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Leetonia workers keep busy with erosion projects

LEETONIA — Ed Allen, the public works superintendent for Leetonia, last week filled village council in about some of the erosion-related projects they are currently working on.

Following a recent storm, Allen said there were several problems that surfaced as water runoff lacked places to go and eroded the areas around drainpipes, culverts and the roadways themselves. He brought photos showing problems with a culvert on Wilson Street and places he would like to add catch basins and pipes to alleviate problems in the areas of Spruce, Pearl, Sommer and Cherry Streets, among others.

During the storm, Allen said the water running through the area went down Empire Street, causing problems for someone having a garage party and pulling railroad ties, boards and trees into a pipe.

Additionally, Allen said Butcher Road was badly washed out and they are having to rebuild where it washed away underneath. A culvert on Main Street past the American Legion plugged up and washed out the hillside on the other side.

There was one pipe where Allen said they have been digging, but it has filled in so much they have yet to be able to find it. He further cautioned none of the work is really changing the flow direction of water, just controlling it better.

The crew is also in the process of adding seven new hydrants in the areas of Pearl, Sommer and Waddell Streets, as well as additional shutoff valves on Spruce Street. Chip and seal work was scheduled to begin by the end of the week.

Getting the streets back into order is not the only thing council was concerned about at the meeting. A lengthy discussion was brought up by Village Administrator Gary Phillips about bicyclists going through stop signs and ignoring one-way streets in the village.

Police Chief Allen Haueter said he has even stopped them going the wrong way on a one-way street and their answer is usually. “I’m on a bicycle.”

There is concern those coming through town on the bike trail do not really know the bicycle laws require them to follow the rules of the road. Most concerning is a stop sign they run at Chestnut Street and Main Street, which could end up with someone injured.

Mayor Kevin Siembida said there is money available for marking bicycle trails and protecting riders from other traffic. It was noted they could investigate it, but there are already big signs up. Another suggestion was running a bike lane the other direction on a one-way street and eliminating the parking on one of the two sides.

djohnson@mojonews.com

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