Maria Kacik | The Gazette
BRUNSWICK — City Council has reached an impasse in the reconstruction of 1,200 feet of North Carpenter Road. But since Brunswick has received state funding for another road project, it may tackle that first before making a commitment on North Carpenter.
Although bids are in, Council has not yet awarded a contract for the North Carpenter project. At recent meetings, residents have said motorists attempting to avoid congestion in the project area would use the Old Mill Village neighborhood as a bypass. North Carpenter residents have expressed concerns over losing access to their driveways for 10 days during the four-month project.
During a special Committee-of-the-Whole meeting Monday night, Council members discussed rejecting all bids for the North Carpenter project and rebidding to accommodate residents’ concerns. However, with one member absent, Council was split 3-to-3 on a motion to reject the bids.
City Manager Bob Zienkowski has suggested rejecting the bids for North Carpenter and waiting until next year to start the project. Instead, he suggests reconstructing the intersection at Hadcock and Grafton roads early next spring.
“By constructing the improvements at the Grafton/Hadcock intersection first … traffic should move more efficiently and safely with new traffic lights and added turn lanes when increased traffic is routed through these roadways during the North Carpenter construction,†Zienkowski wrote in a memo to Council.
The city was notified last month it had received 89 percent of the funding for the Hadcock/Grafton reconstruction from the Ohio Public Works Commission. Brunswick applied for the money last year, but wasn’t originally scheduled to receive it.
“As other projects ahead of us or from previous years of funding were not undertaken by municipalities, or came in under budget, that freed up money for municipalities on the contingency list,†City Engineer Ryan Cummins explained.
The Hadcock/Grafton project would replace 250 feet of road on each side of the intersection and add three left-turn lanes: one on Hadcock and two on Grafton. It could begin next spring at the earliest, Cummins said.
Some Council members, however, didn’t want to put the North Carpenter project on hold.
“I think it’s a bad policy to rebid projects this far along into it,†Ward 1 Councilman Chuck Ricco said.
He suggested the residents’ concerns with the project could be addressed with a change order with the contractor.
Cummins presented Council with estimates of what it would cost to accommodate the residents’ concerns. He said it would cost $16,820 to provide only southbound access to North Carpenter from Grafton Road, which might decrease the number of people cutting through Old Mill Village, and $72,895 to provide constant driveway access to North Carpenter residents during the project.
Council is scheduled to vote on the North Carpenter project on July 13.
Up to 89 percent of the approximately $800,000 total cost for the work on North Carpenter is set to be covered by OPWC grants and loans. However, the city has stipulated that money would be used on the project this year. If it isn’t used in 2009, Brunswick will have to apply for an extension.
Receiving an extension from the OPWC “has never been an issue in the past,†Cummins said.
Contact Maria Kacik at (330) 721-4049 or mkacik@ohio.net.
Want to weigh in on the North Carpenter Road reconstruction project? City officials invite residents of Old Mill Village and North Carpenter Road and any other interested individuals to discuss the project.
When: 5:45 p.m. today.
Where: Meeting Room 1, Brunswick Community Recreation and Fitness Center, 3637 Center Road.
