Five Points roundabout timing update. The Y will be "fully operational" today. And an update on efforts to replenish the City reservoir.
Give us a few moments and we'll serve up what matters on Monday, March 3, 2025
In this edition:
The Y is expected to be fully operational today
The 2025 State of the City is tonight
An update on timing for the Five Points roundabout
And the timeline for Fairbanks’ stadium renovations
YMCA rebounds from fire
The Union County YMCA has fully rebounded from a fire that destroyed two vehicles and damaged storage sheds on Friday.
The Y put out a statement Sunday that said it would be fully operational today. The swimming pool had been closed over the weekend until it could be approved for safe use after the fire.
Flames were reported midmorning Friday. Marysville Fire Division crews quickly arrived and extinguished the flames.
The fire was determined to be accidental caused by smoldering debris.
The Y was able to partially reopen on Saturday morning.
State of City slated for this evening
Tonight marks the 2025 Marysville State of the City Event at the AMIC Center in the Innovation Park.
City Manager Terry Emery told City Council last week that a main focus of the event will be the importance of passing the Marysville schools levy in May.
Residents will also hear more about why developers are choosing to invest in Marysville.
Brad DeHayes with Connect Realty will discuss the vision for the Silos at Water and Light project. That plan will renovate the old city water plant and the grain silo on North Main Street with a modern, multi-purpose footprint including resident, commercial and entertainment amenities. The project will transform the north side of uptown over the next several years.
And Matt McQuade with The New Albany Company will discuss why it has chosen to invest in the development of Marysville Southeast. The proposed 1,200-acre industrial development includes a proposed $112 million infrastructure package funded by developer contributions to a New Community Authority.
The NCA concept is new for Marysville. If approved, it will oversee the infrastructure work, levying a charge against property owners to reimburse developers for the upfront investment. The NCA will fund the work without tapping the City’s general fund and without diverting any money from the schools.
2027 timing targeted for Five Points roundabout construction
The timeline for the proposed Five Points roundabout is coming into focus.
Prep work along East Fifth Street is planned for 2026, and the five-legged roundabout’s construction is slated for 2027. The estimated cost is $4 million.
That’s according to an update provided by City Engineer Kyle Hoyng last week to Chamber of Commerce members.
As it gathered input on solutions for the congested intersection, Hoyng said City staff considered five or six alternatives. 75% of residents preferred the roundabout solution.
Additional improvements include stormwater drainage, street lighting, landscaping, and pedestrian enhancements.
City paving plans outlined for 2025
City residents can expect a robust street paving maintenance program in 2025. In past years the paving budget has varied anywhere from $500,000 to $1.3 million.
The 2025 plan will invest $1.5 million. That update was also shared at the Chamber event.
“It’s the biggest paving program we’ve had for a while,” Hoyng said.
Streets are prioritized based on age along with wear and tear. 5 miles of roadway are slated to be on the list in 2025.
Marysville has 100 miles of total roadway.
The resurfacing of West Fifth street will be one of the major projects residents see this summer. The focus of the resurfacing work will be between Grove Street and Maple Street.
The project also includes asphalt resurfacing, concrete curbs and curb extensions/bump-outs, concrete drive approaches, repurposing of pavement striping and the implementation of traffic calming measures, to slow traffic down and make it safer.
“The roadway is going to feel narrower, which lowers speeds,” Hoyng told the Chamber audience. “That makes it safer for everyone.”
The city is also planning a tree-lined median further west in front of the Vision development and a pedestrian crossing near Wendy’s to create safer access to the American Legion Park.
Affordable housing challenges not unique to Union County
Affordable housing isn’t just an issue in Marysville, Union County and the central Ohio region.
New data released last week shows the median price of a newly constructed home jumped to $443,000 across the nation. That’s in the ballpark with prices locally.
Economists from Columbus-based Nationwide say it’s part of a national trend, even though supply is slowly improving.
“The continued pressure on prices highlights the housing affordability issues for first-time buyers with most new builds targeting further up market buyers,” the Nationwide economics team wrote.
Existing home prices are also expensive locally, adding to challenges for first time buyers.
Replenishing the city reservoir
Last summer’s drought was one of the worst in 30 years. And it took a toll on the City of Marysville’s water supply.
City Service Director Jeremy Hoyt told us that the water levels in the reservoir dropped to 24 feet due to the drought.
“This was about 8 feet lower than 2023,” Hoyt said.
The total depth of the reservoir is 40 feet.
Now that the drought has passed, the City uses the lower-demand winter months to replenish the reservoir for the needs of residents later in the year.
The Ohio EPA restricts when and how much the City can pump from Mill Creek into the reservoir, which can hold 1.39 billion gallons of water.
How does the reservoir fit into the city’s expanded capacity to provide water for community needs?
According to the OEPA, the reservoir has a current safe yield of 4.75 million gallons per day and the City has proposed calculations to allow for more than 5 million gallons per day.
“At our current water usage, the reservoir’s capacity can fulfill the City’s water needs for almost a year without pumping additional water to it,” Hoyt says.
So how long does it take the refill the reservoir?
Hoyt tells us that the timeframe can vary depending on the availability of water in Mill Creek.
“At our current pumping rate, we can replenish 10 feet of water in the reservoir in about a month,” he said. “We have been able to pump water at a rate of 20,000 gallons per minute for the last 2 weeks.”
Improving access for recreational use at the reservoir
The reservoir is also a popular recreational location for local residents. A bridge was constructed over Mill Creek last year. And a project on tap this spring will complete the walking trail across Raymond Road. It will include a set of concrete steps to the rim of the reservoir.
And the City hopes to install a kayak kiosk at some point early in the summer.
Fairbanks stadium upgrades set to begin this spring
Fairbanks Local School District is planning to accelerate several athletic facilities projects this summer. The district is working to align the projects with upcoming road construction in late 2025 and early 2026.
The district is planning to break ground on May 27 for renovations to the stadium. That project will include:
Renovating the home bleachers to provide ADA access and enhance safety
Resodding the stadium field with durable natural turf.
Milling and resurfacing the track
And other modifications.
The stadium project is expected to be completed in mid-to-late August.
Later in the summer, improvements to the softball and baseball fields will begin. And Campus road construction will begin later this year.
The district is investing $11 million in facility improvements, including $8.6 million in middle school and high school upgrades focused on capacity, safety and system enhancements.
The funding comes from the November 2023 voter renewal of a Permanent Improvement Levy.
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