Odell details sidewalk work, road extensions and future projects

Rochester Mayor Trent Odell discusses ongoing and upcoming projects for the city.

With some long-running projects wrapping up and looking ahead to the future, Rochester Mayor Trent Odell had a lot to share in an interview with WROI Giant.fm this week.

To begin, Odell reports that the city's federally funded sidewalk project is basically complete. 

"This coming week will be the last week that we are planning on anything happening," he said of that project, which entailed the reconstruction of 2.2 miles of sidewalks along Third, Fourth, Seventh, Pontiac and Elm streets. 

The project was awarded to Indianapolis-based Edward & Jones Concrete Inc., which submitted a bid of $869,684 in October 2023. Funding was provided on an 80-20 split through the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation.

"We're making sure all the boxes are checked before they leave for good," Odell said, noting there were damaged areas needing repair. 

In responding to a few citizens who voiced their displeasure with the project, Odell said, "We're not happy about everything either."

"That's why it's kind of been extended to get some of these things corrected before they leave town," he added. 

Now open

Odell was excited to announce that the newly extended Apache Drive and Peace Tree Drive are now open. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Aug. 2 for that project, which received $1 million in funding through the state's Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative.

In announcing the project's completion, Odell gave a shout-out to Rochester Schools Superintendent Jana Vance and Fulton County Community Foundation Director of Development Brian Johnson. 

"Honestly, they were the two that were most visible in getting this done," he said, noting their involvement from the outset years ago to ensure Fulton County received a portion of funds available to the region. "Those two were instrumental in helping that project happen. There's a lot of people to share that with, but sometimes they get overlooked."

He's hopeful drivers will obey the speed limit in the area.

"For the time being, we have all the stop signs we plan on having out there, but if the speed gets out of control, we may have to do more," he said.

He also noted planning is underway to better mark crosswalks and keep students safe in the area. 

Program returns

Odell was also excited to announce the return of the city's 50/50 sidewalk program, in which the city will split the cost of repairs with homeowners.

"We are working on having a committee to oversee that," Odell said of the program. "We're also trying to put this sidewalk committee in collaboration with our tree board because they kind of go hand in hand. When you've got some tree issues that are causing some sidewalk problems, we have to have good communication between the two."

He encourages those interested in the sidewalk program to email City Projects Manager Randy Williams at projects@rochester.in.us.

"He'll respond back, let you know where you are on the list and get you some information," Odell said.

Upcoming projects

The city is also moving forward with plans to extend McDonald Drive to Southway 31.

With Memorandums of Understanding now in place with McDonald's and the owner of Quality Inn and Super 8, clearing of a wooded area to accommodate the extension may begin as early as next week.

Odell notes the city will pursue Community Crossings Matching Grant funds to hopefully have that project complete by May or June of next year. An additional access, possibly two, is being discussed with Walmart alongside the project.

Odell also notes that plans are in the works to extend water and sewer utilities to a proposed industrial/business park south of U.S. 31 and on both sides of State Road 25. 

"We're also in need of a water tower," he said, adding that as much as a 750,000-gallon water tower is needed to make up where the city should be, while also accommodating for future expansion. 

"We're looking at options there and trying to find grant money, as we always do, to help cover a lot of that project," Odell said. 

New employee

In an effort to get the community cleaned up, Odell also announces that an offer of employment has been extended to Tim Durkes to serve as a part-time code enforcement employee. 

Eventually, Durkes is to have a logo'd vehicle as he goes around interacting with the public to explain and gain compliance of city ordinances and regulations. 

The most common city ordinance complaints received are for tall grass, weeds, junk vehicles, trash and junk.

"He'll be kind and compassionate until he can't be," Odell said of Durkes, who will report directly to Police Chief Andy Shotts. "We want to get our community cleaned up and we're excited to have him on board."

Housing boost

Lastly, Odell reports that the city continues to be engaged with a handful of housing developers in hopes of addressing the city's inadequate housing supply. 

A recent study showed a need for 600 units in the Fulton County area over the next five years, Odell said.

"We have had some developers come to us, and we've got four or five we're looking at, from larger developments to smaller apartment complexes," he said. "We're trying to weigh those out because we don't want to get oversaturated with any one thing. We need apartments, we need some senior living and we need some single houses. We also need to have an opportunity for people to move up if they want to advance their living conditions."

Increasing access to affordable housing has been a daily effort, Odell said.