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Discussion on Boston Township roads continue

9/13/2012 - West Side Leader
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By Kathleen Folkerth

Summit County Council is considering whether to vacate two roads in Boston Township, including Oak Hill Road, shown at left in July. The Engineer’s Office closed the road to vehicular traffic this summer because of erosion caused by Furnace Run stream that has deteriorated the shoulder.
Photo: Kathleen Folkerth
DOWNTOWN AKRON — A Summit County Council committee agreed Sept. 10 to allow more time for communities and entities to discuss the possible vacation of two roads in Boston Township.

The Planning and Economic Development Committee had previously placed resolutions regarding the vacation of Wetmore and Oak Hill roads on time for 90 days so Summit County, Boston Township and Cuyahoga Falls officials could discuss the possible closure of the roads with National Park Service (NPS) officials. Now the committee has agreed to keep the legislation on time for another three months so possible solutions can continue to be discussed.

Joe Paradise, of the Summit County Engineer’s Office, told the committee that he and other representatives of the office met with Cuyahoga Falls officials Aug. 15 to discuss options on the closure of Oak Hill Road.

“We are making some progress,” he said. “We are still in the talking stage.”

He added that just before the meeting this week he received an email from the city with comments on the closure.

According to the letter from Public Service Director Valerie Wax Carr, the city is still opposed to vacating the roads. But should they be closed permanently, the city requested that Council mandate that a 96-foot diameter asphalt circular turnaround be created south of the city-township line on Wetmore and north of the city-township line on Oak Hill. For Wetmore, land for the turnaround could be donated by the NPS and Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, while land for the Oak Hill Road turnaround could be purchased from abutting property owners, the letter states.

The city also proposes sharing construction costs with the county, township, NPS and Metro Parks for both turnarounds.

The township had requested the vacation of three roads last spring because of a lack of funds to maintain them. Council did approve the vacation of Stanford Road in the township but kept the other two requests on time due to concerns from neighboring communities and residents.

In the meantime, the Engineer’s Office closed Oak Hill Road to vehicular traffic in the township because of erosion caused by Furnace Run stream that has deteriorated the shoulder and made the road unstable, officials said.

Several months ago, Falls officials had said they were opposed to closing the road because it was used by safety personnel on calls.

Committee Chair Ilene Shapiro (D-at large) said the county also heard from Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Stan Austin, who requested any action on Wetmore Road be taken after the coming winter snow season.

In his letter to the committee, Austin said there are three park facilities on the road: two residences and an equestrian trailhead. Should the road be vacated, snow removal services would fall to the park system, but federal contracts for services sometimes take time to set up, Austin wrote.

The committee placed the two pieces of legislation on time until Dec. 3, Council’s last committee meeting of the year.

Also during the discussion, Councilman John Schmidt (D-District 2) asked Paradise if recent rains had caused any more problems on Oak Hill Road. Paradise said he hadn’t been out to the site since August so he didn’t know, but added that he visited the site several times in the summer months and it appeared that deterioration was continuing.

Schmidt also asked if any residents or schools have complained about having to take a detour because of the closure, and Paradise said he hasn’t heard any complaints.

In other business, the Public Safety Committee recommended Council adopt a resolution authorizing the county to accept federal reimbursement grants for the Summit County Emergency Management Agency’s operating budget in the amount of $171,841. In turn the county will provide a matching grant of that amount.

County Council will meet Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. for caucus and 5:05 p.m. for the regular meeting in Council Chambers on the seventh floor of the Ohio Building, 175 S. Main St.

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