JEFFERSON — Ashtabula County commissioners gave the domestic motor-vehicle industry a $179,928 vote of confidence Tuesday with the purchase of two 2010 Mack dump trucks.
Commissioners awarded the bid for the heavy-duty tandem-axle trucks, which will be used by the county engineer’s department, to R.W. Sidley of Thompson.
Cost of each truck is $89,964, which will be paid with Motor Vehicle and Gas Tax funds.
Commissioners also accepted a grant offer from the Ohio Department of Transportation to purchase three light-transit vehicles, which the Ashtabula County Transportation System will use. The total cost for the project is estimated at $174,672 and is funded with Congestion Mitigation/ Air Quality funds.
In other actions, the commissioners:
n Approved a contract with Mr. Excavator for construction of the Geneva State Park Bike Trail in Geneva Township and Geneva-on-the-Lake. The trail will be 8,335 feet long and 10 feet wide, and entirely within the state park. The lakefront trail will connect the campgrounds, cabin areas, beach areas and marina with the Geneva State Park Lodge and Conference Center. The project also will tie in the village’s sidewalks to the trail. The long-range plan is to tie the trail to the Western Reserve Greenway Trail and perhaps other lakefront trails. The cost is not to exceed $427,454.
Funding is from a 2007 community development block grant ($100,000) and a Clean Ohio Trail Fund grant ($300,000). A grant from the Ashtabula County Convention Facilities Authority will provide up to $50,000 for the project. No general-fund money is being used to fund the project;
n Approved a memorandum of understanding concerning emergency management, between the city of Ashtabula and Ashtabula County. The agreement replaces an expired contract and “is more closely aligned with the way things actually work.” The 10-point agreement is a framework for coordinating services between the entities; and
n Reappointed Tony Collette to the Ashtabula Metropolitan Housing Authority. Collette’s term will be for five years. He has chaired the board for more than 10 years and has been a member for more than 20 years.
