County residents take sealcoating into their own hands

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

A group of residents on Jewell Avenue north of Mt. Pleasant have received tentative approval from the Henry County Board of Supervisors to sealcoat their section of the road.

The proposal from Shipley was brought to the board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday morning, requesting to seal coat Jewell Avenue from its intersection with Grand Avenue to the Big Creek bridge, approximately 4,000 feet.

The sealcoating, which will cost $51,845, will be paid for by the residents of that road, not the county.

?I look at it as an experimental thing, and I don?t see why not to,? said Supervisor Marc Lindeen.

He noted that he has often been asked why county roads are not sealed, and if there are private individuals willing to pay for it, he didn?t see why it shouldn?t be allowed.

?It improves our roads at no initial cost to the county,? commented Supervisor Chairman Kent White.

The supervisors gave their initial approval on the project, but there are still details to be worked out.

For example, the county will be responsible for maintenance of the road, but who pays for the maintenance still needs to be determined. County Engeineer Bill Belzer estimated that maintaining the seal coating would cost about $7,000 to $10,000 per year to keep the seal coating.

Although the initial work will be done by Shipley, the seal coating will be done to the county?s specifications.

?It is no different than if we hire a contractor to build a bridge,? explained Belzer.

There was some concern expressed that this would set a precedent and more residents would want to do the same thing.

?You will have an influx of people requesting this,? said Belzer, who said that it would have an impact on the secondary roads department.

The project will require Belzer to modify his department?s five-year plan and receive approval from the state, as the project is for the improvement of a road and not maintenance.

The supervisors asked that the area residents involved sign a letter to Belzer requesting the seal coating. In the meantime, Belzer will be working with the state for approval and to amend the county?s five-year plan.

In other business, the supervisors passed a resolution to add a stop sign at the intersection of Park Street and Academy Avenue in Swedesburg, as a large tree causes visibility issues at this currently uncontrolled intersection.

Lindeen commented that a resident had brought the tree to his attention and after mentioning to Belzer, Lindeen had a problem with visibility at that intersection within the next week.

?We could cut it back, but the tree would still be there,? said Belzer. ?Opposed to butchering it, I think it?s best to add a stop sign in one direction or another.?

Belzer said that stopping the north-south traffic would be best, as traffic in that direction would have the best visibility after stopping.

The new stop sign will be effective Aug. 13.

The supervisors also passed a resolution lowering the speed limit north of Mt. Union from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour on X23 heading into Mt. Union.

?It actually lets folks know they should be driving slower in town,? commented Belzer. ?We?ve got the stop ahead, they better be slowing down anyway.?

This change came at the request of the city of Mt. Union, to slow vehicles down as they come into town, as the city park is right at the intersection of X23 and 170th Street. Mt. Union Mayor John Marek met with the supervisors last week, and said the city already had a 25 mph sign and would take care of replacing the sign and returning the 35 mph sign to the county.

The lower speed limit will be in effect on Aug. 10.