Pictured, from left, are Councilmembers Janet Cooper, Ben Redmen, Kim Chamberland, City Manager Michael Doss, Mayor Lisa Evans, Law Director Bryan Pacheco, Vice-Mayor Sandy Russell and councilmember Kristopher Parrish. Photo provided.
Milford City Council met on Aug. 15 to discuss solutions for traffic and road concerns to create a safer environment around Milford.
Janet Cooper, safety service chair, discussed with council the necessary needs for asphalt paving repairs on state Route 28. The repairs include the recent water main break and four spots of degraded pavement, located just past Kirgan Lane and between the Kroger Plaza, located at 824 Main St., and Copper Blue, located at 900 Main St.
Cooper gathered three quotes from different paving companies to discuss an ideal price, which includes Neyra Paving in the amount of $12,554.64, Rack Seven Paving Co. in the amount of $9,750 and JK Meurer in the amount of $11,890.
Council agreed for Law Director Bryan Pacheco to draft an ordinance to enter an agreement with Rack Seven Paving Co. to improve certain portions of state Route 28.
With the continued construction of the Five Points Landing Park at the intersection of Main Street and Lila Avenue, some Milford residents voiced their concerns about the intersection’s traffic light issues.
Greg and Annie Juergenson spoke about the issues regarding the traffic light on Main Street by Saint Andrew’s Church. The Juergenson’s concern was that the traffic light crosswalk could be unsafe for pedestrians due to inattentive motorists. They said these issues would only intensify once the park’s construction is complete and draws more people to the area.
Ben Redmen, public services chair, suggested changing the traffic light pattern to reflect an ongoing signal rotation instead of the light only being activated by a pedestrian wanting to cross the road.
Assistant Police Chief Sean Mahan assured he would get together with Ed Hackmeister, street department supervisor, and consult with his officers on possible solutions to address all the traffic and pedestrian concerns.
Michael Doss, city manager, said the traffic light pattern is now on a rotation to attract the attention of those operating vehicles toward the light. Also, there’s a plan to trim overhanging tree branches near the traffic light.
Doss noted to look forward to continual improvements to traffic and road structures in the future; he mentioned a previous grant given by Redi-Rock Structures of OKI, LLC, for traffic improvement, which will go for bid in 2025, will budget in crosswalk improvements on state Route 28 and Robbie Ridge.
Other updates: one of Milford’s major projects, the Wallace Water Tower Supply and Discharge Lines, is on time and budget; its expected completion date is sometime in the next three months. The water tower bids are expected to be finalized and advertised by the end of this year.
However, other developments, like the canoe and kayak launch, won’t be installed in time for this canoe and kayak season. Though the final design is completed and waiting for approval from the Army Corp. of Engineers, Doss said there is still a lot of “bureaucratic red tap” in the way of completion.
The city hall exterior design and repair project also is facing completion difficulty. Doss said the bids for the project will need readvertising at the end of August. The bids for the project have already been advertised twice without anyone bidding on it, but Doss thinks it’s because it was advertised during the same time as other bigger proposals. The goal is to get repairs done by November.