Evendale Village Council will decide Tuesday whether to hire engineering firm HDR, Inc. to design a new SORTA bus transfer and layover station, a transit infrastructure project that would upgrade service for commuters along the I-75 corridor near GE Aerospace.
The vote on the design contract is one of five ordinances on the Aug. 11 council agenda, with the meeting set for 7 p.m. at 10500 Reading Road. The transit-related ordinances are declared emergencies, meaning they would take effect immediately upon passage rather than after the standard 30-day waiting period.
What's on the table
Ordinance 26-51 would authorize Mayor Richard "Dick" Finan to execute the design services contract with HDR, Inc. for the SORTA Bus Transfer and Layover Station Project. A companion measure, Ordinance 26-50, would approve an additional appropriation from the Evendale Commons TIF Fund to pay for the station design.
No dollar amount is listed.
HDR, Inc., a Nebraska-based employee-owned engineering firm with a Blue Ash office about five miles from Evendale, specializes in transit design including bus rapid transit systems.
Existing transit connection
Metro, the regional transit system operated by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, already runs Route 43 through Evendale seven days a week, connecting downtown Cincinnati to Evendale Commons via Reading Road. Evendale Commons currently serves as a named layover point on that route, according to Metro's published schedule.
A dedicated transfer and layover station would replace the current informal layover point with designed infrastructure for Route 43 riders.
Security committee and other business
Council will also vote on Ordinance 26-53, which would create a new Security, Infrastructure and Emergency Response Committee. That vote follows a closed executive session on security arrangements and emergency response protocols, permitted under Ohio Revised Code 121.22(G)(6).
Two additional ordinances round out the agenda: one authorizing payment on existing contracts and another appropriating General Fund money for disaster recovery and emergencies.
How to weigh in
Residents who want to comment on agenda items can email [email protected] with "Citizen Comment" as the subject line, including their name and home address. Comments will be shared with council members Tom Sextro, Beth McDaniel, Steve Berke, Chris Patterson, Mike Stroh and Wanda Walker-Smith, and recorded with the meeting minutes.
