MOUNT VERNON — The Board of Commissioners held two pre-construction meetings Thursday to organize paperwork and plans for two upcoming small construction projects in Fredericktown and Howard. Consultant Amy Shocken of Community Development Consultants of Ohio was on hand to coordinate the projects, as well as to update the commissioners on other pending Community Development Block Grant and Neighborhood Stabilization Program projects.
Fredericktown Village Administrator Gary Gallogly joined the commissioners and Shocken for the first meeting. This project will see 13 curb ramps installed at three intersections on North Pleasant Street. The ramps will all be compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and will be installed by Smith Paving and Excavating Inc., of Norwalk.
Derek Dilger of Smith Paving joined the meeting via conference call to confirm paperwork and inspection requirements, which include observation of federal prevailing wage standards, the submission of weekly payroll reports and the prominent posting of posters at the job site.
The one-week construction project was tentatively scheduled for October. Dilger said that he would like to meet with project designer Richland Engineering about a week before the project to confirm the very specific ADA requirements of the ramp installations. He also asked where he would be able to keep his excavator and dump truck during the job. Gallogly advised that the equipment could be parked at the Fredericktown Street Garage.
Shocken said that the project will be a big help to modernizing Fredericktown’s sidewalks and bringing them into compliance with ADA.
“You guys were seriously lacking,” Shocken said, referring to the need for 13 new ramps.
“We were fortunate that the state came through and did Sandusky Street,” Gallogly said. Otherwise, that expense would have fallen onto the village and/or the county.
Bobby Small of Small’s Asphalt Paving Inc., in Gambier and Assistant County Engineer Larry Bechtel were next to meet with Shocken and the commissioners regarding an upcoming project to install a small number of ramps in Howard. There was some uncertainty about whether this work would be to install two ramps or two pairs of ramps, so Small and Bechtel said that they would confer to clarify the job requirements. Small said that it would be a short job, with his crew and his concrete subcontractor each spending one day working on the project. Shocken asked how she could arrange paperwork and inspections with the subcontractor. Small said that it would be a little tricky, as the subcontractor is Amish and doesn’t always have a way to be quickly in contact for messages and schedule changes. Small and Shocken said that they will try to coordinate as much as possible to plan the necessary meetings.
Shocken also brought the commissioners up to date on the CDBG project to install wastewater systems at several unincorporated hamlets throughout the county. Shocken said that the only thing still being sought in order to begin construction are the Permits To Install from the Environmental Protection Agency, which has some questions to review before the permits are issued. Shocken also informed the commissioners that the NSP is nearly ready to purchase three local properties for rehabilitation, and will begin doing so within the next month.