Sunbury staff outlines $1.3M plan for streets, traffic calming and sidewalk assessments

Sunbury City staff presented a package of street, traffic and sidewalk initiatives to the services committee on May 6, urging the committee to move forward with prioritized resurfacing, traffic-calming paint treatments and a city-owned sidewalk assessment.

Staff recommended awarding the yellow- and green-highlighted street projects totaling about $1,172,000 for this year and cited an OPWC award of $100,000 (described in the packet as $80,000 grant and $20,000 loan) for Cherry Morning Street curb work. Staff proposed reappropriating roughly $200,000 from the 2025 street-improvement program—together with the $100,000 OPWC—to reach approximately $1.3 million available for 2026 construction. Staff noted one location (South Vernon Curve) was listed as nonperform and may be affected by an outstanding settlement agreement.

For traffic calming, staff said two paint-based chicane projects—on West Granville (near the UDF to Evening Street stretch) and North Miller Drive (north of Cherry Street by the high school)—were accelerated following public feedback. Staff described paint-and-cone simulations planned before the end of the school year and said public works staff (Jake) will help stage cones so principals and drivers can see the proposed configuration. Staff also discussed longer-term items such as signal modernization and grant-supported push-button crosswalks near the square.

On sidewalks, staff proposed a contract to assess city-owned sidewalk assets (parks, cemetery, municipal building, JR Smith, and sidewalks near the public works center) for ADA compliance and trip hazards; the assessment would produce recommendations for bidding construction this season if feasible, otherwise the work would move to next spring.

Committee members asked about bid packaging and whether projects could be split; staff responded that bids were structured as an all-or-nothing low-bid recommendation to capture mobilization efficiencies. Staff said a budget revision for the reappropriation would be presented to the finance committee later in May.