Council appoints MS Consultants for bridge restoration

Staff report

POLAND

Amid disagreement Tuesday, village council appointed MS Consultants to design the Mauthe Bridge restoration.

The bridge was closed July 27 after the Youngstown engineering, architecture and planning firm initially reviewed it.

MS Consultants conducted a more comprehensive evaluation, costing the village $1,300, in which it determined the bridge’s steel towers and anchorage points could be reused. The decking and cabling, however, must be replaced.

The design will cost $15,000, and MS Consultants estimates the project itself will cost between $80,000 and $100,000.

Councilwoman Martha Morgan, who voted against Tuesday’s motion, feared that the Poland Municipal Forest board did not do its due diligence in receiving only one bid for the design project.

“I’m going to want to see someone else project these costs,” Morgan said.

Councilman Sam Moffie, who sits on the forest board and put forth the proposal on its behalf, explained that it has been difficult to find engineers for the project.

Board Chairwoman Elinor Zedaker echoed Moffie’s statement. “We’re trying to be as prudent and as diligent as we can,” she said.

Village resident Philip Pillin disagreed with the proposed course of action and called on the mayor to remove forest board members “for their ineptness, their non-due diligence in taking care of the bridge that’s been closed for over seven months.”

Councilman Mike Thompson, who was sworn in at Tuesday’s council meeting, made the motion to move forward with MS Consultants, expressing concern over how long the bridge has been closed.