Madison Township looking at another road project with Mansfield

The Madison Township trustees are looking at the possibility of doing another joint road resurfacing project this summer with the City of Mansfield. If approved, the township and the city would split the cost of resurfacing Eastlawn Avenue — a 425 foot long, 16 foot wide street with “3 or 4” houses on it — at a total cost of $9,000.

Trustee Jim Houser told the board at a special meeting Monday evening that he was having a discussion with City Engineer Bob Bianchi about splitting the cost of resurfacing North Street, a dead end street that is used by people going in and out of the People’s Building parking lot, when Bianchi also suggested Eastlawn as another possible joint effort. He said Bianchi suggested the city contract the work for both streets and bill Madison for half.

Houser said he also discussed two other projects with the city including paving an Illinois Avenue extension and Lincoln Terrace, which would cost a combined estimated total of $60,000. The entities would split the cost of the Illinois Avenue project 50-50 while the city would pay 30% of the Lincoln Terrace project.

Trustees were concerned that there won’t be enough money to pay for the roads on the current list and that there could be others that may be swapped out.

“I was on Molly Court on Saturday and there were chuckholes out there that would eat a car and we were told that Molly Court wasn’t that bad,” Trustees Chairman Tom Craft said. “We already took Molly Court off the list (of roads to be paved).”

“There are chuckholes on Piper (Road) that would eat a car,” added Trustee Jim Houser.

Trustees first want cost estimates for roadwork

Trustees said they are committed to the North Street project as part of the township’s 2023 resurfacing program. However, both Craft and Trustee Cathy Swank felt the board needs to wait at least until County Engineer Adam Gove provides his bid specifications and cost estimates before making a decision on the other joint efforts.

Swank said Gove has indicated he may have those figures at the end of the week and that the trustees could hold a special meeting before their regular May 15 session to discuss the road program. Trustees have previously said the May 15 meeting will be held in the former Chris Radio Used Car building on Ashland Road, which the township is renting for temporary offices until the township house can be repaired from storm damage.

As of May 1, the roads on the list that Gove is preparing for bids include Lehigh, Duke and Charvid avenues; Forrest and Terrace drives, Lincoln Terrace, Stage and Brentwood roads; Branchwood Court, the extension of Illinois Avenue that could include participation with the City of Mansfield, and part of Home Road that the township has committed to do in cooperation with Springfield Township. Trustees asked Gove to prepare the specifications in a way that they can decide which of the roads will receive work based on the bids received.

Madison Township has about $330,000 available for this year’s road program.

Trustees approve contractor for guardrail work

Trustees also voted at the special meeting to award a $26,059 contract to PDK Construction of Pomeroy, Ohio, to replace guardrail on Hall and Pulver List roads and Illinois Avenue. The work is part of a project that was partly funded by the Ohio Public Works Commission.

Craft said the township earlier appropriated funds to pay for its share of the project but needed to get an extension on the completion date from the OPWC. The project has been delayed because of a previous lack of bids.

Township Fiscal Officer Leanna Rhodes also reported on Monday that she has received word from the energy consultant that handles the township’s electric aggregation program that Energy Harbor will accept the township’s lighting districts and the Ashland Road property it is renting. Trustees recently asked Rhodes to see if the lighting districts could be part of the aggregation plan to help residents save money on their street lighting assessments.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison Township look at another road project, OK guardrail contract