Businesses protest plan for SR 66 sidewalks

MINSTER - After hearing another round of protests over the planned construction of sidewalks on the east side of State Route 66 on the north side of town, councilors voted Tuesday night to table the issue.

A resolution to construct sidewalks from Eagles Acres shopping plaza north to the Spieles Chiropractic Clinic had been up for third and final reading. Other businesses that would be affected by the proposal include McDonald's, the Marathon gas station and a car wash.    

Sidewalks have already been installed in front of the Family Dollar/Dollar Tree store.

Dr. Doug Spieles and Dr. Derek Spieles were again joined by McDonald's owner Jason Monfort in voicing their objections to the proposal. Also speaking out against the project were local businessmen Ben Baumer, Jerry Baumer and Matt Quinter.

Doug Spieles said his main concern was not the $10,000 assessment he would have to pay for the sidewalks, but rather he contended it would not be safe for pedestrians to use the sidewalk on busy State Route 66. "Common sense tells you it's not the place to have a sidewalk," he said. "I'm totally against this."

Monfort estimated 1,000 cars a day pass through the McDonald's lot and he was concerned that some driver inattention could lead to pedestrian accidents. He also contended that some pedestrians would have a "false sense of safety" when walking on the sidewalk. "I've seen so many close calls and accidents," Monfort said.

Councilor Nicole Clune, a professional engineer who operates a consulting firm, said it is her experience that pedestrians are safer walking on sidewalks than walking on the shoulder of a busy highway.

Jerry Baumer told councilors that employees of the village's consulting engineers, Choice One Engineering, should have worked with affected landowners to gain their input on the project. Clune agreed that the property owners should have been consulted.

"I think you should put the thing on pause to talk to everyone," Jerry Baumer said.

Councilor Trey Steele suggested working toward a middle ground in resolving the situation. Councilors voted unanimously to table the issue to provide time for more study.

"I think long-term, there will be sidewalks," councilor Curt Albers said, adding that he's not sure when the project will be undertaken.

Councilors voted to proceed with the planned reconstruction of North Hamilton Street from Fifth Street to Seventh Street. They first passed on third reading a resolution declaring the need for the reconstruction, and then agreed to seek bids on the project. Bids must be submitted by Aug. 1. The cost of the work has been estimated at $1.1 million.

Councilors also accepted bids and approved on rule suspension a contract with Fenson Construction of Fort Jennings for the extension of water and sewer utilities on Columbia Drive in the village's south industrial park. Fenson's bid of $532,447 was the lowest of three bids received by the village. VTF Construction of Celina submitted a bid of $597,487 and Tom's Construction of St. Henry bid $702,399. The engineer's estimate for the project was $784,770.

Councilors also:

• heard mayor Craig Oldiges report that work is continuing on the construction of a splash pad at the Paris Street Park. He said a completion date has not been set for the project. He also noted that AES Energy plans to rebuild a transmission line from Minster to Fort Loramie.

• learned from the report of village administrator Don Harrod, who was not at the meeting, that Taylor Painting will submit a quote on the cost of removing peeled paint from the east tennis court at Four Seasons Park and repainting the surface.

• accepted the resignation of police officer Bradyn Adams. He accepted a position with the St. Marys Police Department. Adams had been with the department on a full-time basis since November.

• were advised that a link has been posted on the village's website to a map detailing the lead and copper water services in the community as required by the Ohio EPA.

The next council meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at village hall.