Etna Township applying for federal money for Pike Street upgrades
Etna Township's Pike Street is desperately in need of improvements — and township officials are doing something about it.
The township is in the process of applying for federal funds through the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) to repair and enhance the road that runs through the heart of the township. But one trustee is jumping ahead of the process.
Etna Township Trustee Mark Evans held an open house Aug. 25 for residents to learn about the proposed changes to the road. More than 50 residents showed up throughout the evening to exam the plans and hear from Evans.
But Paula Davis, a Pike Street resident said after the more than two-hour event she felt she didn't have anymore information about the scope of the project than before she walked in the doors.
"I'm for beautifying it, but I don't have enough information to say I'm for this specific thing because I just don't have enough information," she said.
The preliminary plans call for repaving the road, which will includes two 11-foot wide lanes for vehicular travel, and two 8-foot wide shoulders will be provided for on-street parking in particular areas. Curb and gutter will be added as well as a 10-foot-wide path along the north side of the roadway and a 7-foot wide sidewalk on the south side. Lighting will also be added throughout the corridor.
Trustee Rozland McKee, the point person for the project, said during the township trustee meeting on Aug. 23 that the open house was not an official part of the Pike Street project process and that it was being held too soon. The township had only received approval for their MORPC screening application on Friday, Aug. 19. A second application is due Wednesday, Sept. 28.
McKee said she and Trustee Jeff Johnson would not attend the open house because it was not an official part of the process. Two or more township trustees cannot attend the same unofficial meetings as it is a violation of Ohio Public Records and Open Meetings laws.
Besides Evans, no other public officials attended the open house to share information on the project.
According to a July 20 email from Bill Lozier, director of projects for Licking and Fairfield County Transportation Improvement Districts, that was provided to The Advocate, public meetings about the project need to be advertised three to four weeks in advance. At the time of Lozier's email, it was too early to know the status of the MORPC application and Lozier suggested waiting until after the township heard back about the screening application to schedule public meetings regarding the project.
Bill Vance, the township's management consultant, confirmed after the Aug. 23 meeting that as part of the official process, informational sessions will be held with the residents to supply them with more details of the Pike Street project. The township was just not ready for those at the time, he said.
Evans said during the Aug. 23 meeting that the open house was separate of the federal process and it was to provide information to residents in "the early stages of projects instead of just when they're so far down the line, that they're unstoppable and there's really no reason for input at that point."
For Davis, she came away from the meeting still needing to know the full impact on the project on the residents and business owners on Pike Street, especially because some sections of the road will include space for parking lanes while other areas will not.
But for a community that has seen its trustees clash at nearly every meeting since January, Davis said some healing needs to happen before a project like Pike Street can move forward.
"I feel like this could unify us and I want to do, that's my hope, that is the real reason why that I want Pike Street is to unify us," she said.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Etna Township applying for federal funds for Pike Street upgrades
