Next year's citywide asphalt paving program will include 16 Marietta streets or portions of streets in all four wards, including a long-awaited major upgrade to Warner and Porter streets in the Norwood area.
"The total project cost is $544,256, and we're going to apply for an Ohio Public Works Commission grant for $400,000," Wayne Rinehart, project manager with the city engineering department, told city council's streets and transportation committee Wednesday.
He said the rest of the funding would be covered by $65,000 from the city's annual Community Development Block Grant entitlement; $53,856 from the city's $5 permissive tax fund; $20,000 from the municipal streets fund; and $5,400 from Marietta College.
The college money is to assist with relocation of a crosswalk near the residence halls on Butler Street.
"Unfortunately the OPWC grant application doesn't include arterial street, which would have gained us more points scored on our application," Rinehart said.
During a previous meeting he explained that the arterial streets were in good shape and would not require paving during the 2013 program.
Nine of the streets slated for paving in 2013 haven't seen new asphalt since before 1987.
Two of those, Warner and Porter streets, were scheduled to be paved a few years ago, but neighborhood residents requested that paving not be done until drainage issues could be addressed there due to the level of the roadway being higher than many adjacent properties.
That problem will be addressed during the 2013 program at a cost of more than $100,000, according to Rinehart.
Other streets to be paved next year include all or portions of Woodland Street, Ephraim Cutler, Clifton Street, Gross Street, Betsey Mitchell Lane, Butler Street, Fourth Street, St. Marys Avenue, Cullen Road, Hickory Lane, Marigold Lane, Elm Street, Clinton Street and Harmar Street.
During Wednesday's meeting Councilman Mike McCauley, D-2nd Ward, asked why permits were required for the paving project.
Rinehart said a $100 permit is required from the county to work on streets that are located within the floodplain.
"It seems ridiculous for us to be paying for a permit to pave our own streets, just because they're in a floodplain," McCauley said.
But Rinehart said such permits are required by federal law.
The cost of the 2013 paving program also includes $86,500 for installation of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps.
Legislation approving the grant application to OPWC, due Monday, is expected to be adopted by city council during a special meeting today at Lookout Park.
In other business Wednesday, city streets department superintendent Todd Stockel said the department would be purchasing a new backhoe to replace an old 2002 machine that has logged more than 6,300 hours of operation and is having brake and bucket arm problems.
The new backhoe will cost $92,000, but Stockel said a $23,000 trade-in will bring that price down to $69,000.
The new machine will be purchased from Southeastern Equipment in Marietta.
Also on Wednesday, city engineer Joe Tucker said the third phase of the city's River Trail project will be sold by Nov. 8, but construction would likely begin in the spring of 2013.
"This will be an approximate one-mile addition to the River Trail," he said. "The estimated construction cost of the third phase will be a little over $800,000."
If you go:
