MEDINA, Ohio -- City Council voted at its Finance Committee meeting tonight (April 8) to reconstruct South Broadway in brick and to cover the entire cost -- meaning no South Broadway residents will be assessed for the project.

The decision came down to a 6-to-1 vote to cover the entire cost. However, the decision was much closer than that margin would indicate, with council members making arguments on both sides.

Council President John Coyne said the decision came down to not whether the road should be brick, but whether or not it was the entire city’s obligation to pay for it.

“Do we feel that it’s important enough for everyone in the city to contribute?” Coyne asked.

Coyne voted in favor of not assessing South Broadway residents, but said it was difficult for him to decide whether it was the best way to spend tax money.

“For the two brick roads that we have in the city left, we have to probably do the right thing, and it seems like the right thing is we pay for it,” Coyne said. “Its very difficult. We think hard about where the money should come from and how the money should be spent.”

Council Representative-at-Large Bill Lamb said it would be a huge mistake to assess the residents, saying that it could lead to them petitioning to forgo brick for concrete to avoid the assessment.

He also said the city owed it to the residents to reconstruct the road, since the last project in 1985 only repaired it and reused some of the same bricks. The road still has bricks from its original construction in 1917.

“There is no other street in the city that has sat there not rebuilt for that many years, which is 100 years,” Lamb said.

Ward 2 Council Representative Dennie Simpson was the only person to vote against the city paying for the entirety of the project, and said he had mixed emotions on the subject. He said he wanted to keep the road brick, but said he also had some residents contact him who were not in favor of the city paying for it.

Ultimately, Simpson suggested assessing the property owners a nominal amount of $50 to $100 to show that they were supporting the road staying brick.

Ward 3 Council Representative Eric Heffinger, whose ward contains the brick portion of South Broadway, said the city has spent a lot of time and money creating its historical image, and that that stretch of South Broadway remaining brick is a part of that.

“From my point of view, I believe it is the city’s obligation to pick up the cost of these roads,” Heffinger said of the brick portion of South Broadway and the city’s other brick road, a block of North Elmwood Street near City Hall.

Law Director Gregory Huber clarified for council that they could reconstruct the road without assessing the residents. He said, however, that council could not pass an ordinance that would force future councils not to assess.

“Future councils would and possibly should have flexibility to do what they will at that time,” Huber said. “You can’t force them, although your opinion in an ordinance I think would be pretty persuasive for future councils.”

After the council voted to fully fund the project, Mayor Dennis Hanwell asked council to modify or repeal a 1983 ordinance that recommended the assessment, saying that would prevent this kind of issue in the future.

“I don’t want to pass this on to another mayor, to another council down the road,” Hanwell said.

Council picks contractor for City Hall parking deck

City Council also selected a contractor for the City Hall parking deck.

After the design-build process, two firms -- CPS Construction Group and Ruhlin Co. -- came in with close enough scores that council decided to go with the second option from Ruhlin Co. The city’s hired consultant recommended CPS Construction because of a lower price, but council decided to go with Ruhlin Co. due to its footprint allowing more space between East Liberty Street and the garage for development.

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