Grant funded projects wrapping up in north end of city
COSHOCTON – A $500,000 Neighborhood Revitalization Grant has been used to give the north end of the city a facelift over the past two years. Two of the final projects being funded by it are bus shelters and new sidewalks.
The first bus shelter went up at Bancroft Park and four more will be installed.
“The concrete pads were poured by Kevin Sharier (public works director) and they are storing the shelters until we are ready for them,” said Mayor Steve Mercer. “He’s also working with the volunteers to help put them up. Part of the revitalization grant requested community involvement. We had a councilman ask churches to be involved and the Coshocton Church of the Nazarene and NewPointe agreed to help.”
Additional shelters are scheduled to go up before the start of school at: City Hall, North 14th and Chestnut streets, 11th and Chestnut streets, on Locust Street near the sheriff’s office and by city hall.
“We coordinated with Jennifer Andrews, director of transportation with Coshocton City Schools, about where the shelters were most needed,” said Max Crown, safety service director.
Each bus shelter costs approximately $4,000.
The city received money from this state grant project through the Coshocton County Commissioners. The Ohio Development Services Agency received 21 applications for competitive funds. Coshocton County’s application was only one of 11 proposals funded by ODSA.
The grant was used to make improvements throughout the north end neighborhood including paving streets, working on sidewalks, demolishing vacant dilapidated structures, and the shelters.
The sidewalk currently being completed runs from the County Road 1A Bridge to Walgreens.
“When we held public hearings (prior to receiving the grant) for input from our citizens, sidewalks were a regular issue,” Mercer said. “This also will tie our multi-use walking/bike path to Lake Park at the 1A Bridge.”
Crown said the project was bid out and Newcomer Concrete Services from Norwalk was awarded the contract for the approximately $176,000 job.
The last improvement connected to the grant will be a privacy fence where houses were torn down across from the water department. This area will eventually be turned into parking for the walking path.
All work funded by the grant, which was for two years, must be completed by Aug. 31.
“We really wanted to clean up that end of town and improve people’s first impression when they come into our city,” Mercer said.
Category: Government
