Update on Center Ridge Road and Lear Nagle Road Reconstruction Projects
Center Ridge Road widening project continues to move forward with an expected bid date of October 2016. After two failed attempts at the ballot to pass a property tax levy to pay for the city’s share, legislation is in the works to increase the license plate fee by $5 per vehicle per year. This fee will generate approximately $140,000 per year that can be used to pay the debt service on the city’s remaining obligation of about $2.5 million. Feedback received by residents felt this to be a more appropriate funding mechanism because it applies to those that are using the road. The city’s shortfall was reduced substantially because the project was unbundled to allow for funds to be used from other funding sources, e.g., $857,368 will be used from the sanitary sewer fund to install new sewers in the project area; originally the city’s obligation for the new water line was $400,000 but the city was able to include the water line in the project using federal funds. This leaves the city with an obligation of $75,000 for the water line which can be paid through the water fund.
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is moving forward with the demolition work associated with the Center Ridge Road widening project. ODOT negotiates directly with the property owner to settle on an agreed upon purchase price. As the negotiations are finalized, the properties are released to the contractor to have the structures removed. There are a total of 22 structures on the removal list with an expected date of completion by June 2015. In addition, there are over 300 parcels impacted by the project and in most of these cases it is the acquisition of land only for the additional right-of-way that’s needed for the widening of the road. Notices to property owners were recently mailed out to those that have existing encroachments in the right-of-way. It will be up to the property owner to relocate these items to an appropriate location at their own expense.
The total cost for widening Center Ridge Road is $54,583,526 based on the latest estimates. In the end, North Ridgeville will pay about $4,787,613 of the grand total. The lion’s share of the project is being funded by state and federal tax dollars and not local tax dollars.
Lear Nagle Road widening project is moving forward as well. There are 92 property acquisitions needed, but no total building takes. All parcels have been appraised and an offer made to the property owner. Sixty-one of the offers have been accepted; 29 remain in negotiations and two have been submitted for appropriation. After breaking out the Lear Nagle project from the Center Ridge Road project, the city has a remaining funding obligation of $2,525,665. Of this amount, $799,000 will be funded through the water fund to install a new water line and the remaining balance of $1,726,665 will be paid through the street levy fund. The hope is to secure new funding in the future rather than dilute the street levy fund for this purpose. The anticipated bid date for this project is sometime in 2016.