Mar 12, 2021 By Steve Barrett 3 min read

Greene County commissioners approved two dirt and gravel road contracts for projects in Aleppo and Springhill townships slated to begin this year during a recent meeting.

A contract was approved for a project along Jacobs and Hewitt Run roads in Aleppo Township, for the installation of storm pipes, the replacement and installation of a box culvert and a large squash pipe, the reestablishment of roadside ditch and road, streambank stabilization, the installation of underdrain and aggregate road surfacing.

Funding has been approved and contracted for $110,800, with Aleppo Township being responsible for contributing up to $27,700 of an in-kind match.

The other contract is for Springhill Township to replace and install a bottomless culvert structure along Coon Run Road. Funding was approved and contracted for $78,400, with Springhill Township being responsible for contributing up to $19,600 of an in-kind match.

Commissioner Mike Belding said he and fellow commissioners Betsy McClure and Blair Zimmerman encourage all municipalities to participate in the county’s dirt and gravel road programs.

“Administered through the Greene County Conservation District, the dirt and gravel road programs assist with road repairs and pollution problems in environmentally safe ways and significantly reduce the cost to individual municipalities,” Belding said.

In other business, commissioners approved the rejection of eight bids for the construction of a softball facility at Wisecarver Recreation Area because of funding source requirements.

Last month, commissioners said progress is continuing on the proposed $2.5 million Wisecarver recreational project on the west side of Waynesburg. The county has obtained permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and officials have established a phased approach toward the project’s completion.

Belding said the first phase is beginning this spring with a softball field, parking lot, concession stand, walking trail and potentially a kayak/canoe launch site, which is pending grant funding. Phase one is approximately an $800,000 investment, he said.

After previously receiving bids from eight companies for the construction of the softball facility, Belding said the board agreed to reject the bids that were received because of administrative requirements, where the scope of work bid “did not exactly line up with grant requirements.”

“We will be rebidding the project as soon as possible with the correct technical requirements to proceed with grant funding as it was awarded,” Belding said, adding the eight companies said they intend to rebid when the correct scope of work is announced.

In other matters, commissioners:

n Approved the resignation of Matt Cumberledge, executive director of the county’s historical society museum, from the county’s tourist promotion agency’s board of directors;

n Approved the appointment of George Scull to the county planning commission as an associate board member, with his term to expire Dec. 31, 2024;

n Approved a five-year lease extension agreement between John Higgins and the county for a 911 tower, pending solicitor approval;

n Approve agreements for the care and maintenance of 1,837 veterans’ graves throughout the county at $3 per grave for a total amount of $5,511.