Stafford Road Reopens to Traffic
After five months of construction closure delayed by wet weather, Stafford Road between Munn and Auburn roads in Auburn Township has re-opened to traffic, trustees…
After five months of construction closure delayed by wet weather, Stafford Road between Munn and Auburn roads in Auburn Township has re-opened to traffic, trustees said Oct. 19.
“It’s ninety-nine percent ready to go,” Trustee John Eberly announced. “It’s actually open for traffic.”
The 1.4-mile stretch of township road has been closed since May 25, with some minimal local access allowed during construction. It had been scheduled to re-open in late August.
The $540,000 paving project was originally planned in 2011 and was partially funded by a $350,000 Ohio Public Works grant.
The project is a major part of the trustees’ 20-year paving program, which has turned the township’s 54 miles of gravel roads to chip-seal and the chip-seal surfaces to asphalt pavement. Trustees have said the paving will save the township dramatically in maintenance costs.
Preliminary work included removal of several trees and widening in some places, including bridges. Trustees said Road Superintendent Emerick Gordon met with residents several times to explain the details of the project with them.
“I’ve heard very positive things from people, who thought that (township officials) took time to meet with them about their trees,” Auburn Fire Chief John Phillips said. “Nobody wants to lose trees, but you explained it to them. Kudos to you.”
Trustee John Eberly said the homeowner who lost the most trees to the widening project had been the most understanding.
“He just said, ‘Whatever is best for the township,'” Eberly said. “I thought that was refreshing.”
“I want to thank the residents for their patience,” Trustee P.J. Cavanagh said. “They really handled this well. We had the best you could hope for. We had a good contractor. And Emerick had well over 150 meetings with people. The county engineer’s office said if they had somebody like Emerick on their staff, their projects would go much easier.”
Trustee Mike Troyan said Gordon had kept residents and trustees informed during each step of the construction process.
Cavanagh said Wing Road residents had told him the road improvements on Stafford Road helped their sight line and made the road safer for motorists.
Eberly said improved signage along Stafford will also contribute to better safety.
“There’s a science to it,” Eberly said.
In other road news, Cavanagh announced the Geauga County Commissioners passed a memorandum of need for improving Auburn Road from the Portage County line to Washington Street.
“This, too, will be a big project next year,” Cavanagh said.
Trustees also signed a $95,000 contract with construction manager Jim Dixon to help plan and supervise the proposed service garage project, which is in the preliminary stages.
Dixon had been the construction manager two years ago for the fire station addition, and trustees said he had saved the township more than his salary by advising them in the decision-making process, and helping to bring the project in on time and under budget.
Trustees are hoping Dixon will guide them through the service garage planning process. They have not yet decided whether to add onto the current garage or demolish it and build a new structure.
“We’re moving toward selecting an architect and are looking to make a decision on that soon,” Cavanagh said. “We will have to do some public discussion on that.”
Dixon said he knows all three of the architects have given trustees their proposals and will be glad to make his recommendation to them.
“Now that we’re official, we’ll let you know,” Cavanagh said.
