LIMA — Work is continuing on advancing the Elm Street railroad grade separation project on Lima’s east side, and during Monday’s Lima City Council meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Lima Municipal Building, the council will consider a resolution to allow the city to issue a notice of intent to acquire property required for the project.
According to the text of the ordinance, this measure is necessary “because of the immediate need to acquire said property in order to meet project deadlines.” The listing of properties involved was not included in the ordinance.
The city had received a $3 million grant last year from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transportation Review Advisory Council to help fund the purchase of requisite properties needed to construct an underpass under the Indiana and Ohio Railroad crossing on East Elm Street. However, according to a letter submitted to the council by Public Works Director Howard Elstro, not all required properties were purchased through this process.
“Appropriation cases will be filed and funds will be deposited with the courts where property could not be acquired through the negotiated purchase process,” the letter reads. “The project has followed Federal Highway’s acquisition process where permanent and temporary takes are first appraised, then reviewed by a second and separate appraisal reviewer.”
Elstro also said in the letter that construction of the project, which is anticipated to take 18 months to complete, is scheduled to begin this coming spring.
