|
|
I think this is as good a place as any to open up a mature, well thought out and open debate on the Diley widening. As unlikely as it seems to be possible, I would ask that we stick to the issue of widening Diley Road and whether or not it should go to the polls rather than personal attacks on people who are in favor or against the issue.
We could start two threads, one for and one against or maybe just run them out in this one. I am in the process of preparing my initial thoughts and will post them soon.
Thank you.
By Haven't picked a side yet
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stop the Talk and start digging
I believe the debate is not what you are trying to make it to be here on this discussion.
I believe the need to widening Diley Road was established years ago. It was not made by the current council of January 2004.
Bill Wright, Doug Parker and Sabatino all voted for the project because they all saw the need and the financial deal was a good one for the city. I might add that it also bails the township out by improving a road they can't fund yet. Over of third of the Diley Road widening project is in Violet Township. Yet they can't even put up a stop sign without the blessings of the county gods.
With the Federal government and ODOT committed to funding this project we must not let it go. If you consider that the Federal Budgets and the State Budgets are getting cut as we post here and if the city misses this chance they will lose out for good.
Remember this road will cost $13 Million to build out to five lanes and ODOT will pay 80% of that cost.
If Pickerington gives this project to the voters and they only want a three lane road then they must be willing to pay for it. That will increase their real estate taxes and it will limit future votes for other levies in the community.
There are a number of places on Diley road that needs fixed and there is a flooding problem that has been there my entire life. If the City doesn't fix Diley then we will have issues of getting safety services to the people living south of the flood prone areas.
Even more urgent is the Hospital scheduled to be built near U.S. 33.
This is not about the need or urgency of getting a badly needed road improvements it is about the three clowns on council denying their DUTY and inflaming the citizens with false hopes and lies to oppose the project for political reasons. They think they will be elected this fall because they are reps of the people.
By Tired of the crap
|
|
|
Make your case
Maybe you haven't had time to fully digest the ramificaitons of what is being proposed as a counter solution for the widening of Diley Road.
Solution 1 - continue as-is with federal funding. This is a grant and does not have to be paid back.
Solution 2 - Property taxes. Potentially up to $200 per $100K for 14 years.
Solution 3 - 2% income tax increase and withdrawl of 1/2% credit in perpetuity.
Go to the council meeting tomorrow night and make your thoughts known for any of the three solutions. The Diley Road citizens and their supporters on council and in city hall say that there has never been enough time for citizen input. Well tomorrow night is the first opportunity for input with the addition of solutions 2 and 3.
By Pollyanna
|
|
|
We Need Five Lanes
Apart from financial considerations, which are formidable here, we need to recognize that Diley Road is the entrance to our community from Route 33 -- which probably will prove more important to our future than I-70. It is the natural extension of 256.
Our commercial future lies in the Route 33 corridor. We need to install the infrastructure for commercial development now. We need a road that will support commercial traffic -- a road at least as transit friendly as 256 is now between Diley and I-70. That means five lanes.
The road need not be ugly. It could be a boulevard, with trees and other plantings in the middle and along each side. We can build green barriers between the road and the subdivisions now being built along it. We can route it to minimize its impact on such subdivisions and other housing. But we need it now. The current Diley Road is not only inadequate, it is unsafe.
|
