BATH TOWNSHIP – Spring has arrived and so has roadwork in Bath Township.
During the March 21 township meeting, Township Trustee Steve Ross announced that a section of Valleyview Drive, between Ravenwood Road and Wylie Drive, would be closed for approximately one day on March 27. Ross explained that the Greene County Engineer’s Office would be replacing a culvert on Valleyview Drive, which would cost the township around $4,500. He also reminded residents that all scheduled roadwork is subject to weather conditions.
“Normally, the cost of replacing the culvert would fall to the Greene County Engineer’s Office, but the culvert is located in a township plat which is our cost,” Township Trustee Tom Pitstick added. “However, we can contract the engineer’s office to do the work.”
Township Road Supervisor Michael Rhoades reported that he had recently met with Ralph Jones, a representative of Barrett Paving Materials Inc., regarding the milling and paving of Bath Road from Ohio State Route 4 to approximately 30 feet beyond the Kitridge Road intersection. Rhoades noted that Barrett Paving is the contractor that will be paving Ohio State Route 4 as part of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) $1.6 million road construction project. The project was originally scheduled to begin the second week in March. According to Rhoades, Jones will submit a cost estimate to township officials in the next few weeks.
Phase 2 of the ODOT project will consist of construction work at the intersection of Ohio State Route 4 and Bath Road. During this phase, Bath Road will be closed to traffic, which will be rerouted to Adams Road and other roads nearby. ODOT will be posting detours signs on Bath and Kitridge Roads and Ohio State Route 4 two weeks prior to construction. Bath Township will take advantage of the Bath Road closure during the ODOT project to complete the roadwork.
Rhoades stated that Pitstick and he met with Nat Benoy, an engineer at Ohio Edison, about moving several electric power poles in the township that vehicles have hit numerous times. Ohio Edison has agreed to move the poles at the company’s expense, provided that ODOT attained the right-of-way where needed.
Plans call for moving two power poles located at the intersection of Herr Road and Ohio State Route 235, one power pole near the intersection of Herr Road and West Enon Road, and two power poles along West Enon Road. Pitstick said the power pole located at the southern corner of Herr Road would be moved farther south alone Ohio State Route 235, and the second pole from the corner would be moved farther east on Herr Road. The power pole located near the intersection of Herr Road and West Enon Road will be moved approximately 50 feet north of the intersection. Two power poles located on West Enon Road, just north of North Enon Road, will be relocated several feet back from the road. Pitstick noted that ODOT received approval to extend the right-of-way for the West Enon Road project. Rhoades said Ohio Edison plans to move all the poles in April.
Rhoades also reported that he had contacted Dayton Power and Light (DP&L) about moving three power poles in the township, and a surveyor from DP&L will be contacting him the last week of March.
The township road crew had been out in full force filling potholes across the township with cold patch asphalt mix. Rhoades noted that constant freezing and thawing this past winter has resulted in more potholes on township roads, particularly Byron Road, the lower section of Bath Road and Ravenwood Road.
The road department is also gearing up for the 2018 road construction season, with at least $300,000 and possibly more budgeted for road improvements.
The Bath Township Board of Trustees will meet again 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 4 at the township office, 1006 Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road.
