Curb work to start city street projects

Preliminary work on curbs, driveway approaches, manholes and drainage catch basins will tentatively begin April 1 around the City of Tecumseh in preparation for the first half of road construction that was approved through a bond millage by Tecumseh voters last November. Once the preliminary work is complete, said Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch, Gerken Paving Inc., of Napoleon, Ohio, will begin the road construction work. Those to be affected by the work should be receiving a letter from the city the week of March 29 detailing the construction process, according to Welch. Road Construction will initially begin on May 11 on Russell Road between Mohawk Street and Rogers Highway, and on Occidental Road north of Conklin Street. All road construction dates are subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.One of the more challenging road projects is set to begin June 8 in the Herrick Park Subdivision, which will include repairing Herrick Park Drive all the way to Evans Street. While curb work will begin April 1 in the subdivision, it will not affect access to Herrick Park Elementary School. The project is set to begin once school is out for the summer. “We’re more productive when we don’t have to move for traffic,” said Tim Bock, Supt. of Tecumseh’s Department of Public Works. Bock added that milling the road should take three to four days for the subdivision, with paving taking the same amount of time. He said he would hope that work for milling and paving could begin on a Monday and finish by the following Friday, though both would likely happen several weeks apart from one another.Welch said that there would be an inconvenience for Herrick Park subdivision residents during the milling and paving process as there is only one entrance and access would likely be restricted for a period of time while the milling and paving process is completed. To notify residents, signage will be placed 72 hours prior to construction beginning so residents can move cars out of the subdivision and off the streets. “When it’s all said and done, especially with the whole subdivision being replaced, everybody will love it,” said Bock.Work on Russell Road between Union Street and Occidental Road, including Waskins Drive and Shady Lane is scheduled to begin the middle of July.Construction on Union Street between Patterson Street and Chippewa Street along with sections of Pottawatamie and Kilbuck Streets east of Union Street is set to begin near the end of August. Bock said all work should be completed, pending weather or other issues, by Tecumseh’s Annual Appleumpkin Festival, with the heavy construction completed sometime in September. Voters approved a $2.25-million bond sale in November with Gerken Paving Inc. awarded $1,797,687 of the work through four of five contracts. Michael Andrews Concrete was awarded $271,950 worth of curb work through the remaining contract. Both contracts total $2,069,647, leaving $180,353 as a contingency fund.“The reason for that [contingency fund] is you never know what you might run into when you open a road,” said Welch at the February 16 regular Tecumseh City Council meeting. “There could be extra expenses.”Welch said the sale of the bonds will happen on Tuesday, March 31, through Old National Bank. Five bids were received for the bond sale, with Old National Bank having the lowest bid at a 2.12 percent interest rate.