Groveport Village Council unanimously approved constructing, all in one phase, a bicycle path from Groveport to Three Creeks Metro Park.
Council had also considered doing the project in two phases.
"I’d like to see this done all at one time," said Mayor Lance Westcamp at council’s June 9 meeting. "The sooner the better."
Work is expected to begin on the bicycle path in early July with completion by early September.
Strawser Paving was the low bidder on the project with a bid of $359,224. Additional costs to the village for the project will include $37,000 for inspections, $33,000 for design/bidding, and $20,776 for fencing, landscaping, and signs. This will bring the total cost of the project to around $450,000.
The village originally budgeted $250,000 for the project. EMH&T engineer Steve Farst said soil conditions, American Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, and the fact the path has to cross seven ditches and streams added to the cost of the project. Finance Director Ken Salak said the remaining funds for the project will be reappropriated in the village’s budget.
"We anticipate we’ll be able to cover this based on the increase income tax revenues we’ve received this year," said Salak.
While May income tax revenue figures weren’t available at the June 9 council meeting, the village’s income tax revenues for April were $1.54 million, a new record. For the year so far in April, the village’s income tax collections were up $1.2 million over last year and $1.09 million ahead of projections for 2008.
About the proposed bike path
Groveport purchased 2.85 acres of land from Dan Foor at a cost of $99,750 to be used for the proposed bicycle path route to connect the village to Three Creeks Park.
The acreage is a 30 foot wide strip of land that extends north from Front Street at Corbett Road to the Elmont Place subdivision and follows the right of way of the former Rarey Road, which once ran from Front Street to Blacklick Creek before being abandoned by Franklin County in 1929.
Once the approximately 7,000 foot long, 10 foot wide, asphalt bicycle path reaches Elmont Place it will cut through an open space in the subdivision to reach Groveport’s Cruiser Park (the soccer park). From there the bicycle path will proceed through Cruiser Park and then cross both old and new Bixby Roads to reach Three Creeks Park.
The path will accommodate bicyclists, walkers, and joggers. The mayor and council members noted the new bicycle path will improve safety by enabling pedestrians and cyclists to avoid using narrow Old Hamilton Road to reach Three Creeks Metro Park. The new path, by connecting to Three Creeks, also connects the village to the wider central Ohio bikeway system.
