February 21, 2001
Fostoria residents worry overpass will not have fast-enough access
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
FOSTORIA -- Several residents of the city's eastern iron triangle are worried that a proposed overpass on TR 43 and access road would not provide emergency vehicles quick-enough access to their neighborhood.
Bonnie Thomas, 402 Ohio Ave., told city council Tuesday night that she felt the improvements, approved recently as part of Gov. Bob Taft's $200 million railroad initiative, were not enough.
It would take emergency vehicles too long to go out into the county and come back into the neighborhood, she said. An overpass on Town Street was needed, she said.
To install a Town Street overpass, Mayor John Davoli said, many of the homes and businesses would have had to be removed. Also, studies showed that many of the streets in that area would have had to become cul-de-sacs, making travel in and out difficult.
Using the access road, fire, EMS and police could reach the area in three or four minutes, Davoli estimated. In the past, if trains were blocking the area, they could not get in at all until the train left. The fire and police chiefs were satisfied with the TR 43 overpass and access road, he said.
City officials did want overpasses on Tiffin and Town streets, but were very happy with that they got, Davoli said.
"It just wasn't going to happen in town, where you had to tear down a lot of homes and move a lot of people," At-Large Councilman Arlen Lowery said.
He pointed out that most of the projects the state selected were in the $2 million-$3 million range, with the most expensive being Fostoria's Jones Road overpass at over $4 million.
The Town Street project would have cost about $10 million, he said.
"Did we get the best of all possible worlds on them? No," Davoli said. "We can't get everything."
Also Tuesday night, council heard a presentation about utility deregulation from Jerry Droll of the Ohio Consumers' Council.
The natural gas price will be to be 87¢ per cubic foot after Feb. 1 for Columbus Gas customers, he said. Some people who joined an aggregation, like Fostoria did with Amp Ohio, will save money, because they are locked in a lower prices.
Forecasters say natural gas prices will probably come down in the next 18-24 months, he said.
In the meantime, the consumers' council filed a petition with the Public Utilities Company of Ohio to investigate the rate hike, Droll said.
As for electric deregulation, American Electric Power has the lowest prices in the state, he said. In this area, the price is 6-7¢ per kilowatt hour. In the Toledo area, it is 11-13¢, he said.
"No other companies are in the area offering to sell electricity," Droll said. "It's too cheap … other companies who would think to come in are looking at the prices and saying, 'It's too cheap, we can't beat it right now,' " he said.
In other matters Tuesday night, the council:
* Heard first reading of an ordinance that would fund the city's annual street resurfacing program. Of the $200,000, about $140,000 would go toward re-paving streets in the Circle Drive area after the sewer separation project is complete, Safety-Service Director Ralph Wise said.
- Heard the annual report from Municipal Court Judge John Hadacek about the court's activity for 2000. Traffic cases were down 5 percent, criminal cases were down 11 percent and civil cases were about the same, he said. However, the cost of operating the court went up 29 percent, because more fine money went to the state in 2000 for various reasons, he said. However, the courtroom, which doubles as city council meeting chambers, had nearly $60,000 in renovations and none of that money came from city coffers. Instead, state grant money financed the refurbishment.
- Passed 6-1 an ordinance approving a 3.4 percent raise in sewer rates. Water rates will be raised the same amount. First Ward Councilwoman Mary Puffenberger cast the dissenting vote.
- Heard from Davoli that Zoning Inspector Jamie Hatfield will be cracking down on repeat zoning offenders this summer.
- Heard from Davoli that the Seneca County Humane Society has requested $75,000 for the construction of a new animal shelter near the intersection of US 224 and SR 100. The city would help facilitate citizens with the organization of a Fostoria Humane Society, Davoli said.
- Heard from Davoli that new black-and-white police cars will be unveiled at 9 a.m. Thursday at the city building. He also said he will introduce two ordinances at the next meeting, one which would ask for a new parking lot for police cruisers on the north side of the city building, and another to acquire two or three new cruisers for the department this year on a lease-to-own program.
- Heard from Wise that the city is looking for a water treatment superintendent to replace Bernie Spyker, who is to retire April 27.
- Passed 7-0 and ordinance that would allow the city to enter into a human resources contract with Clemans, Nelson and Associates for 2001.
- Passed 7-0 an ordinance allowing the safety-service director to purchase a truck for the cemetery department and another for the street department.
- Passed 7-0 an ordinance allowing the city to contract concessions at the city-owned parks, parking lots and reservoirs.