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Variety of major projects are slated for completion this year
Thursday, January 12, 2006
By LIZ PECEK
ThisWeek Contributor By David Rea/ThisWeek
Canal Winchester Mayor Jeffery Miller is looking forward to a year of major projects scheduled for completion this year.
Canal Winchester has more than a dozen major community investment projects scheduled for completion this year, many related to growth.
Mayor Jeffery Miller said it's an aggressive schedule; more than $11-million, some of which is federal and state grant money, is involved in the program.
This year's community investment projects "run the gamut from infrastructure support to parks and development on bike paths," he said.
Miller said one goal for the village this year is to achieve a clear vision of short- and long-term strategies. Another goal is to work effectively and efficiently, "to become more responsible to our public, our customers."
"That's a never-ending goal," Miller added.
He said Canal Winchester is continually facing issues related to growth.
"We're in a market area that has seen exponential expansion," he said. "You have to make sure that you're planning for the proper mixture that will create the most economic sense, (while) at the same time being mindful (of) quality-of-life issues for people who live and work in our community."
Miller said some have expressed concern that with the rate of growth, Canal Winchester might lose its small-town feeling.
"It's not the size of the community," he said. "It's the size of the hearts of the people who live here."
Projects on tap this year include widening Diley Road from U.S. 33 to Busey Road and the construction of a new water treatment plant and two associated projects.
Miller said the Diley Road work will include widening the roadway from two to four lanes and installing signals at three locations. The improvements are needed, he said, to accommodate the new growth at the industrial park.
As for the water treatment plant, Miller said construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months. While waiting for the new treatment plant to be finished, the village will get relief "if it's needed" from Pickerington.
"We're creating an emergency/supplemental flow to the city of Pickerington," Miller said, adding that the water line connection is expected to be established within three to four months.
"That will provide us relief for this summer's heat," he said.
Miller said the connection will be "the first connection we've ever made to any municipality."
In August, Pickerington City Council granted Canal Winchester permission to draw 300,000 gallons of water per day from one of its wells in the event of an emergency. The one-year agreement was drafted after one of Canal Winchester's three wells became inoperable last spring.
ThisWeek Staff Writer Sean Casey contributed to this story.
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