Construction of the Chesapeake Bypass project is likely to be a double-edged sword for some property owners in its path.

If the project is completed, residents will be able to have an easier commute through eastern Lawrence County, but may also lose their properties.

In Phase 1B of the project, which calls for the extension of the route from the intersection of state routes 7 and 775 to State Route 7, just beyond Fairland East Elementary, 133 total parcels of land are set to be acquired, Debbie Manion, a real estate administrator with the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 office said.

Of those 133 parcels, 65 have a structure in which relocation assistance is needed, Manion said.

Some are already losing properties. Ann Cooper and her husband, Thomas, both residents of Rome Township had their house, their home for 30 years, demolished last week.

When the Coopers retired in 1996, they made several improvements to their house, only to find out that the Ohio Department of Transportation wanted their property two years later. At first, Mrs. Cooper said she and her husband felt they were not offered enough money for the property. That changed.

Mrs. Cooper said ODOT offered her and her husband a fair price for their property, and they now live in a better house in Rome Township purchased with money from ODOT and their own funds. Their grandchildren even have their own rooms.

When ODOT has needed to acquire property for this project, the property is appraised according to recent comparable sales in the area in which it is located, Manion said. A copy of the appraisal is given to the property owner, and he or she is given as much time as possible to review the appraisal.

"It's not uncommon to go back three or four times," she said.

But, if ODOT and the property owner do not reach an agreement, the matter goes to appropriation. This process involves filing a case with the Lawrence County clerk of courts office and giving the office a check for the appraised value of the property. A jury will decide the amount the owner will be paid.

ODOT has not begun acquiring property for the second phase of the project and has not obtained right-of-way for the western half of the bypass at this time, Manion said. That phase is still in the planning process.

In Phase 1B, ODOT originally had 22 possible appropriation cases, Manion said. As of last Friday, two were settled out of court nine were still in court, and 11 more cases have been filed.

"It changes on a daily basis," she said.

When property is taken, the owner is not only paid for his/her property, but also given time to find a new place to live, she said. Also, some of the owners have only had a part of their property taken and have not had to relocate.

"We make this as painless as possible," she said.

The bypass project has still been well-received, Kathleen Fuller, ODOT District 9 public information officer, said. Because of State Route 7 congestion through the villages of Chesapeake and Proctorville, which includes several stoplights, most residents are pleased that it is coming.

Even though the Coopers are happy in their new home, Mrs. Cooper said she was still sad to leave. When they renovated their home, Mrs. Cooper said she finally had the dream kitchen she never had. That kitchen is now in her new house. She raised her daughter in that house. Her grandson learned to ride a bicycle there. Mrs. Cooper believed she and her husband were going to live there for the rest of their lives.

"It's hard to put a price on 30 years," she said. "It's sad to go over there."

When the demolition process began, Mrs. Cooper said she and her husband brought some of the bricks from their old house to their new one.

The Ironton Tribune attempted to contact some of the other property owners who stand to lose or are currently losing property as a result of the bypass construction.