|
|
|
|
 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Streets named for new topping |
|
Tuesday, 09 June 2009 |
By WILLIAM LANEY
Managing Editor
A new topping is in the works for six streets and one alley.
Wapakoneta City Council Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks Committee members Monday recommended a list of streets for asphalt repaving using stimulus funds on the advice of city administrators.
Wapakoneta 4th Ward Councilor Dan Graf, who chairs the Streets, Alleys and Sidewalks Committee, said the city is fortunate to be receiving a portion of the stimulus funds for repaving through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
“We will only be allowed to do overlay paving with the money, so what was identified today (Monday) were streets with a good infrastructure and a strong base allowing us to overlay the street with minimal work,” Graf told the Wapakoneta Daily News after Monday’s meeting. “We identified streets with good curbs and gutters, those that otherwise need just a resurfacing because the asphalt is starting to deteriorate, crack and perhaps won’t last through another winter.”
The projects on their list included the all of Veit Street and Parlette Court as well as all of Peach Alley. A section of East Benton Street from Wagner Street to Bellefontaine Street is to be grinded and repaved as well as Van Buren Street from Harrison Street to the cul-de-sac, Apollo Street from the Lowe’s parking lot to Bellefontaine Street, and Plum Street from the entrance to Advanced Agri-Solutions to Buchanan Street. The streets are to be repaved later this year, slated for September or October.
Mayor Rodney Metz, Safety-Service Director Rex Katterheinrich, Public Works Department Superintendent Meril Simpson and Engineering Department Supervisor Mary Ruck worked on the list of repaving projects totaling an estimated $115,496.50.
The city is set to receive $100,000 in stimulus funds from the Ohio Public Works Commission, as part of an organized effort to repave streets throughout Auglaize County. The city is contributing approximately $15,500 toward the project.
The committee chair said he and his members are in support of the streets recommended by city administrators.
“I have had a chance to drive all the streets, as well as both of my committee members have had a chance to look at them, and we are comfortable with the list,” Graf said. “My committee members did not have any other streets to add at this time.”
Graf explained Auglaize County Engineer Doug Reinhart is coordinating the effort of repaving the streets in the county’s seven municipalities as one project for bid. Wapakoneta and St. Marys are to each receive $100,000, while the five other communities are dividing $200,000 amongst them based on population.
Under the formula, New Bremen and Minster would receive $58,000, Cridersville would receive $36,000, New Knoxville would get $18,000, Waynesfield would get$16,000 and Buckland and Uniopolis would each get $7,000. Reinhart said the population figures used to create the formula came from the 2000 census.
With the city reconstructing a section of East Benton Street and Harrison Street as part of the Harrison Street Bridge project, Graf explained this is not the end of the city’s work on roadways this summer.
“There will still be general patchwork and repair of places on our streets where contractors had to dig into the pavement — but that is a patch job and not a repaving project,” Graf said.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 June 2009 )
|
|
|
|
