JEFFERSON —
A portion of the 2011 Community Development Block Grant money that commissioners allocated for pilot public transportation projects in Conneaut and Geneva is heading to Richmond Township.
Commissioners ended the 12-month pilot in June because of low ridership numbers. That freed up about $38,000 to re-direct to other projects that were “shovel ready.”
Richmond Township requested the money for a paving and culvert project on Hall Road. The 1/2-mile stretch is Phase 2 of a two-mile paving project on the road, said Tom Hitchcock, trustee chairman.
The township already had Ohio Public Works funding lined up for a portion of the $230,000 project, but needed additional help. The township is also putting money into the project, and the county is doing in-kind work on the culvert portion of the work.
After hearing the request from Hitchcock, the county proposed an amendment to the original CDBG agreement with the Ohio Department of Development. A local hearing on the change was held Tuesday with no objections filed.
“I assume (the state) will approve it. I have to submit a letter to show them that we held a public meeting,” said Janice Switzer, program manager for the county’s department of planning and community services.
She said an answer is usually forthcoming in a couple of weeks. However, Switzer said there is still environmental review work to be done on the paving project.
Hitchcock said the township is ready to move forward as soon as it gets the funding and approvals.
“We will go for bid,” he said. “We’re going to try to get it done this year as long as the weather holds.”
The first phase of the project, involving paving a mile of the road west of Route 7, was completed about five years ago. Hitchcock said finding money for these projects is always a major challenge for the township trustees.
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