Community Phase One of the Mariemont Connector Nears Completion

By Matthew Ayer

As this edition comes to print, construction crews are completing the segment of the Mariemont Connector from the Library to Miami Avenue. This 0.22 mile section of the path represents one more step toward connecting our community east and west to a regional shared-use path network. The new path segment already has use with strollers, recreational cyclists and walkers, and students getting to and from the high school. The following features were incorporated into the design of this segment:

Progress on the shared-use path on the median between Rembold St. and Hiawatha St. shows how the first phase of the Mariemont Connector is nearing completion.

• The path courses through the median between Rembold and Hiawatha in a manner to retain open play areas, while at the same time staying clear of the utility poles.

• The path’s gentle sways are intentional, for aesthetics, to terminate at the desired spots, and to meet the above objectives.

• The path design was narrowed to the current ODOT minimum of 11feet width.

• Mature trees (Turkish hazelnut) were preserved along Rembold, with all but a few of the “Fat Albert” blue spruce trees retained along Hiawatha.

• The intersection at Pocahontas and Hiawatha becomes a three-way stop for improved safety.

• The crosswalk at Miami is moved to the optimum location based on recommendations from traffic engineers. As an additional safety measure, the crosswalk includes rapid rectangular flashing beacons to enhance the conspicuity of pedestrians at the crossing to drivers.

• A donor recently made a pledge to sponsor three to five strategically placed landscaped beds. Near zero-maintenance plantings with three-season interest are desired, likely echoing the most popular and vigorous beds on Murray Path. The Mariemont Garden Club has been asked to recommend locations and specific plantings.

• The Tree Advisory Board Master Plan includes new trees on the Rembold side: fringetree (under the utility lines), sassafras and sweetgum (the “no gumball” variety), and serviceberry on the Hiawatha side. These are long-range plans as Village, grant, and donor funding become available and as new tree plantings take place zone by zone each year.

What are the next steps toward a connected path becoming a reality?

To the East: The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and its engineering design firm are busy finalizing plans for the Columbia Connector. This selected design option for this segment will begin at the terminus of the Mariemont Connector behind the Library, down the undeveloped hillside, crossing Wooster Pike at the high school driveway, downhill along the south side of

Wooster, turning right past the Kroger fuel station, behind the Kroger store, and linking with the path behind Fifty West at a new bridge across Walton Creek. Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2026.

The engineers have designed a pathway such that there is no more than a five-percent grade at any point. The following diagram shows curves and switchbacks to meet that design criterion.

To the West: Over the next several months, planning meetings will be held to solicit resident cont'd on next page

My local knowledge and expertise can help you achieve your home buying, selling, or investing goals!

812-820-8933 mwillis@sibcycline.com input and to determine next steps for possible intersection reconfigurations and path developments. Residents are encouraged to watch for details via the Village email list and future Town Crier articles for more information.

Common questions from residents are “Why is the path built in segments?” or “Why does the path stop behind the library?” and “Why does this take so long?” The answer is that urban path development time is measured in years, not months. Funding opportunities for our Village come in discrete bundles. Examples to date:

• Murray Path was designed and built with funding from a Clean Ohio Trails Fund (COTF) grant, a grant from Columbia Township, and over 200 private donors.

• This first phase of the Mariemont Connector was designed and built with