UCO considers businessman's plan
By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN
News-Gazette reporter
The Union City, Ohio Council Monday took under advisement Neil Butt's request to change the sidewalk and green space plans in front of his business, A & W Root Beer. Butt's plan basically involves flipping the sidewalk and greenspace areas, not changing the amount of either.
Butt said the plan for Elm Street as currently constructed cuts off the front of his business, and his plan would allow the greenspace, sidewalk, and curing to match the other side of the street.
Council member Sandy Moore asked if changing the plan would add to the cost of the Elm Street project. Susan Schipps, of Key Engineering, said the changes would cost very little, if at all. However, she said she had not seen the project, since another company is engineering it.
Butt pointed out that his business had been on the corner for 49 years, and he had owned it for 35 years. He presented blueprints of his proposal and a supporting petition signed by property owners along the Elm Street project.
Tony Maloy thanked Butt for all the work he had done to come up with an alternative plan and for looking out for the aesthetics of the area.
Maloy, Meta Sue Livingston, and Brad Horsley voted to accept Butt's proposal, and Bill Bruggeman and Moore abstained until they could consult with the project engineer. Even though the motion apparently carried, Mayor Jim Nelson indicated the decision would not be final until the two council members who abstained consulted with the project engineer.
In another Elm Stree project issue, Nelson said the project is on schedule "except for a problem with the Bowling Alley." When a councilman asked what the problem was, Nelson replied that it was a matter of who has the easement on the right-of-way.
In financial news, council members accepted the $253,000 bid of Tim Bush Construction of St. Henry to build the infrastructure in Commerce Park. Schipps said the basic work would be completed by October 15 so Armstrong Cabinets could open its facility. The contract calls for a $500 a day fine for each day the contractor misses the deadline.
Schipps said the village was in good position on the bids because there was a "hungry market" for such projects, and the bids came in lower than expected. The project will be paid for by a $100,000 grant from the state and by borrowing for the remainder of the project.
In other financial news, Nelson said the price of salt to use on the streets has doubled.
The next Union City, Ohio council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, October 6.
