(Posted April 12, 2022)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
London city leaders had hoped that a relatively simple repair would do the trick for sewer line issues on East Second Street, but experts say replacement is necessary.
The problem area lies between Main and Union streets on East Second Street. An initial examination of the line revealed multiple cracks, holes, and weak spots. Debris gets caught in the cracks and holes, causing backups. Henry Comer, council president, said backups are causing trouble for a business owner on Main Street.
City council passed legislation on April 7, setting aside $33,000 for the project. Their hope at that time was that the issues could be repaired with a sleeve. Richard Duncan, the city’s new waste water superintendent, explained that a sleeve is a fabric tube that is inserted into the existing line. It is made of epoxy resin that hardens, making that section of sewer line strong and long-lasting.
On April 8, a follow-up look at the problem area revealed that a sleeve won’t cut it.
“The current pipe has too many issues to sleeve it, so it will need a full replacement,” said Mayor Patrick Closser.
Had a sleeve been possible, the city could have saved approximately $10,000 and avoided excavation, street repair, and disruption to parking in the area. The $33,000 city council set aside will cover excavation and the line replacement but not repaving.
In other infrastructure news, Choice One, an engineering firm, is conducting a storm sewer study in the city’s southeast quadrant. When the study is complete, city leaders will continue discussions about how to move forward.
The city recently hosted a meeting with residents in the Graceland Avenue and Marimont Road area on the city’s northwest side.
“We are looking at a public-private partnership to help with the storm water issues in that area,” Closser said.
Closser also thanked the city’s street department and the Madison County Engineer’s Office for removing debris from the creek that runs behind Jacqueline Drive on the city’s north side all the way to the south end of the city.
“This should really help with the water flow, taking the storm water downstream and out of town faster,” he said.
In other news
• The city is seeking a 0.5 percent income tax increase to help fund the fire and EMS department and to build a new community center and a new police department. The levy will appear on the May 3 election ballot. The city has been holding town hall meetings to share information and answer questions about the proposed increase. The last town hall meetings are set for 6 p.m. April 12 and April 26 at city hall, 20 S. Walnut St.
Anyone who cannot attend one of the meetings is invited to send their comments or questions to Closser at pclosser@londonohio.gov or call the city administrative offices at (740) 852-3243. Those comments and questions will be shared at the meetings.
Links to recordings of all of the town hall meetings about the levy can be found on the city’s website, www.londonohio.gov.
• The new playground equipment for Merri Mac Park has been delivered. The plan is to install it this summer. First, the parks and recreation department wants to run electricity and install a camera system at the park.
• Replacement of traffic signals in the city continues. Council member Greg Eades noted that the cameras mounted near the lights are used to monitor traffic flow to control light changes. They are not red-light cameras, he said.
• The parks and recreation department has 14 lifeguards on staff for the summer swimming season. Once the weather breaks, crews will do some concrete work at the pool. Council member Bryan Robinson said that due to rising costs, pool rates might increase this year. He also reported that the city has received some applications for the parks and recreation director position. Tammy Braskett will be leaving the position on June 4. Applications will be accepted through April 18.
• The police department is accepting resumes for dispatchers through May 11.
