Lower The Street Project

Last June a letter was sent to the Franklin County Commissioners describing the problems and requesting repairs on Metamora's Main Street on the south side of the Canal. The road has had so many additions of paving through the years with apparently none of the old paving underneath being removed, that the level of the roadway is at, or in some cases, higher than the sidewalks.

This presents issues with storm water when it rains, with rain water threatening the foundations of many of the historic buildings along the street. In addition, the puddling and pooling of the water presents safety issues to the visiting public who try to walk around the pools. This is particularly dangerous in the winter when the water freezes- there is often no way to walk around the ice ponds formed as a result of the rain because they are so large.

The fix seems to be removing ten or more inches of old paving, then repaving with a new layer, bringing the level of the street down a net six inches or so. And while regrading, careful attention must be paid to dealing with the storm-water runoff.

At a recent County Commissioner's Meeting they indicated the project has been studied, but there are still some unresolved concerns about the appearance of the final street vis-a-vis the overall historic appearance of the town, and about potential safety issues with the access to sidewalks and storefronts from the newly-lowered street.

We'll keep our ear to the ground to keep up with status.