By CECILIA FOX
Record Herald Writer
Courtesy of the Record Herald; Printed 1.11.13
TIPP CITY- At its first meeting of the new year, city council discussed one of the biggest construction projects of 2013: the replacement of downtown utilities and the reconstruction of Main Street.
Council voted last month to expand the downtown utilities replacement program to include a streetscape project. In addition to new water and sewer lines, the project will now include new curbs, gutters, and sidewalks; new trees, trash cans, and benches; as well as new streetlights and traffic signals.
During the pre-meeting study session, council reviewed the preliminary design for the reconstruction and enhancement of Main Street. The new plans show slightly narrower driving lanes and wider sidewalks with decorative brick enhancements at street corners and along curbs.
“We’re going to narrow the street up a little bit and provide more pedestrian access,” City Manager Jon Crusey explained.
Currently, Main Street is about 52 feet wide from curb to curb. The sidewalks are nearly 12 feet wide and the driving lanes are 17 and a half feet wide, much wider than the typical 12 foot lane.
The plan is to narrow Main Street to 45 feet across, with 14 foot driving lanes and 8 feet on both sides for parallel parking. The sidewalks will be 15 and a half feet wide, with brick borders and new trees and street lights.
According to City Engineer Scott Vagedes, narrowing the street and widening the sidewalks will slow vehicle traffic slightly while encouraging more pedestrian traffic downtown.
Following the decision to expand the Downtown Utilities Project to include Main Street’s reconstruction in December, city officials met with downtown business owners. According to City Manager Jon Crusey, the city’s plans received “nearly unanimous approval” from the downtown business owners who attended the meeting.
Crusey said that he has not received any negative feedback about the project and Councilman Pat Hale said that most people he has talked to seem “very excited.”
The addition of the street reconstruction and enhancement to the Downtown Utilities Project will require an extra 60 days or so of engineering design work, but construction is expected to begin early this summer and be mostly complete by mid-November.
The construction will likely begin at First Street and be completed about two blocks at a time.
Recognition of service
During the council meeting, two firefighters were recognized for their 40 years of volunteer service to Tipp City. Assistant Fire Chief Bob Steggeman and Firefighter Steve Stocker both joined the department in 1972.
Steggeman became the assistant chief in 1998 and serves as president of the Miami County Fire Chiefs. Stocker is a certified fire inspector and haz-mat technician and three generations of his family are members of the fire department, including his son-in-law and his grandson.
Mayor Dee Gillis presented both firefighters with proclamations congratulating them for their years of service. Many of the city’s volunteer firefighters attended the meeting in uniform to support Steggeman and Stocker.
“On behalf of the mayor and council, we congratulate you and thank you for your service,” Crusey said.
In other business, Council voted on several appointments to various boards and committees. Council must make these appointments every year. The appointments are:
• Board of Tax Appeals: Robert Blakey and Diane Koehler
• Restoration Board: Ralph Brown, Karen Kuziensky, Joel Gruber and Nancy Cox
• Tree Board: Thomas DeRoss
• Economic Development Committee: Dee Gillis, Katelyn Berbach, and John Kessler from Council. Jon Crusey, John Green, and Brad Vath from city staff.
• Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and Transportation Committee: Dee Gillis and Mike McDermott (alternate)
• Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Technical Advisory Committee: Scott Vagedes and Brad Vath (alternate)
• Tipp City Volunteer Firemen’s Board: Bryan Budding and Mike McDermott
• Tipp-Monroe Community Services Advisory Board: John Kessler and Joe Gibson (alternate)
• Tax Incentive Review Council: Brad Vath and John Green
• Tipp Improvement Corporation Board: all council members as well as Jon Crusey, David Caldwell, John Green, and Christy Butera
• Tipp-Monroe Education Fund DARE Advisory Board: Katelyn Berbach
• Ohio Municipal Electric Association Board: Pat Hale and Christy Butera (alternate)
• Downtown Tipp City Partnership: Katelyn Berbach and Jon Crusey
• Miami County Council: Joe Gibson
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