Repaving bids denied; 911 advice OK’d

By SHELBY SCHROEDER

The county is searching for more federal money for the resurfacing project.

CAMPBELL — The Mahoning County commissioners rebid the Mahoning Avenue repaving job and approved the hiring of a consultant to advise the county concerning consolidation of the county’s 911 services.

The commissioners also ratified three-year labor contracts for Job and Family Service employees and the temporary closing of a portion of Sharrott Road in Beaver Township.

Commissioners met at Campbell City Hall on Thursday with an agenda that included passing a request by county Engineer Richard A. Marsico to reject bids received Aug. 6 to repave a stretch of Mahoning Avenue in Austintown.

Marsico said rising costs to repair the six-mile stretch of road between Meridian Road and Meander Reservoir, coupled with bids 20 percent higher than engineers’ estimates, left the county with no other option than to reopen the project to new bids.

The original $1.8 million estimate is now too low, and to receive federal funding for the project, bids must be no more than 10 percent above the estimate.

That eliminated the two bids received Aug. 6.

The county is searching for more federal money for the resurfacing project.

Marsico also said the project would begin a month past its originally projected early September start date.

He said he was confident work could still be completed by the end of this year.

The repaving project, which is believed will last two months, includes the removal of unused railroad tracks and the addition of handicap-accessible curb cuts at sidewalks.

Also approved was a request to spend $16,900 on a consulting firm that would advise the county on the consolidation of the county’s 911 dispatch system.

The plan to create a more cost-efficient, centralized 911 service was proposed by Clark Jones, the newly appointed emergency management agency director for Mahoning County.

Barry Strock Consulting of Albany, N.Y. will receive the money for project planning.

The county has seven 911 dispatch centers.

Jones would like that narrowed to a single center, in a new building, with one backup dispatch center.

Commissioners also approved resolutions to ratify the labor agreements for 74 employees at the Mahoning County Department of Job and Family Services.

The employees, represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Teamsters Local 377, were granted a 3 percent wage increase this year, with no increases the following two years.

The closing of Sharrott Road south of Middletown Road, to replace a culvert, was also agreed upon.

That repair will require the road to be closed between Monday and Aug. 29.

sschroeder@vindy.com