Street repaving, storm sewer replacement and a cemetery refresh are among the public works projects the City of Union has on its to-do list.
“We’re hoping to start right after Columbus Day,” Union Public Works Director Paul Kremer said regarding the street repaving work – adding the following streets are on the docket:
- Whittlesey Drive (northside and southside)
- Brandsteade Court
- Stonybrook Court
- Sycamore Drive
- Abbington Drive
- Lancashire Drive (north section)
The city has an $87,000 cost share with Sanitation District No. 1 for storm sewer replacement, officials said.
“It will replace all of the catch basins on Whispering Trail and Russwill Lane,” Kremer said. “It’s basically the storm sewer on the street that catches all the rain water. Those two streets have very old crumbling and outdated storm sewers.”
The commission committed some of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to upgrade Union Rice Cemetery, Kremer said.
The Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021, guaranteeing direct funding to all of the nation’s cities, towns and villages, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
“We removed all of the debris that was on the (cemetery) fence line,” Kremer said. “And we replaced the fence and removed five trees that were dead or growing into the fence. We’re also going to repave the cemetery road.”
Public Works has a long term street repair program.
“The main thing is just for predictability and planning,” Commissioner Brian Garner said regarding Kremer’s plan. “The big thing is just planning what we’ve got to tackle down the line.”
The 10-year street plan serves as an attempt to have sustainability, Kremer said.
“What we’ve done is try to look at how to be cost effective with contractors, which means lower prices for taxpayers,” Kremer said. “Just a smarter plan. We looked down 10 years to make sure we didn’t have any blips. It just makes budgeting simpler.”
Building Brilliance Avenue rounds out the present public works project agenda, officials said.
“Currently it’s a large drainage ditch that is overgrown with vegetation,” Kremer said. “The plan is to clear all of the vegetation and that will allow us to see the ground better.”
The permit required for earth moving has not been received, but the city will be ready when it is granted – allowing the contractor to move forward as quickly as possible, Kremer said.