UCO council reverses sidewalk plans

By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN

News-Gazette reporter

Bowing to residents' complaints, the Union City, Ohio council Monday made a major change in the Elm Street project. There will be sidewalks only on the north side of the street, not the south side.

Neil Butt, owner of A & W Root Beer, said, "I think I speak for these residents who are concerned about safety issues and the devaluation of their properties."

Mayor Jim Nelson said all he wanted from the project was the straightening of the curve and the repaving of the road, but council members had other ideas.

Butt has been working for several months to get council members to change the sidewalk plans for the area in front of his business. At first council members voted 3-2 to allow the change order, and then it voted not to allow it.

At Monday's meeting, council members learned that the owners of the Bowling Alley would not allow sidewalks to be constructed on their property. The attorney for the Bowling Alley owners presented a contract to the village that said sidewalks in front of their property would never be allowed, and the village's attorney said village officials could not sign a contract specifying something could "never, ever happen."

Homer Stammen said he did his best to get the engineers to cut the size of the proposed sidewalks in an effort to save space in yards and to cut costs, but to no avail. Many of the houses at the east end of Elm Street are very close to the road. Butt claimed someone would be able to stand on the proposed sidewalk and knock on Stammen's window.

Councilman Brad Horsley suggested that if council members had been part of the initial process of interviewing residents, they would have understood the unfavorable reactions from the beginning and been able to resolve issues sooner.

Bill Bruggeman, council member, said he was aggravated that the sidewalk issue was still in play this late in the game, when the plans have been set, and the work is underway. Sidewalk work is scheduled to start October 13.

However, Bruggeman added, "If the Bowling Alley isn't getting sidewalks, and the resident on the curve before the Bowling Alley is opposed, there's no need to put sidewalks in front of Hog Slat. So maybe we should just put sidewalks on the north side only."

Butt estimated that eliminating sidewalks on the south side of Elm Street would save taxpayers $30,000.

The vote to put sidewalks only on the north side of Elm Street passed 5-1 with only Dave Addington voting against the motion.

In other news, council members approved buying its water from Union City, Ind., which requires signing a contract for five years. The rate is $5,200 a month. The action came after a six-month trial period.

Butt asked whether the contract had to be for five years, and the answer was that the contract had been written for that period, with no change in the fees. Bruggeman said locking in the cost for five years could be an advantage for the village.

The vote on the water contract was 5 to 1, with Addington casting the lone no vote.

The next Union City, Ohio council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, October 13.