Right-of-way permits approved, repaving to be left up to adjacent owners
Any property owner in the City of Onaway interested in paving an adjacent alley or road shoulder owned by the city will need to sign a right-of-way permit prior to starting a project, following a decision July 24 by the Onaway City Commission. It exempts the city from repaving if city crews are forced to make repairs under the surface.
If there is a problem with a utility, such as a water main break, the city would put gravel back over the area removed, and it?ll be up to the owner if they want to repave it. The vote was 3-2, with commissioners Mel Perkins, Bernie Schmeltzer, and mayor Gary Wregglesworth approving it, while commissioners Jerry Robinson and Brad Porter voted against it.
WHILE THERE are a few paving proposals being considered in the community, city manager Joe Hefele said members of First Baptist Church on Elsden and Lynn brought their request to pave an alley to the board. They are paving their parking lot, but want to extend the asphalt to the alley between the church and parsonage. Hefele said church officials have been in to discuss the project a couple of times over the last year.
Hefele believes it would be cost prohibitive to go back and repave every area, especially since the water system is a century old and most utilities are placed under gravel. ?Typically what municipalities attempt to do is put utilities in alleys and road shoulders,? said Hefele. ?What you are going to have is a great deal of expense every time you go in and fix a water system, or anything of that nature. We don?t want to be in a situation where we are replacing paved alleys, because it will start adding up,? said Hefele.
Commissioner Robinson disagreed, saying the city should make the repairs. ?I think the people who take the initiative to spend the money, to pave an area to improve our city, the least we can do is?repair that asphalt with asphalt,? said Robinson.
Porter added that gravel roads create dust and maintenance problems in the city. ?We are not a very wealthy city, and if someone wishes to spend their money to put asphalt in, the least we can do is repair it, if we tear it up,? said Porter. Commissioner Bernie Schmeltzer said there are no tax dollars coming in to pave alleys or sides of road. He suggested the city split the cost with the owner.
?Why should we bear the expense if it wasn?t paved in the first place?? asked commissioner Mel Perkins. Porter also was concerned for the potential of future fees, which could be attached to the permit, if there is a turnover of board members.
?It becomes a money grab for government,? said Porter. After approving use of the right-of-way permit form, the board unanimously approved the church?s request.
? A couple of concerned residents spoke before the commission about problem areas created by repaving. Hefele said crews were in town to take care of some of the trouble spots.
?Some commission members expressed concerns about the Fourth of July parade, especially with motorcycle entries.
Perkins said horse manure was thrown into the crowd when some of the motorcyclists spun their wheels. He also believes someone should walk the parade route with the horse group to clean up the mess.
There also was a concern with the ?wheelies? that were being performed, that the operator might accidenta
Hefele said he would be going over some of these issues with the chamber.
? Clyde Berry, who made repairs to a water leak and received a one-time break from the city, went before the board because his next bill reflected water usage before the repair. Instead of forgiving the higher bill, the board decided to bill Berry for his usage in June, based on the final bill from July.
? The commission decided to hire someone to do some cleaning at the courthouse. An ad was to be placed in The Outlook. Hours would be determined.