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Home > Blogs > West Chester News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > May > 14 > Entry
Hamiton-Mason Road will become Liberty Way
Butler County commissioners decided unanimously today, May 14, to change the name of Hamilton-Mason Road to Liberty Way.
Commissioners heard at their regular meeting this morning from Liberty Twp. officials, business leaders and others regarding Liberty Trustees’ proposal to change the name of what many are calling an important gateway into the rapidly growing community.
As part of its desire to strengthen its brand, Liberty Twp. Trustees said they wanted to see their name on an exit off Interstate 75 when the Liberty Interchange opens next year.
That right is entitled only to cities, according to Ohio law.
The issue became contentious during a West Chester Twp. Trustees meeting last month, as the streets acts as border between the two communities.
Read more about that here.
A week later, though, Liberty Trustees heard from area business leaders who own property and facilities in the area. They were mostly supportive. Read more about that here.
Those sentiments were echoed this morning in commission chambers.
Trustee David Kern said he remembered when Hamilton-Mason Road was “just a bucolic county road between two distant cities. It was an old mail route.”
“Things have changed,” he said. “Now that we have that connection here (to I-75), that changes everything.”
Now all they need is for the economy to rebound, and development of the nearly 400 acres around the new interchange to follow.
“We’re doing everything we can to build that foundation here and be ready to go,” Kern said. “
Trustees Christine Matacic and Patrick Hiltman said the name change (and the branding aspect of it) will go a long way toward helping to balance the township’s commercial economic base with its well-established residential base.
Township officials will now contact the Ohio Department of Transportation to inform them of the decision, and the four new signs could be erected in the coming weeks.
Since four signs have already been placed at the interchange for Hamilton-Mason Road, it will likely cost the township an estimated $10,000 to have new ones printed, according to Administrator Dina Minneci.
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By countywatcher
May 14, 2009 1:09 PM | Link to this
The liberal spending West Chester democrat trustees (Stoker & Lang), called on all their under the table deals to help the other liberal from Liberty (Christine Matacic) get the job done. We’ll see next election cycle how many votes per acre it takes to throw these clowns out of office and I’ll bet the signs cost more than $10gs.