Atterbury residents anxious for roadwork to begin

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by Laura Freeman

Reporter

Hudson -- "Rip it up!" an Atterbury resident told city officials April 29 about Atterbury Boulevard.

Other Atterbury Boulevard residents agreed.

The second of Ward 2 forum meetings at Barlow Community Center focused on the construction planned for Atterbury Road in 2009. Ward 2 Council member David Basil, City Manager Anthony Bales and City Engineer Thomas Sheridan answered residents' questions.

"We will be ripping [the road] up from right of way to right of way during construction," Sheridan said.

After years of having the paving of Atterbury delayed, residents petitioned Council in 2007 for repairs, citing safety factors and the temporary fixes some residents have had since 2004 to prevent sewage backups.

Council is scheduled to vote May 7 on the design of Atterbury Boulevard improvements by GPD Group for $297,323.

The Atterbury Boulevard project, if approved, would include widening the 18-foot-wide asphalt street from Stratford Road to Lake Forest Drive to 26 feet with curbs. The design will include sidewalks, drive aprons, streetlights and reconstruction of the pavement for drainage. It is estimated to cost $3 million. The project also includes a new storm sewer system in areas where sanitary sewer back-up problems have been reported.

The Atterbury bridge, a separate project and 80-percent federally funded, probably would begin in the spring of 2009, depending on the contractor, and take three months to complete, Sheridan said. Atterbury Road would be closed at the bridge.

Council approved an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation in February for the bridge project, estimated to cost $675,000.

More than 20 residents attended the meeting and shared stories of the problems with Atterbury, which resembles a narrow country road rather than a main boulevard that connects downtown, several neighborhoods and ends at the Lake Forest Country Club.

James Cunningham of Atterbury Boulevard said he measured Atterbury Boulevard to be 16 feet 4 inches not 18.

"It's a narrow street," Cunningham said. "Cars have to pull over into yards to allow buses or trucks to pass."

Residents voiced concerns about how downtown development at one end and the Lake Forest Country Club at the other end have altered water routes and added silt to Brandywine Creek.

James Sheatzley said water flows down his driveway after rains.

Pat Kavulic of Atterbury Boulevard said she lives near the bridge, and the volume of water flowing under the bridge has increased.

Sheridan said the bridge would be larger. He said city officials wanted to be told about any problems so GPD Group could address them in the design phase.

Kavulic also was concerned about runoff from nearby development and silt build up.

"We have land where there was no land before," Kavulic said.

Other residents voiced concern about downtown development and its impact on the already strained sanitary sewer system on Atterbury Boulevard.

Basil encouraged residents to attend the May 7 Council meeting to voice concerns and urge Council members to pass the pending legislation.

E-mail: lfreeman@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3150