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Route 44 bypass plan has bumpy reception
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - October 09, 2008)
Route 44 bypass plan has bumpy reception
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon City Council gave a less-than-enthusiastic reception last week to a plan for a new Route 44 bypass presented by a resident.
Council listened to the plan presented by retired engineer Robert J. Takacs but expressed reservations about it, as did property owners who could be displaced by the project.
The plan calls for rerouting South Street (Route 44) to the west through Chardon Lakes Golf Course and then north through Chardon Plaza and the Chardon Oil Co. to Fifth Avenue. In an Oct. 2 proposal to the city, Mr. Takacs said he would send an invoice to the city for consideration for the plan.
Chardon Finance Director Jeffrey Smock said he had not received the invoice. He said he was not authorized to pay any bill submitted by Mr. Takacs and does not anticipate receiving that authority.
While council members did not offer encouragement, they agreed to contact the City of Defiance to determine whether the state participated in the relocation of a state route there and check with Ohio Department of Transportation to see if funding is possible.
Gary Hanlon, of the Chardon planning commission, said, while the city has talked for years about a possible bypass to route traffic around Chardon Square, it would not be possible without ODOT involvement. He said ODOT officials, in the most recent discussions, said there is "no way" the state would provide funding.
Mr. Takacs said the City of Defiance recently went through a relocation of Route 124 and suggested that Chardon officials contact that community to learn what the project involves.
Although Mr. Takacs originally said four homes would have to be relocated for the project, he said revised plans call for only two, maybe three, to be relocated.
Mayor Karen Simpson said the biggest stumbling block might be the price tag for the project. She said she "got a lump" in her throat when she read the $25 million cost.
That figure includes property acquisition and construction, Mr. Takacs said. He said he's relatively sure of the construction numbers but not the property costs.
Councilwoman Leslie Bednar said she believes the estimate is low.
Mr. Takacs said the last project he worked on cost $40 million. "These numbers don't scare me," he said.
But Mrs. Bednar said it's different for the city. "That's probably because you're not accountable for taxpayer dollars," she said.
Mr. Takacs said he believes the money would be available, and the city just has to find it.
Kenneth Miller, chairman of the city's planning commission, said he received the proposal from Mr. Takacs and believed it should at least get a hearing before council. He said the city would be moving in the wrong direction if it shuts out ideas from the community.
He said he believed council would be better able to address it, because the planning commission has no authority to enter contracts or refer the matter to other agencies for evaluation.
Councilman Robert Cromwell said the city should check with Defiance, and, if it sees "rays of light," meaning that the state participated, it could then go to ODOT for further discussions.
Councilman Philip King said the city needs to learn the circumstances surrounding the relocation project. He said the idea doesn't have to go to the city's professional planner, David B. Hartt, because it couldn't get close to the funding needed for the project.
Mr. Smock said the city averages about $5.5 million per year in income-tax receipts, and less than $1 million is collected for property taxes.
City officials also heard from Chardon Lakes owner Jerry Petersen, who said he has no interest in selling the golf course.
John Mallen, president of the Burlington Green Condominium Association, said the plan seems to have "overlooked" the 26 property owners in his development. He said the plan would leave the neighborhood as an island surrounded by a highway. He said it would add noise and "drastically reduce" property values.
Although residents who might by affected said they should have been better informed of the issue, city officials said it's only an idea and not under official consideration.
"This is his idea, not ours," Mr. King said.
Mrs. Bednar agreed. "This is just an idea of one resident, not a plan," she said. "This is not concrete at all."
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