Highland Heights Going Forward With Park Improvements

Although only $200,000 had been budgeted, will spend $117,405 on a pole barn pavilion and $261,225 for a resurfacing project at the Community Park, as well as $85,396 for a gazebo at green space near City Hall.

City Council approved the expenditures after the Finance Committee decided that there is enough money in the capital improvement fund that can be transferred to make up the difference.

"The resurfacing was not originally budgeted for," Finance Committee Chairman Leo Lombardo said at last week's council meeting. "We can handle that job with the status of the capital development fund by transferring at most $114,000 and probably less than that."

Lombardo added that the city's income tax receipts are up more than 10 percent this year, so the overall budget picture is good.

"Right now, we're in good shape," he said. "We should have no problem handling these three items."

The resurfacing project will mainly be at the park entrance, with work also being done on an access road not generally used by the public. A less-expansive chip and seal repair was considered, but council decided to take City Engineer Stephen Hovanscek's advice and do a full-depth repair that will last 12 to 15 years. The chip and seal route would have cost $132,575, but would have only lasted three to five years.

While council members unanimously approved the road work, Councilman Robert Mastrangelo voted against the park pavilion. "I don't think the amount of the expenditure is justified to the use we're going to get out of it," he said.

Work on the pavilion is expected to start in 30 to 45 days, while the road repair project should start within a month.