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Vacation of Wisner Road section on hold
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - June 29, 2011)
Vacation of Wisner Road section on hold
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon Township and Geauga County officials may wait until September to find out whether the Holden Arboretum accepts the vacation of a portion of Wisner Road.
Geauga County Engineer Robert Phillips said Monday arboretum officials are considering an offer by the county to make upgrades on a bridge that would be included in the vacated portion of the road.
He said the county agreed to address some of the immediate needs of the bridge before turning it over to the aboretum for care into the future.
Mr. Phillips said Holden officials have said they do not anticipate acceptance of the offer until the arboretum's board of trustees meets in late September.
Officials have been planning to close about a half-mile stretch of Wisner Road, between Kirtland-Chardon and Mitchells Mill roads, since the beginning of the year.
That section of roadway has been washed out for nearly 30 years and provides access to only two properties, one owned by Holden Arboretum and another held in trust and used as a summer cottage.
Trustees had spent about $40,000 the last 10 years to shore up the road but gave up the idea of re-establishing it for public use after receiving estimates in the neighborhood of $3 million.
Chardon Trustees initially approved a resolution supporting the closing of the road, but then subsequently rescinded the resolution after hearing objections from the two property owners as well as neighboring residents who hike and ride horseback in the area.
Trustees had included a provision in their original resolution of support, stating the township would not support the abandonment if property owners objected.
Holden officials noted their objections to taking ownership of the bridge along their stretch of property.
The latest offer by the county was done as a "good faith gesture" in hope of winning Holden's support for the vacation.
Mr. Phillips said, while officials can take into account objections raised by residents, it has no legal bearing on the ultimate decision.
Geauga County Commissioners make the ultimate decision in the matter, regardless if all property owners object.
Mr. Phillips said there is no problem with waiting for Holden's decision in the matter. He said they will be given the time to allow them to arrive at some level of comfort with taking ownership of the bridge and abandoned road.
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