Council considers sale of bonds

Funds would go for Cooper Foster Park Road improvements

An ordinance to provide an issuance and sale of bonds for funding improvements for Cooper Foster Park Road is awaiting approval from Amherst City Council.

A total of $1,015,000 in bonds is projected to help fund the widening, reconstructing, resurfacing, grading, draining, curbing, paving, constructing storm sewers and drainage facilities and improvements of the road from state Route 58 to Oberlin Avenue.

“This is an issue with this road that has faced us for some time,” Councilman Matt Nahorn said during a Dec. 10 Council meeting. “I thank the mayor and administration for being diligent on this and working with Lorain as well to improve the road.

“I look forward to working with the administration on completing this project.”

Council will meet Dec. 17 for a second reading on the ordinance.

Amherst Mayor Mark Costilow said the project will cost just under $5 million and will be split nearly evenly between the cities of

Amherst and Lorain.

In addition to the bonds, additional funding will be provided by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency that will award each city with $1 million.

Lorain County will provide about $250,000 for the project, Costilow said.

“It’s gonna be good for both (cities),” he said. “The road is in real bad shape. We’ve had problems with flooding and things along those lines.

“Business on both sides of the street will benefit and there will be a better flow of traffic. It should be good for everybody involved.”

The Cooper Foster Park Road project has been condensed to be completed in one season in 2019, Costilow said.

Amherst has worked in collaboration with the city of Lorain on the project on Lorain’s side of the road, said Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer.

“Lorain and Amherst are doing essentially the same thing,” Ritenauer said.

“This has been a long time coming ... From the Lorain standpoint, this is the last of the major roads that are in need of repair.”

The city will begin notifying residents in advance that Cooper Foster Park Road will be in major repair for several months so that they can plan accordingly, he said.

In addition, Amherst has introduced another ordinance that would permit the issuance and sale of bonds for an additional $2.5 million.

The ordinance is waiting Council approval for additional street repairs in the city.

A third ordinance would provide $515,000 for installing and improving sidewalks.