Collegedale officials outlined a handful of projects on the horizon for the city's Public Works Department while dissecting the fiscal year 2019 budget last week.
The three projects, totaling $800,000, include upgrades for Veterans Memorial Park, bridge replacement along Prospect Church Road, and construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Tucker and Edgmon roads.
The work at the park, for which $300,000 is allocated in the proposed budget, includes new features such as a 1- to 2-foot wall on the premises. City Manager Ted Rogers said the structure will act as a "psychological barrier" between the memorial park, where reverence is encouraged, and its surrounding green space, which is meant for play.
"From time to time," explained Rogers during the May 29 work session, "we have people say, 'Where's the vet park and where's the
green space? I need to be throwing a Frisbee in the green space; I don't need to be throwing a Frisbee in the vet park.'"
Rogers said the barrier might be semicircular and broken into sections with gaps large enough to fit a stroller through.
Plans for the grounds also include paving a small lot nearby for parking and building a multi-use pathway that would run from the lot to the greenway, providing easier access for those who are physically challenged. The work will also include landscaping around the property line.
The second project, for which $300,000 is also budgeted, will replace the two bridges along Prospect Church Road with box culverts, which will allow water to flow under the road.
Over time, Rogers said, the bridges have become "old" and "unsafe," triggering the need for replacement. He added that the culverts will be easier to maintain.
Though no date has been set for the culverts' construction to start, Rogers said the work will not be complete before the beginning of the school year. The construction will likely disrupt traffic along the corridor, which is frequented by school buses.
"There's just too much to do and not enough time to do it," he said.
The culverts will be long enough to allow sidewalks to be installed later, in anticipation of safety improvements scheduled in Hamilton County's 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, city officials said. The plan calls for sidewalks, wider lanes, curb and gutter drainage, and lighting to be added to the 2-mile stretch of road from University Drive to the city limits by 2030.
The third project will bring a roundabout to the intersection of Tucker and Edgmon roads.
"We know it's desperately needed there," Rogers said.
The work will cost an estimated $200,000, Rogers added, and public works officials are working to limit the amount of property they need to purchase to undertake the project in order to reduce costs.
"I think our community will appreciate all those additions," said Collegedale Commissioner Phil Garver.