Rossford mulls 3 options to fix road after utility work

Costliest plan could mean assessments on Hillside residents

Installation of new sanitary sewer and water lines has left Hillside Drive in Rossford torn up. The city’s design consultant has given a city council committee three plans to repair the street.

Rossford is looking at three options for repairing Hillside Drive west of Colony Road, which has been torn up for the installation of utilities.

The options, presented by Mannik and Smith Group, Rossford’s design consultant for the project, carry price tags of $156,200, $174,700, and $248,900, and are under study by city council's public works committee.

The first and least costly choice would maintain the 300-yard street segment’s existing width of about 17 feet and leave it with an improved surface.

The downside of that option is that it would mean paving over a sub-base in such poor shape it shouldn’t be reused.

Another option calls for the street to be reconstructed on a new base with new pavement 18 feet wide.

Although that would be more expensive, Mannik and Smith said the cost is reasonable.

That alternative would allow for new base material for a good foundation and improved drainage. The shoulders, however, would be stone, which means street parking would be on lawns.

The third and most costly option would be for a new road 26 feet wide with 4-foot wide sidewalks on both sides, curbs, and gutters. It also would include a cul de sac at the west end of the street costing $10,000, not including the cost of buying the right-of-way.

The third choice would provide the best drainage and allow parking on one side. But its cost also could involve assessing property owners for the improvements. Another disadvantage is that it would not be completed in the 2014 construction season.

The Northwestern Water and Sewer District has torn up the street to install a new sanitary sewer and water line. Rossford then will install a storm sewer before the street work is done.

Council Member Caroline Eckel, who chairs the public works committee, said she was not in favor of the first option. She did not want stone shoulders and did want sidewalks.

City Administrator Ed Ciecka said the city could pay for the most costly alternative and decide on the question of assessments later on.

Mayor Neil MacKinnon said not installing curbs would be a mistake. “It will make us all look bad,” he said.

Councilman Robert Ruse, a committee member, said the city for a year had been “sidestepping” in coming up with a policy for street improvements.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service this year gave Rossford its highest rating — AAA — and described the city as strong financially and able to pay for planned street and intersection improvements without weakening that position.

The city plans to spend more than $2 million this year in such improvements, including on Hillside. Some of the funds for the new $204,000 storm sewer there will be borrowed at zero interest from the Ohio Public Works Commission, a program up for renewal in Tuesday’s balloting. Rossford council has adopted a resolution endorsing the renewal.

Contact Carl Ryan at: carlryan@theblade.com or 419-724-6095.