Magnolia signs ODOT paperwork; spring sidewalk project to preserve historic stonework

Mayor Travis Boyd said Magnolia will proceed with a sidewalk project planned for spring after the council voted to sign an ODOT right-of-way certification. The certification is needed to move the project into construction work.The project design is available for review, Mayor Boyd said, and W.E. Quicksall has indicated work is on schedule.The project must accommodate two locally listed historic properties — the Elson Home and the Mill — so existing sandstone and brick cannot be replaced. Instead, contractors will remove the stone and brick, level the area, and reinstall the original material to preserve the historic fabric, Mayor Boyd said. He also said tree removal near the home of Frank Young needs to be completed before the sidewalk work begins.Mayor Boyd said he has applied for a codification grant from Carroll County and plans to apply to Stark County to support ordinance codification and related administrative work. The council also heard that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting separate drainage and pump-station work in the village and will host three question-and-answer sessions at Stark Parks to explain that work.The council did not set a construction start date beyond the general spring timeline and did not vote on a contractor at the meeting. The next procedural step recorded in the meeting was the signed LPA right-of-way certification with ODOT, which the council approved on a motion that passed unanimously.