New Philadelphia moves forward on trail to connect Kent State Tuscarawas with downtown
NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ Council took the first step Monday in supporting a new $3.2 million biking trail that would connect the campus of Kent State University at Tuscarawas with downtown New Philadelphia.
Council gave first reading on a resolution on the project by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the shared-use trail.
The trail would start at Founders Hall Drive at the Kent State Tuscarawas campus and go into town on the north side of East High Avenue up to Beaver Avenue on a 5-foot bike lane. At Beaver Avenue, the trail would use the north side sidewalk. At Second Street NE, it would go back onto East High Avenue, ending at the courthouse square. The trail would go back out of town on the south side of East High Avenue.
Elimination of parking
The project will include new curbs on East High Avenue for the entirety of the trail, new drive approaches and new storm sewers. High Avenue will be paved by ODOT this year.
The trail would result in the elimination of parking on the south side of East High.
"We did multiple studies on that," said Service Director Ron McAbier. "The police department used their car cameras on each shift, and on that street the parking was used about 3% of the time. There's very little use, if any."
The city will allocate $26,000 from the engineering fund and about $42,000 from the sewer fund to pay its share of the project. In addition, New Philadelphia will use $305,000 in state highway paving money for the project. State funds and grant money will pay the majority of the cost.
Concerns about safety
The trail was discussed at a meeting of the Public Works & Economic Development Committee prior to council. Councilman Tom Simmelink said he had heard from several residents who objected to it, based on semi-truck traffic on the street.
"There's a lot of objections to this for safety reasons," he said.
"I think on that, you've got to lean on ODOT," McAbier responded. "They've been in the business a lot longer than I have, and they're the ones that engineered it and move forward on it."
Orlando Zimmerman, who lives in the 900 block of East High Avenue, spoke against removing parking on the south side of the street for the trail. He said several of his neighbors were opposed as well.
"We feel that's going to deprive both sides of this street of a benefit that we pay our taxes to have, and that's being able to park there," he told council members. "That parking on that south side of the street is used both by the north side East High residents and the south side East High residents. Any time we have a function, which happens every holiday for my family, I need parking on that street."
It would also impact yard sales in the neighborhood because there would be no parking, he said.
"The traffic on that street in the 30 years that I've lived there has gotten so bad that I wouldn't allow my child to ride on that bike lane," Zimmerman said. "That street is dangerous."
Council will give a second reading on the resolution at its meeting on April 8.
Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: New Philadelphia gives first reading to resolution on new biking trail
