Lisbon’s East Lincoln Way work put off

By LEONARD GLENN CRIST
LISBON — Activists hoping to save trees along a half-mile stretch of East Lincoln Way will have a bit longer to organize their efforts.

At Monday’s village council meeting, Mayor Mike Lewis said the road and sewer renovations on E. Lincoln Way, originally scheduled to be completed this summer, will not go to bid until the fall, with work likely beginning spring 2009.

By waiting to put the project out to bid in the fall, Lewis said he expects the village may receive more favorable bids. Many contractors are already booked for the summer, he said.

Council has not yet received finalized plans from its engineering firm and has not received final approval from all involved state agencies, Lewis said, which has also contributed to the project’s delay.

The project calls for sidewalk, curb, sewer, water, gas and street replacement on E. Lincoln Way between Jefferson and Jackson Streets, with all the trees on that stretch of road being removed and later replaced with different trees. About $500,000 of the $1.6 million estimated price tag is being paid by the state.

For months, a group of residents led by former councilwoman and mayoral candidate Stevie Halverstadt have pleaded with the mayor and council to save at least some of the trees, most notably a large sycamore located in front of Lepper Library.

Halverstadt spoke at Monday’s council meeting, again asserting her desire to save the trees. Halverstadt said she spoke with Chris Carlson, a horticulture professor at Kent State University, who suggested feeding the trees super nutrients, which would make the roots grow away from the road. Halverstadt said she would be willing to donate the super nutrients if council was serious about saving the trees.

Lewis said he is “leaning toward” removing and then replanting all of the trees as the renovation plan originally conceived. He said that plan is what the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Transportation both recommend.

“It’s the most fiscally responsible way,” Lewis said.

The ultimate decision, however, lies with council, not the mayor, Lewis said.

Lewis conceded the delay until next spring may lead to more political pressure to save the trees.

In her comments, Halverstadt also suggested applying for a grant to pay for needed tree trimming.

Dick Henthorne, a member of Lisbon’s Shade Tree Commission, said he and a group of students from the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center recently trimmed trees in the southern half of the village as well as trees on Market and Beaver Streets and some of the northern half of the village.

In other business, council received a donation of $4,000 from the Lisbon Community Foundation to be used for repairs to the leaky village swimming pool.

Leonard Glenn Crist can be reached at lcrist@salemnews.net