By CECILIA FOX
Record Herald Writer
Courtesy of the Record Herald
TIPP CITY – Construction is under way on the Main Street utilities and streetscape project, but not everyone is happy with the city’s plan.
Residents packed the government center, even requiring seats in the lobby, on April 1 to bring their concerns about the $3 million Streetscape Project before City Council. Many of them are concerned that the plans do not reflect Tipp City’s historic charm.
A majority of city council said that they would like to review information on possible changes to the project.
The council members said that, while the last thing they want to do is delay the project, citizens’ concerns should be addressed.
“I feel that the downtown project as a whole is the most important construction project that Council has had in many years. This project needs to be done, but done right, and in a timely manner. But we owe it to the citizens to consider their concerns,” Councilman
Pat Hale wrote in an email after the meeting.
Other council members agreed with Hale, including Joe Gibson and Mayor Dee Gillis. Councilman Mike McDermott called the council’s decision to reconsider some of the project details “cavalier” and a “great risk.”
“We promised the downtown business owners and property owners that we would do everything in our power to deliver a completion date in mid to late October,” McDermott wrote in an email to fellow council members. “We must do our job, and keep our promises to the downtown to do everything we possibly can to keep this project on schedule and on target with the delivery of the necessary services and improvements we have planned.”
Work will continue downtown while city administrators review the issues, though City Manager Jon Crusey said he is unsure if the added review will delay the project.
Several Main Street business owners urged council to continue the project as planned. They fear delays could force some businesses to close.
“I would just like to urge all sides and all opinions to please recognize that your downtown merchants are the ones who are so heavily affected by all of these changes,” Terri Bessler, owner of Midwest Memories, said.
A large majority of the residents at the meeting were in favor of the project. During the proceedings, Hale said, “Can we just get a quick show of hands of who’s in favor of the project?”
Most of the people in the room shouted back, “We’re all in favor of it!” Residents seemed in support of the basic plan – the new utilities and road – but objected to certain elements of the design on Main Street.
Lauryn Bayliff, a Tipp City resident and member of the Restoration Board, said that she doesn’t object to streetscape project, just how it was planned and designed. Bayliff said that the planned alterations – narrowing the streets, replacing the street lights, and adding sidewalk pavers – do not accurately represent Tipp City history.
“We are going to do ourselves a disservice by creating a generic commercial area in our historic district,” Bayliff said.
Bayliff and others at the meeting urged council to reconsider narrowing the street, adding brick sidewalk pavers, and tearing out the ornamental street lamps, which are replicas of the originals.
Others who oppose the changes compared the plans for Main Street to the “cookie cutter” design of King’s Island or the Greene shopping center.
Members of City Council defended the project. Gibson said his vote on the project was swayed by the assurances of city staff and the project engineers that the project would not “take away from the historic integrity or the charm of downtown.”
“Downtown Tipp City was what brought me to Tipp City so many years ago. I think it’s what brings in a lot of business and a lot of residents alike,” Gibson said.
The streetscape project was added to the long-discussed utilities replacement project in December last year and has been the subject of numerous public meetings in the following months. Still, many residents said the city had not done enough to keep them informed about the project. Bayliff said the Restoration Board was never consulted.
But according to Crusey, the streetscape project has been in the works since the late 1990s. A steering committee made up of representatives from various city boards worked with a consultant to come up with a design plan for all of Main Street. A design which has been implemented in stages since 2001. According to Tree Board secretary Marilyn Fennell, that group also walked the downtown and made recommendations to Vagedes about the recent reconstruction.
Linda Kreider, a downtown business owner, spoke in favor of the current plan, saying that narrower driving lanes will force drivers to slow down and appreciate the historic buildings and shops. Downtown Tipp City Partnership (DTCP) Executive Director Tara Dixon Engel also spoke in favor of the plan.
“The town is the buildings and the people inside them and that’s not changing,” Dixon Engel said.
She explained that the DTCP worked closely with the city on this project and she feels that the streetscape plan maintains the history of Tipp City, while enhancing and updating the downtown area.
“When I saw the sketches I thought, wow, this really preserves the historic feel,” Dixon Engel said.
Other residents protested what they viewed as an attempt to delay progress. One man said there are always people who “have to growl about everything.”
The citizens’ comments mainly concerned the street lights, sidewalk pavers, and the narrowing of Main Street. Members of the group that protested the removal of the trees on Main Street did not speak at the meeting. The trees will be replaced with species that are better suited to the downtown area as part of the project.
More information about the project—from aesthetic details to construction updates—can be found on the city’s website at http://www.tippcityohio.gov/do
Police Chief Tom Davidson announced at council April 1 that he is retiring after 22 years of service to Tipp City. Davidson has been battling cancer for several years.
“This has been the best experience of my life and I don’t say that with any exaggeration,” Davidson said. “I am proud to have served with the men and women of the Tipp City Police Department.”
He was honored with a resolution commending him for his outstanding service and received a standing ovation.
Chief Davidson joined the Tipp City Police Department in 1990 after 20 years with the Bowling Green Police Department. City Council thanked him for his efforts to protect the citizens of Tipp City and commended him for his leadership, courage, and fortitude. His last day will be April 30.
In other business, Council approved the $600,000 purchase of 301 North Sixth Street as the future location of an electric utility center. For several years, the city has been considering constructing a new facility or rehabiliting an existing structure to house a new electric utility center. City officials ultimately determined that the purchase and renovation of this property was the most efficient anc cost effective option.
Council also approved an ordinance which appropriated $160,000 in the Electric Fund for the replacement of the traffic signal at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets as part of the Streetscape project. The signal was under study for removal and council decided at its last meeting to replace it.
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