MARIETTA - It's only a block long but Bartlett Street, high atop Harmar Hill near the Marietta Care and Rehabilitation Center, gets its share of local traffic, according to Greg Kroft who's lived in the neighborhood since 1982.
"We get a lot of traffic, including ambulances, going into the nursing home from Bartlett Street," he said. "But there are springs constantly running out of the hillside and into the street-even during dry spells. There's water up here all the time."
Tourists also make frequent use of the street to access a popular city overlook at Lookout Point near the Bellevue Street intersection.
Article Photos
Photo by Sam Shawver
Wayne Rinehart, project manager with Marietta’s engineering department, takes a look at runoff from underground springs along Bartlett Street on Harmar Hill.
The water runoff has created problems in the street surface, evidenced by the uneven and worn pavement that has required some patching and partial paving over the years.
Bartlett is one of six city streets that had not been included in the city's annual asphalt paving program for more than 25 years.
"The street was scheduled to be paved during the program two years ago, but a property owner pointed out that a couple of springs in this area were keeping the roadway wet," said Wayne Rinehart, project manager for Marietta's engineering department.
During a neighborhood meeting this week, Rinehart announced Bartlett Street would finally be paved this year, and the runoff issue would be addressed as well.
"This will be a resurfacing and drainage project," he said. "We'll be putting in catch basins and a storm sewer to capture water from the springs. There will also be some curbing and gutters installed, although not along the entire length of the street. And we won't be widening the street or adding sidewalks."
Rinehart said the drainage work would begin next week, and once that's completed the whole street will be resurfaced.
"The project should be completed by mid to late October," he said.
Marietta Councilman Tom Vukovic, D-4th Ward, said the neighborhood meeting was a good idea to help clarify the project's scope and answer any questions residents may have had.
"I think they received some good information about the project," he said. "For example, there were rumors that sidewalks would be going in, but that's not part of this project. Also there was a question about parking during construction as there's mostly on-street parking in that area."
Vukovic said the administrator at the Marietta Care and Rehabilitation Center has agreed to allow the residents to park in the center's lot during construction.
"How cool was that?" Vukovic asked. "I think people walked away from the neighborhood meeting feeling better about the project because they were able to have their questions answered."
He noted that city council members would like to hold similar public sessions about projects or proposed projects as they are planned for other Marietta neighborhoods.
