Amherst City Council passed ordinances March 27 for significant road repairs and upgrades to city streets.
One of the major projects council passed is the beginning of an extensive rehabilitation for 2023 for close to two miles of roads.
“The project includes all parts of Columbia, Sharondale, Wilshire, McIntosh, Winesap, Rome Beauty, Cherry Valley, Timberview and middle two lanes, which is quite a program,” said Amherst Mayor Mark Costilow.
Many of the areas included in this rehabilitation passed in March also fall under the same roads where construction will be ongoing along with a Columbia Gas project.
Construction on these roads is expected to begin in the summer and will follow the work done by Columbia Gas in the overlapping areas.
“Our Street Department and our engineers work together to pick the streets out every year,” Costilow said. “We try to rate them and have about 40 streets on our list for repair.
“We generally work at the top of our list with the worst streets first.”
Council also passed part two of the project and some of the funds will come from American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
“The money for this portion is coming from two separate accounts; $62,000 comes from our store account, while the rest of the $853,000 is ARPA funds,” Costilow said. “All of this will go toward an extensive sewer and water rehab work.”
Part two also will cover the replacement and rehabilitation of the sewer and water lines that are in the areas where Columbia Gas crews are working.
Engineering for the projects will cost the city $90,000, which will come from its sewer fund, the mayor said.
In other news, Council approved a grant required to purchase body worn cameras for the Amherst Police Department as well as accepted the equipment from the Ohio Department of Transportation to upgrade the traffic timing signals on the state Route 58 corridor, between Drug Mart and Meijer.
Council will meet at 7 p.m., April 3, at 219 S. Main St., to discuss further ordinances as well as hear the mayor deliver the state of the city address.
