WILMINGTON — A secure and safe extension to the bike trail is coming.
Thursday’s Wilmington City Council meeting saw discussing the expansion of the bike trail after obtaining land from Union and Adam Townships.
Safety/Service Director Brian Shidaker told council that the land transfer is still in process.
“Once that transfer is complete, we will be annexing that corridor into the city as soon as possible,” said Shidaker, giving council an idea of the process to complete it.
He said they’d have to draft a petition to have it be a part of the city limits and submit it to the Clinton County Commissioners.
“As long as the petition is complete, they don’t have discretion. They have to accept the petition,” he said.
Wilmington Police Chief Ron Cravens also spoke about technology and security measures for the trail, indicating it is and will be “one of the most secured trails in Ohio.”
“We’re already implementing phases of camera security systems for the downtown and park area,” said Cravens.
He said they’ve been using small micro camera installments and are looking at providing internet hot spots in the area. He also said the cameras would be motion- and heat-activated, with images accessible to both dispatchers and to the public.
“If someone says, ‘Hey, I wonder if the bike trail is busy? Let’s check the cameras real quickly.’ And if it’s really busy and you don’t want to go out there you don’t have to,” said Cravens.
Council approved of the land donation from Larry Roberts II and Terri Roberts at the Sept. 3 council meeting. In total, the city received almost 22 acres of land.
Also during council:
• Finals readings were held approving the adoption of the Sugartree Street Enhancement Conceptual Design and Development Plan and the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) for the downtown area.
