Elyria to revisit street resurfacing after frustrated first meeting

ELYRIA — Members of Elyria City Council have a tentative list of street resurfacing projects, but few of them are satisfied with it. Councilwoman Donna Mitchell, D-6th Ward, ran Council's Utilities Committee meeting on Wednesday as the chair of the committee, and she emphasized both during the meeting and on Thursday that the list of streets Council crafted was far from final. "There were some differences of opinion, but we're working through the process," she said. Mitchell said that the committee would have a brief additional meeting, probably on April 29, to review and finalize the street resurfacing list. Whatever list the group comes up with, the hope is to pass the 2024 plan during the next regular Council meeting on May 6. The frustration in the meeting stemmed from the fact that many streets that Council members had placed on their lists of desired projects were left off the list of estimates provided to them Wednesday. City Engineer John Schneider had reviewed the lists crafted by Council members and considered his own ranking of streets to create a list of cost estimates for projects. The issue, Council members said, was that some of their most important streets were left off that list of estimates so they could not be factored in on Wednesday. Mitchell told Council members to send additional streets they wanted estimates for to the Engineering Department, and she said on Thursday that work had begun to find those numbers. "Normally it's not a quick process, but a very smooth process," she said. "Last night was anything but smooth … there was some confusion as to the streets which made last night's meeting a bit more complicated than it normally is." Councilman Brad Armstrong, I-5th Ward, was the first to voice his displeasure during the meeting, saying he was missing four of the roads he said were most important. Armstrong asked why Council members had been sent on ride-alongs with William Forthofer, Engineering Department project manager, to rank roads if their conclusions weren't going to be considered. Schneider is on vacation and could not be reached for comment, but Forthofer said in the meeting that there was a "difference of opinion," between Schneider and some Council members. Mitchell said Council members and the department were working together to iron out any differences of opinion and get all the proper roads on the list. "We're working closely with engineering to finalize the list," she said. "… I instructed everyone to please work with engineering to make sure the streets they want are on the list, and we'll finalize it next week." Assistant City Engineer Kathryn McKillips made a list of the additional roads Council wanted estimates for, and she and Forthofer said they would get to work finding them. "I have asked Mrs. Mitchell and the other Council members that we get a revised, updated (list) and we have another brief meeting to review it," Councilwoman Mary Siwierka, D-3rd Ward, said. "It was too much confusion, we had done our lists and then why Mr. Schneider changed it, I don't understand." Further frustration stemmed from an error in the ward map of Elyria that is featured on the city website. Siwierka said she had based several of her road choices based on that map, which she later learned was not accurate. "I was looking at the city website, well that needs to be corrected," Siwierka said. "So I went to the Board of Elections website." Siwierka said she found that Baldwin Avenue is not within her ward as she had thought, but instead is split between the 3rd and 1st Wards. She said that from the 500 block of Baldwin to 998 Baldwin Ave., the street is split down the middle, with the odd numbered addresses in her ward and the even numbered homes in the 1st Ward. The rest of the road is in Ward 1, she said. Confusion was compounded further by the fact that many ward boundaries will be redrawn at the end of the year, according to a plan approved by Council in August. Mitchell told Council members to disregard any upcoming changes, because the streets would be worked on this summer, before any change comes. McKillips estimated on Wednesday that if the process moves smoothly from here on, the city should be able to expect road work to start in July. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.