Beatty Park bridge project on hold for now
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STEUBENVILLE -- The Beatty Park bridge project is on hold, at least temporarily, while engineers and the contractor figure out if it's safe for the work to proceed.
City Manager Jim Mavromatis told City Council Tuesday one of the bridge's sandstone walls is "bowing out" and more chunks have fallen.
"I'm not an engineer but the way that has moved," Mavromatis said after the meeting. "I've taken pictures before and you can clearly see (the change.) My concern is the safety of the men below, putting up platforms to hold that up. And when they start working on the road itself going through there, it's going to cause a lot of vibration."
The historic sandstone bridge was closed in 2019 after workers discovered its underpinning was so badly weathered that it was no longer safe for vehicular traffic. Foot traffic was banned a few months later after an inspection revealed continued deterioration in the eastern wall had made it unsafe even for pedestrians.
It's the eastern wall that's shifting now, heightening concern that it might not survive the restoration process.
Mavromatis said the engineers were on site Monday, assessing the structural changes and what they mean for the bridge's restoration. The contractor, Fort Steuben Maintenance, also was present.
"They took more measurements, they're analyzing it and doing a report," he said, adding he's hoping to get their report within the week.
"A decision has to be made on the safety issue of that bridge, how we'll respond and keep the contractors working on it. There has been a shift, the eastern wall of the bridge (moved). They're going to be on that, they're going to be causing vibrations. It's (for) the safety of the workers."
Built in 1884, the bridge provides access to the park's upper shelter, which itself is awaiting repairs from a March 2019 fire that destroyed the roof. The park board banked the insurance money but held off on the shelter repairs until City Council decided what it wanted to do with the bridge.
Fort Steuben Maintenance had bid $612,567 for the contract. Nearly $100,000 above the engineer's estimate, it was the only bid submitted so the engineer reviewed the proposal line-by-line to identify what City Engineer Mike Dolak previously described as "noticeable cost differences," concluding the cost differential was primarily due to the complexity of the work and economic conditions.
A total of $640,800 has been budgeted for the project -- $290,800 in Community Development Block Grant funds plus another $350,000 from the general fund COVID Lost Revenue account. Another $75,000 will be needed from GF-CLR to cover contingencies, construction inspection and administration services.
Mavromatis, meanwhile, said renovations to the old city building "are supposed to start next week."
"They're finishing a project on University Boulevard that should be done Monday or Tuesday, then they'll move down here," he said.
Fort Steuben Maintenance won that contract, too, with a total bid just under $1.94 million for both floors, though council has planned to do the work in stages. The to-do list includes upgrades to the men's and women's restrooms, a locker room for female police officers and an upgraded evidence room, along with an update the community service office.
Also Tuesday, council:
• Passed the third reading of an ordinance authorizing city officials to apply for and accept a grant from the Ohio History Connection-State Historic Preservation Office as well as emergency legislation authorizing them to seek bids for Phase I of the Belleview Pool rehabilitation project.
• Sunshined resolutions proclaiming April as Fair Housing Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Minority Health Care Month.
• Issued reminders that the economic development committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to address concerns associated with the proposed hiring of an economic development director, followed at 7 p.m. by a finance committee meeting.
• Reminded residents that a downtown cleanup will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are to meet behind the city building.