Engineer requests fix on state Route 212 in Wilkshire Hills
With a new Dollar General Store going in, township officials and county engineer Doug Bachman are hoping to convince ODOT to shave down the bump on state Route 212 to improve visibility at the intersection of Kerns Drive in Wilkshire Hills.
County engineer Doug Bachman sent a letter dated Aug. 19, 2024, to the deputy director of District 11 of the Ohio Department of Transportation that was read at the Aug. 29 meeting of the Lawrence Township Board of Trustees. In the letter Bachman asked ODOT to consider fixing a bump on state Route 212 near the intersection of Kerns Drive in Wilkshire Hills.
Bachman referred to a requirement by ODOT that Dollar General Corporation pay for a turn lane on state Route 212 at the entrance to its new store before being permitted to open for business. ODOT will install the turn lane.
“I’ve reviewed the area and concur with the trustees that the sight distance at this intersection is limited,” Bachman said. “The construction of the turn lane would seem to be an ideal time to address the Kerns Drive Northeast sight distance.”
Bachman said planning and designing a profile change in the road is time-consuming, and funding may not be easy to find. However, the letter said, “It is still a project that would be beneficial as a stand-alone project or as part of a larger project to improve the safety of the state Route 212 corridor as development continues in the area.”
Public comments
Tim and Cathy Toolan, residents of Olde Orchard Drive, expressed concern about whether the retention basin at the Olde Hilltop development is capable of holding enough water, saying any excess water would spill onto their property. Zoning inspector Ron Weekley and the trustees said they would look into the matter.
Resident Nikki Moore reported an area of overgrown grass along Olde Orchard Drive. Trustee Don Ackerman said because it is a county road, he will notify the county of the problem.
Reports to the board
Road Supervisor Perry Myers reported on several matters including the completion of chip and seal work and a mid-September date for paving. He also said street sweeping will take place on the roads where chip and seal work was performed Sept. 9-10.
Myers also reported having No U-Turn signs placed on Gibler Road. The measure was taken to prevent semi-trucks from using it as a turnaround, which Myers said, at the July 25 meeting, would destroy the new asphalt placed by the township.
Myers asked trustees to consider hiring a third full-time road worker for the township. Discussion took place, but no decision was made.
Weekley said he was asked by a buyer interesting in purchasing property at the corner of North Laurens Drive and Buehler Road Northeast to build a house if a driveway permit would be approved. Trustees did not see an issue with it.
Trustee Matt Ritterbeck said he is looking into an Ohio EPA Capital Grant that would fund the purchase of a front-end loader in case the township decides to try to keep the compost bins open after 2025, when funding form the Joint Solid Waste Management District is set to end.
Ritterbeck also said Buckeye Career Center has offered to donate the labor to make benches for the township’s basketball court and walking trail. Trustees discussed seeking donations of materials or money to help fund the project.
Fiscal officer Ann Ackerman told trustees she is working with the Internal Revenue Service regarding a payroll payment made in 2024 that was inadvertently applied to 2023.
Other matters
Trustees agreed to hold a work session on Sept. 12 to discuss potentially hiring a third full-time employee, the future of the compost bin and other issues.
Trustees voted to approve an estimate from Levco Striping Services for $640 to stripe parking on Gibler Road and to paint handicap designations on two parking spaces.
The Lawrence Township Board of Trustees meets the second and last Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Lundenberger Hall, 10867 Industrial Parkway NW, Bolivar.