, reporting a total project value of $2,323,827.34 and an estimated city share of $249,319.91, $175,037 of which will be offset by grant funds. Council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.

Conway presented the fiscal details as part of the project closeout steps; the measure commits the city to its share of the multi-party project and enables the engineering and procurement processes to proceed. Vice Mayor Todd Hall moved adoption and the motion passed without dissent.

At the same time, the council adopted Resolution 2020-20, a necessity resolution that is the first annual step required to file assessments for street lighting in 2021. Acting Clerk Lynnette Dinkler explained the purpose of the necessity resolution and council approved it unanimously.

City Manager Sonny Lewis also updated council on related capital work: the Fourth Street Tower project is temporarily delayed because of COVID-19, and the Community Park West grant has been awarded though the contract remains unsigned while multiple agencies’ legal teams review documents; Lewis said the city is not obligated to execute the grant contract until Dec. 31, 2021 and that extensions are possible.

The council’s votes cleared both the trail final phase and the preliminary lighting assessments; staff will continue project coordination and contract sign-offs with partner agencies.