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Costs may delay Chagrin Boulevard resurfacing
(by Sali McSherry - August 25, 2010)
Costs may delay Chagrin Boulevard resurfacing
By SALI McSHERRY
With a price tag of about $1.4 million, resurfacing Chagrin Boulevard in Moreland Hills is not turning out to be a top priority.
While Cuyahoga County has offered to pay construction funding up to $250,000, it still would cost the village hundreds of thousands of dollars, Councilman Paul Stanard, who chairs the service committee, told Village Council Monday. Based on the current good condition of the road, it would be costly for the village to fund at this time, he said.
Even if the village were able to obtain a grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission, such as a 30 percent grant, it still would cost Moreland Hills about $800,000. With a 40 percent grant, it would cost about $683,000, he said.
Another option, Mr. Stanard said, would be to apply for a grant through the U.S. Federal Surface Transportation Program. In that scenario, if the village were successful, the cost would drop to about $330,000, with 80 percent to be paid for through the federal grant and 20 percent by the village.
The process takes between two and three years to run it through the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and the Ohio Department of Transportation before it would be ready to bid, village Engineer Jeffrey Filarski said. And it depends on how much funding would be available, an unknown at this time, he said.
Another option would be to finance the entire resurfacing project through a note, Mr. Stanard said, but he doesn't think that's warranted at this time.
Mayor Susan C. Renda said it would not make sense to resurface the road without first studying the Chagrin Falls region alternative transportation study that includes a recommendation to build a bike route on Chagrin Boulevard in an effort to link communities together. The study, which was completed earlier this summer, was made possible through a grant that had been applied for by Chagrin Falls Village. The blueprint identifies areas conducive for a regional trail and route system with improved safety and improved linkages to community resources. The region includes Chagrin Falls village and township, Moreland Hills, South Russell and portions of Bainbridge, Bentleyvile, Russell and Orange.
Each individual community would be responsible for paying for the building and maintaining of the biking and hiking routes, Mrs. Renda said, which would add up to be a huge expense.
Councilwoman Robin Cooper asked if there was a possibility of fixing some of the minor crumbling areas on the sides of Chagrin Boulevard.
Mr. Filarski said the village had work done on a couple of areas last winter that were in need of repairs. If there are one or two bad areas that need attention, it would be possible, he said.
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