May 20—In 2025, road improvements will again be the largest expenditure in the city of Lebanon’s Capital Improvement Plan, which City Council is expected to approve in the coming weeks.
The five-year Capital Improvement Program, which is updated annually, is a key roadmap to developing the city’s annual budget and planning various infrastructure projects.
City Manager Scott Brunka said the 2025-2029 plan is programming $23.4 million in 2025 expenditures, with $10.7 million allocated for road improvements. Other areas of expenditures include $3.3 million for general capital improvements; $3 million in park projects; $1 million for storm water systems; nearly $1.5 million for sewer systems; $1.6 million in water system work; and more than $2.2 million in city electric system improvements.
Brunka said the city will continue to “aggressively pursue grant funding from the state and federal governments.” The city’s five-year plan includes $13.8 million in grants to support the planned projects.
The city maintains 225 lane miles of roadway, and funding road improvements is a key city goal, according to Brunka. He said the city is planning to spend an average of $9.6 million a year over the next five years on roadwork.
“The city’s ability to sustain this allocation towards road improvement projects is very dependent on successfully receiving state and federal grants,” Brunka said, “Ideally roads should be resurfaced every 12 years, with road reconstruction in the 36 to 40-year range.”
The last time a pavement condition survey was done in the city was in 2021. Brunka said 68.3% of Lebanon roads were in good or better condition; about 17.8% were in fair condition; and 13.8% were in poor or worse condition. That was an improvement from 2013 when 50% of city roads were in good or better condition; 15.2% were in good condition; and 34.8% were in poor or worse condition. Brunka said the next pavement condition survey will be completed in 2024.
Major road improvement projects planned for 2025 include the reconstruction and widening of Glosser Road to include a roundabout at Cincinnati Avenue; the third phase of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Urban Paving Program, a $3.45 million combined project to replace a water main, install a shared-use path and repave North Broadway/Ohio 48; and the reconstruction of Park Avenue. Also in 2025 will be $1.58 million for general street resurfacing and $1 million for curb, gutter and sidewalk replacement. The city will also continue with the engineering design to widen Ohio 63, with $400,000 being directed for that effort.
Brunka said other major capital projects include $2.3 million to replace railroad bridge 2.10 and for other rail maintenance projects on the city-owned railway.
The five-year plan includes $6.8 million for park improvement projects, including $2 million to support the Bowman Trail Loop in 2025, and $100,000 to construct an outdoor climbing/playground area on North Broadway. He said all trail projects will need to be supported through grant funding. The program also includes $900,000 to replace an existing restroom/concession stand at Colonial Park East, which will need grant assistance from the state.
Other major capital improvement spending planned for 2025 and beyond include: — Replacing three police cruisers and one unmarked vehicle; replacing a dump truck, two mowers, a jet/vac truck, a pickup truck, a skid steer and a staff vehicle for the Fire Division. — Allocating $1 million for the installation of a new storm water system on Glosser Road and addressing a drainage issue at other locations. — Various collection improvement projects and the development of a new sewer system master plan are planned for 2025. — Water system improvements include replacing old and undersized water mains with new 8-inch ductile iron mains on Ridge Road, Ridgewood Lane, Grandview Avenue, Crestview Drive, and Park Avenue. — Electric system improvements in 2025 call for the city to spend $300,000 to complete the Glosser Road substation project; $1.1 million for distribution system improvements; and $500,000 to complete the AMI project. Another $9 million will be spent between 2027 and 2029 to construct the Monroe Road substation replacement. — A new $13 million police/public safety facility is to be designed in 2027 and constructed in 2028. The proposed new 22,000 square-foot facility will replace the current facility which was constructed in the 1960s.
Council members said they were pleased with the five-year plan and are expected to approve it in the coming weeks. Councilman Mike Cope said he “hopes the public understands the work that (city) staff does to position the city” to obtain funding and plan these infrastructure projects.
Councilman Breighton Smith congratulated city staff on the proposed plan, adding these were “good solid local investments.”
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