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STEUBENVILLE -- The Jefferson County commissioners awarded the contract for a culvert replacement on county Road 39 at Thursday's meeting.
Acting on the recommendation of County Engineer Jim Branagan, commissioners awarded the contract to Fomenko Excavating for $43,000. The Dillonvale company was one of four to submit proposals.
Branagan said the existing culvert "has failed, causing a portion of the road to settle."
He said the culvert is about 20 feet deep and will require significant earth movement in order to be replaced, so county Road 39 "is expected to be closed for two weeks for this project."
Left uncorrected, "Conditions may worsen and could force us to close this section of road," he said.
Commissioners also:
• Approved $30,000 in additional funding to assist Friendship Park Board;
• Agreed to purchase six new computers and necessary accessories "for a complete computer network update" for the drug task force. Capt. John Lemal, the task force commander, said the computers currently in use "are old, very slow and have limited memory," adding their network "does not have the capability to handle the multiple programs we use on a daily basis to perform our duties in a quick and efficient manner."
The upgrade will cost around $10,500.
• Approved road use and maintenance agreements with Ohio Power Co. and the Warrenton River Terminal.
Ohio Power plans to rebuild a transmission line in Salem, Wayne, Smithfield and Wells townships as part of the Carrolton Gable Transmission line rebuild. County Roads 15, 17, 21, 22A, 23, 24, 39 and 38 have been designated as haul roads.
WRT, operator of transloading facilities near Rayland, plans to cross county Road 17A with oversized equipment and vehicles. County Chief Deputy Engineer Clay Merrin said the company will make upgrades to the road as determined by testing and analysis of the existing roadway.
• Agreed to seek bids for the 2023-24 tree removal project, which consists of clearing trees from rights-of-ways along five county roads. The engineer's estimate for the work is $146,400.
• Designated Commissioner Tony Morelli as their voting member at County Commissioners Association of Ohio meetings, and authorized Commissioner Eric Timmons to sign documents for the 2024 Ohio Public Works Commission projects. Also approved was a cooperative agreement among Jefferson County and Cross Creek, Mount Pleasant and Warren townships regarding a joint OPWC grant application for road repairs and resurfacing.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the sale of vehicles that have been deemed to be obsolete. Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. said the vehicles are valued at $2,500 or less. Vehicles to be sold to a salvage yard, where they can be destroyed, include a 2022 and 2018 Ford Explorer; a 2013 Dodge Charger; two 2011 and a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria; a 2001 Chevrolet Impala; and a 2001 Mercury Marquis.