Pictured from left to right: Councilmembers, Janet Cooper, Ben Redman, Kim Chamberland, City Manager, Michael Doss, Vice-Mayor, Sandy Russell, Law Director, Bryan Pancheo, councilmembers, Kyle Mitchell and Kristopher Parrish.
On June 20, Milford City Council met to discuss its ongoing major projects and give updates regarding the completion dates, costs and concerns for construction in the city.
Finance Director Patt Wirthlin presented to council the annual hearing for Milford’s 2024 tax budget. She said the city would need ‘quick cash’ readily on hand to cover the proceeding projects.
Continuing, Wirthlin said the city would need to pre-pay for larger projects, which include the water tower, water lines, Five Point Park and canoe and kayak launch. While grants and park levies cover most of these expenses, the city will still need to put forth additional expenses toward the projects, especially with recent change orders put into effect, she said.
Michael Doss, city manager, introduced to council the upcoming completion of Duke Energy’s paving project. He said Duke Energy has contracted with Barrett Paving for the milling and surfacing of last year’s gas line project, which will be completed by the end of June. Barrett Paving has put signs on Beech Street, Cleveland Avenue, Edgecombe Drive and Winnebago Drive to start paving, and it should be completed before July 4, he said.
With the ongoing construction occurring around Downtown Milford, many residents raised concerns about seeking alternatives to what to do in the meantime.
Citizen Donna Luecke voiced concern about the flow of traffic between Mill Street and Cleveland Avenue. Doss assured the resident he would explore other options: paint new signage, move the stop signs up and patrol the area. He also said he would get in contact with raising the crosswalks.
“I think we are all suffering from project fatigue … We are back with paving again in 2023, Doss said, adding, “I understand everyone’s frustration, and I do appreciate everyone’s patience. We should have really nice roads by the time this is done in the next couple of weeks or the next project.”
Doss gave updates on other projects, including the Wallace Avenue Water Tower, Supply and Discharge Line Replacement project. He said Ford Development Corp. contracted with this project and will begin working on Garfield Avenue in July; its expected completion timeline is sometime in the next 3-6 months.
Also, the canoe and kayak launch is complete; however, there needs to be a title search conducted to determine ownership of certain right-of-ways near the property before moving forward, Doss said.
While the city is undergoing many projects with tight deadlines and weather permitting concerns, Doss said other smaller projects, like the redoing of City Hall’s exterior, will be put on pause until the end of summer.