SHELBY — Several streets throughout Shelby will be smoother come September.
Shelby City Council approved the plans and specifications for the 2024 paving project Monday evening.
Joe Gies, the city’s project coordinator, said the paving is set to go out for bids, which will be opened March 20.
All street paving projects must be completed by Sep. 30, he said.
Streets scheduled to be paved include:
— West Smiley Avenue (from North Gamble Street to the Shelby High School entrance area)
— East Gaylord Avenue (from Mansfield Avenue to East Maxwell Drive)
— East Maxwell Drive (from Mansfield Avenue to the three-way intersection with Parkwood Drive)
— East Madison (from Mansfield Avenue to Parkwood Drive)
— Glenwood Drive (from Samantha Drive to Technology Parkway)
— Seneca Drive and Independence Drive
Paving project funding
Gies said Shelby streets are rated by a firm who shares the results with the city.
“We use that survey to pick out the roads that really need it and look at things that may be happening,” he said.
The total cost of the project is $618,000 and will be paid for using the city’s paving funds, which are generated by a 0.2% income tax, Gies said.
In 2023, Shelby voters passed a 0.2-percent income tax renewal on the May 2 primary ballot.
Voters in Shelby initially approved the levy in 2013, which paved the way for major projects in partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
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The city will continue to collect the tax for the next four years, ending in 2028 and bringing in approximately $450,000 per year — and more than $2 million over five years.
Ninety-seven percent of the funds go towards road improvements and 3% goes to sidewalk improvements, Gies told Richland Source in 2023.
Demolition begins on downtown commercial property
During Monday’s City Council meeting, Gies provided an update regarding the demolition of the East Main Street commercial property heavily damaged by a large fire in August.
R&D Excavating LLC, based out of Crestline, has made significant progress with the difficult demolition at 50/52 E. Main St.
“All of the debris will be taken out, it will be filled in with dirt and planted with grass,” Gies told councilmembers Monday.
According to the Richland County Auditor website, 50/52 E. Main St. is owned by Charles Warfel.
Gies said the future of the property is to be determined, as Warfel remains the rightful property-owner.
“We’ve (Shelby) got an on-going contract with the Richland County Land Bank to help us out with demolitions and so forth,” he said. “They happened to have some grant money to tear that (50/52 E. Main St.) down.
“The cost of that (demolition) will still be sent back to the property owner (Warfel). He’ll get the opportunity to pay for it. Then if he doesn’t, it’ll be put on his taxes.
“And then if he doesn’t (pay), it just goes through the normal foreclosure process as it would for anyone else.”
In other action, City Council:
— authorized Shelby Mayor Steve Schag to apply for the training and equipment grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety for the purchase of emergency medical supplies.
