MINER ROAD RESIDENTS SUCCEED IN GETTING THEIR VOICES HEARD

Apparently the powers that be had a change of heart.

After being pushed off on Engineer Brian Mader---an affable and responsive public contractor---at a meeting earlier in the month, a large contingent of the south-of-Highland Miner Road residents were invited to attend the October 27^th Committee of the Whole meeting to---get this---dialogue with Council about their concerns.

An amazing breakthrough thanks, in no small part, to the persistence of Councilman Ed Hargate.

The residents have lost several feet of front yardage due to the widening of Miner Road. Their newly excavated, almost 2 foot deep open drainage swales now sit very close to the edge of the uncurbed road.

The residents’ spokesperson said:

“I think the safety issue is unbelievable. One wrong move and the guy who plows the sidewalk is going to be in the culvert.

We spend money on the park, on flowerpots.

Highland Heights is a beautiful city.

It’s so ugly on Miner Road.

As for maintenance… There is no way to maintain them (the deep open swales) as far as cutting the grass inside. I will have to stand on Miner Road to do any maintenance.

We were promised tree lawns for years and years. The swales are just not acceptable.”

Mader estimated it would cost between $200,000 to $250,000 to replace the swales with buried piping on the 28 impacted parcels.

A pretty penny, but then again the Miner Road project costs a pretty penny.

Most important in my mind: the safety issue, for residents and motorists alike.

Mayor Scott Coleman’s main concern seemed to be providing effective drainage for stormwater runoff. He asked Mader:

“If there was a solution that included increasing the pipe (diameter) as we go (along that Miner Road segment), would you still have a concern about capacity?”

Mader replied:

“No. If we properly size the pipe, the capacity will increase the flow as we go down.”

Towards the end of the discussion, Hargate weighed in:

 “To me the only viable option is to enclose the swales. I would like Council to authorize the city engineer to develop plans to do that.”

Councilman Bob Mastrangelo and Councilwoman Lisa Stickan quickly supported that idea.

Mastrangelo reported what he saw after visiting the area on his bike:

“There were numerous spots where I saw tire tracks right to the (unpaved) edge of the road. The swales start right there.
It is a safety issue.
There is no room for the mailboxes.“

A Council meeting immediately followed the COW meeting.
On October 27th Council passed a motion authorizing Mader to prepare plans for piping and enclosing the swales on the southwest side of Miner Road (between Highland and Wilson Mills Roads), with a cost estimate for completing that work.

RESIDENTS COMING TOGETHER: SO SCARY?

I passed two Highland Heights police officers when I entered City Hall on my way to the October 27^th Committee of the Whole meeting.

Clearly any gathering of residents is considered a potential threat to public safety....

But a large gathering of residents is treated like a BIG threat

I suppose that’s a reflection of the times.
But I have to tell you.

In the more than six years I’ve been writing this blog I haven't seen a single resident engage in threatening behavior during a Council meeting.

They may get frustrated or angry and raise their voices, or they may clap loudly, cheer or boo when someone else is speaking, but the City Hall setting always seems to engender a modicum of respect in Highland Heights residents.

Nevertheless residents should expect to see a police car and at least one police officer visibly present in City Hall whenever they gather….just in case.