By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
Surprises are not unusual with construction projects.
For Canal Winchester, the surprise came in the form of gas lines located much closer to the surface that were discovered during the current phase of the city’s street program.
Working at a project depth of 15 inches, gas service lines were found at depths varying from six to 12 inches when a contractor cut into some of them while working on Rossmore Lane and Pearce Drive. The lines were immediately repaired by the gas company, but company and city officials agreed the lines needed to be buried deeper.
“They’re not supposed to be that shallow,” said Bill Sims, construction services administrator. “They (gas company) decided to come in and lower the lines to 18 inches. There are about 30 services (connections) out there. Unfortunately, that, coupled with the rain, really slowed things down.”
Using a boring process, Sims said the gas company plans to run all new service lines from the gas main to houses. However, he said as a result, the street program was delayed.
Sims said contractors working years ago on the initial Westchester development were expected to meet certain standards and trusted to run lines at designated depths.
“We may need to monitor the boring process more closely,” said Sims. “Fortunately, up until now we haven’t encountered a wholesale problem like this.”
Community Center proposals
At the May 16 Canal Winchester City Council meeting, Sims presented a series of proposed fixes for the community center, located at 22 S. Trine St., ranging from roof repairs to a room addition. He said rental of the building is primarily centered on two rooms, relegating the “library” to storage space.
“It’s pretty much full of stuff and we’re hurting for space,” said Sims, who made suggestions to remedy the situation, including construction of a 420 square-foot, estimated $65,000 addition on the west side of the building to house the center’s book collection and to serve as small meeting space.
The present space could be converted to offices and storage. A makeshift office is now located in an entry alcove.
“They could definitely use improvements,” Sims said. “Security is now an issue with proximity to the doorway.”
Other suggestions covered more immediate needs, such as repairing/replacing the roof and replacing aging ceiling tiles.
“I just wanted to make you aware of some of the issues and needs and throw some numbers at it,” said Sims. “It’s an aging building.”
