LIMA — The city of Lima will look to the state to help fund several potential improvement projects through State Issue 1 funding.
Lima City Council unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit up to four applications to the Ohio Public Works Commission to fund various street resurfacing projects, the realignment of the Jackson Street and Findlay Road intersection, improving the Elm Street and Central Avenue intersection, and improvement projects on Wayne Street and High Street.
During Monday’s council meeting, Public Works Director Howard Elstro outlined the details of each project to councilors.
“First of all, there will be various resurfacing programs that we apply for every year,” he said. “The second is for the Jackson Street and Findlay Road realignment. The curve there is very tight, and there is a guard rail there, but it needs to be replaced nearly every year, and we have a design to modify the curvature of that road.”
The Elm and Central intersection project includes the installation of a traffic signal, which 3rd Ward Councilman Jesse Lowe II noted is definitely needed, especially with the new Union Square Apartments now in use on East Elm Street.
“There’s a blind spot there,” he said. “I’ve received several phone calls about that, and there have been several wrecks there.”
While Elstro would like to see funding for all the projects, however, he said the resurfacing would have to take top priority.
“In a nutshell, our resurfacing is our highest priority because we have no other source of funds for resurfacing,” he said.
The other project is the most extensive, according to Elstro.
“That is a $2.7 million project, which involves changing Wayne Street from one-way to two-way and also making improvements on High Street from Metcalf to Central, including various safety and pedestrian and bicycle improvments, much like we did with West and Elizabeth streets last year,” he said.
Other ordinances passed Monday included the approval of a lease agreement with Lima Memorial Health System for the use of the old Lima Fire Station 5 on East Elm Street, as well as the amendment of the zoning code for 537 and 541 S. Collins Ave., going from Residental Class 1 to Business Class 1 to allow for parking expansion for the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.
