Washington County commissioners authorize bridge demo contract
No bids received for New Matamoras pool improvement
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Washington County commissioners on Thursday approved a $49,400 contract to demolish a bridge closed last month in Aurelius Township but received no bids for a $76,000 improvement project for the New Matamoras pool.
County Engineer Roger Wright said demolition and construction of a new bridge are usually part of the same contract, with officials originally planning to award that in 2024. However, when the bridge was inspected in August, it was found to have an S-curve, bowing in two different directions.
“It developed rather quickly,” Wright said. “We just had looked at it maybe six months ago.”
Design work for a replacement bridge is still underway, though materials have already been ordered, Wright said. Ohio West Virginia Excavating will handle the demolition, then the county will do work to repair and restore the abutments in-house before seeking bids on the replacement span, he said.
The bridge serves five or six residences on Aurelius Township 75, Wright said.
“There is another way out, but it goes up a steep mountain,” he said. “We’re worried about winter. But we’re working on it as fast as we can.”
Wright said he hopes to have the materials to replace the bridge in January.
Commissioners were set to open bids for Community Development Block Grant-funded improvements to the New Matamoras pool but none were received. It’s the third time they’ve gotten no bids for the project, said Michelle Hyer, program manager for Buckeye Hills Regional Council, which is assisting with the project.
The project includes removing outdated tanks, installing new plumbing and pumps, replacing a roof and improving bathroom fixtures, New Matamoras Village Councilman Blaze Amos said. Going forward, village officials may have to prioritize certain parts of the work and seek funding for other aspects in the future, Hyer said.
Amos will “go before the council and talk about how to reduce the scope of the bid,” Hyer said.
Commissioners James Booth and Charlie Schilling voiced their opposition to a federal proposal to change the name of the Wayne National Forest, named for Gen. Anthony Wayne. Some people have objected to the name because of Wayne’s conflicts with indigenous people in Ohio in the early days of the Northwest Territory.
Schilling said the name change could cost $400,000 to $500,000.
“It makes absolutely no sense to me to not put those resources in the pocket of the Frontier school district,” he said.
A large portion of the forest is in the district, which does not receive tax revenue from the public land.
Schilling said he would like to see Ohio take over the forest because state officials would have more incentive to develop the area and offer lodging, which could generate revenue locally.
The commissioners unanimously approved multiple appropriations and payments, including $659,095.95 for August work on the ongoing Devola sewer project. But they voted to table a $104,944.74 payment to Veregy East LLC for renovations to the new OhioMeansJobs site at 311 Third St. in Marietta. It was supposed to be the final payment on the $612,816 project, but Booth said there was still some work to be completed.
The ribbon-cutting for the renovated facility is slated for 4 p.m. Wednesday, with an open house until 6.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.