New Roberts Lane extension map presented, Johnson Street one-way proposal voted down at October Hillsboro City Council meeting

Hillsboro City Council received an update on plans for the Roberts Lane extension, while an ordinance affecting a different city street was rejected, with council unanimously voting against a proposal converting Johnson Street to a one-way during their  Thursday, Oct. 12 meeting.

Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha shared the latest road layout map for the Roberts Lane development, as he said construction is slated to begin this month.

This was the first update on the project council has heard in several months, as council last authorized city administrators to enter a $1.7 million loan agreement for the project during their July 13 meeting.

“We did bid out the first phase,” Harsha told council. “That first phase is going to be the dirt work, in preparation for Roberts Lane. We did the bid opening, and R.B. Jergens was awarded that contract. It sounds like they're going to be starting here really soon — possibly the 20th [of October] — so you're going to see some work started with real soon.

“That bid did come in close to $300,000 under [estimate], so that was great news to start out.”

As discussed in March, estimates show the extension to be a $10.4 million project, according to city grant writer Kirby Ellison. The city has already secured $2.3 million from the State Controlling Board, while Ellison said that they have low-interest loan agreements from the state water pollution control revolving loan and water supply revolving loan in the amount of $3.7 million (for storm and sanitary sewers) and $1.2 million (for water), legislation for which was approved by council in April.

The city also committed over $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act dollars toward the project, while Highland County commissioners have pledged $750,000, as council voted on legislation related to those commitments later in the meeting.

As shown now, engineering plans have two new street — Hauke-Dragoo Avenue and Morgan Lane — being added to the development off of state Route 73, as pointed out by council member Jason Brown.

“How will traffic be maintained with these two extra roads?” council member Mary Stanforth asked.

“There's a planned traffic light at Morgan Lane, where it crosses over 73,” Harsha said. “There's no light planned for Hauke-Dragoo.”

Public Works Superintendent Shawn Adkins said there will be a “right turn out of” Hauke-Dragoo Avenue, which Safety and Service Director Brianne Abbott said will be “more of an access road for developments.”

“We're also looking at Pea Ridge Road,” Harsha said. “That's always been a congested area, especially with the apartments across the street. But coming out of 73 onto Pea Ridge, we'd like to look into making that a right turn only down the hill.

“That'll kind of clear out the congestion there and just focus people to go to the main light, where they can get where they need to go.”

“That's going to cause more congestion at the bottom of the hill when they turn to go left at the hospital,” Stanforth said. “It backs up there a lot of times, unless you get a left turn lane.”

Adkins said that they “are looking at a turn lane” there as well. “That would definitely help,” Stanforth said.

As mentioned, council also voted on two ordinances related to Roberts Lane funding later in the meeting, after their respective first readings.

The first was an ordinance “to appropriate additional funds in order to pay for then and nows and future payments for the Roberts Lane Extension and the phase 3 storm sewer project and those supplemental appropriations be made to appropriate funds not heretofore appropriated.”

“This is just to spend the ARPA money that we've received from the state,” city auditor Dawson Barreras said. “We have the money in the fund, but we need to legally be able to move that money in the fund to the correct line items to be able to spend.

“You guys have already voted and passed that we can use the money for these projects, but we’ve got to appropriate the money to the correct lines.”

The ordinance moved the funding into different line items in the amounts of $41,440.63; $890,399.11; and $11,095.44.

The other ordinance was specifically for appropriations for the Roberts Lane project, in the amount of $750,000.

“It’s more ARPA money that was received from Highland County commissioners,” Barreras said.

The two Roberts Lane appropriations-related measures passed by a 6-1 vote, with Brown voting no on both.

Also during Thursday’s meeting, a proposed ordinance to convert Johnson Street to a one-way street failed unanimously after its third reading.

As previously reported, during the citizens’ comments portion of the May 11 council meeting, Hillsboro resident and former council member Brian Waller presented packets he created for a proposal to convert Johnson Street to a one-way street.

Waller said his proposal was prompted by the city’s recent work on curb and gutter improvements on the street. He thanked the city for making those improvements but said that they have also caused some issues. According to Waller, the street improvements have eliminated some parking spaces on the street or restricted access to the rear of the some of the properties.

The street and safety committee agreed it “could be a good idea” to “allow for on-street parking for the residents and allow for the city to maintain and treat the street easier during the winter,” as well as “eliminating” problems with a “dangerous intersection at the south end” of the street, committee chair Adam Wilkin reported in June.

However, council hosted a public hearing on the proposal in August, where at least 14 individuals attended the hearing from Johnson Street and the surrounding neighborhood, with many speaking out against the proposal.

On Thursday, Wilkin told council that in response to the pushback heard at the August city council meeting, the street and safety committee met Sept. 20 to again review the proposed legislation. They agreed with a recommendation by Adkins to pull the legislation “and everything be left in its current state,” Wilkin said.

Adkins also told council that “no parking” signs have been installed since that Sept. 20 meeting.

“I’ve had to put up no parking signs on both sides of the street because for like three days in a row, a school bus couldn't get through to pick up the kids,” Adkins said. “To the best of my knowledge, we haven't had any calls or complaints.”

However, council president Tom Eichinger asked council to “go ahead and vote on it, and if in fact you agree with the street and safety committee, then you would vote no.”

After hearing the third reading, council member Greg Maurer encouraged council to keep their constituents’ views in mind when voting.

“I would just remind everyone how adamant all those people [were],” Maurer said. “I mean, there were two people that came out to the first meeting and talked about it, but there was an overwhelming, resounding no from many more people that live on the street than the two ‘yeas’ that came to the first meeting.”

Eichinger called for a motion to vote on the legislation, with Wilkin making the motion but emphasizing he was doing so “to vote no.” The legislation failed unanimously, with seven “no” votes.

In other infrastructure-related updates, Abbott said during her report that “the phase three storm sewer project is estimated to be completed by the end of November” — including ensuring paving is completed ahead of beggars’ night — while other projects are in various stages of development.

“Next month, you should expect to see legislation for the Beech and Railroad Street projects,” Abbott said. “The North High Street lead line replacement had its preconstruction meeting this month. Materials are delayed on that project, and it is slated to begin next spring.”

The city is planning improvements to water, sewer, storm and streets (curbs, gutters and sidewalks) for the area of Beech, Railroad and McDowell streets, a project which is estimated at close to $4 million ($3,946,991). As Ellison reported in March, the city is projected to have “more money” than needed to make the improvements.

Earlier this year, council also approved legislation for the funding and construction agreement for the lead service line replacement project.

For more from Monday’s meeting, see the story at: https://highlandcountypress.com/hillsboro-city-council-signs-committee-….