All they are cracked up to be

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A damaged sidewalk
adjacent to Church Street in Bowling Green. (Photo: Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune)

The maintenance of sidewalks in the city is to receive an invigorated focus.
During Monday’s meeting, council heard from resident Mary Abel, who voiced her displeasure with what she
saw as a lack of enforcement of sidewalk maintenance in the city. She noted she has fallen numerous
times and had to spend a month in the hospital and a nursing home following a recent incident.
"We have been continuing to work on a revision to the chapter dealing with sidewalks," said
Municipal Administrator John Fawcett.
He said that the city now is able to fund more road surface and sidewalk projects than in the last seven
years.
The recession lessened the city’s ability to work on sidewalks, he said, though repairs that needed
immediate attention were taken care of.
A total of $400,000 is available in the 2014 budget for unspecified roadway and sidewalk improvements.
Half of the money is in the street construction fund, and the other is in the street repair fund.
Fawcett later said that the sidewalk matter will be given top priority, with a revised chapter to be
presented for council’s approval within 30 days.
Public Works Director Brian Craft said he has entered into talks with six property owners to share the
cost with the city for replacement of sidewalks around the city.
Additionally, the city reportedly has recently hired employees who have a history in working with
concrete, enabling the city to undertake sidewalk projects it had not been able to in the past.
"We want to roll with this," said Craft.
In other business, council:
• Heard Councilman Bruce Jeffers ask Utilities Director Brian O’Connell if the city’s involvement in
hydropower would assist them under newly-proposed EPA rules regarding carbon emissions allowances.
O’Connell replied that "we’re doing a lot of the things that are allowances in the proposed
rules." However, he said that the 600-plus-page document outlining the rules was released on
Monday, and was still to be fully reviewed.
• On a third reading, unanimously passed an ordinance certifying the unpaid cost of snow removal for a
series of properties.
• Gave a first reading to a resolution for a transportation grant application with the Ohio Department of
Transportation through the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration for funds
from the Ohio Transportation Grant Program. The grant would be for the Ohio Elderly and Disabled Transit
Fare Assistance Program.
• Heard that Buckeye Boys’ State will return to the city for its 37th year next week.
• Witnessed an open forum by the Wood County Commissioners, held immediately prior to the council
meeting. Question topics included the CSX intermodal near North Baltimore, the use of casino revenues in
the county, bridge construction projects, traffic roundabouts, and other subjects.

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