Winesburg set to get new safety sidewalks near school
The path to getting to Winesburg Elementary on school days will get a little easier, thanks to an ODOT Safe Routes to School sidewalk project.
Winesburg Elementary students will have a little bit safer route to school soon after the county opened up bids for the Safe Routes to School sidewalk project, which will receive a $250,000 grant from Ohio Department of Transportation.
On Monday, May 5, the Holmes County Commissioners performed the bid opening process in the Old Jail meeting room in Millersburg.
Under the supervision of Holmes County assistant engineer Cory Baker, the lone bid application was opened, that bid belonging to J. Miller & Sons Excavating. The bid was for $242,278, which was below the $250,000 grant and within the acceptable guidelines of the engineer’s office’s estimate of $224,855.34.
According to Holmes County engineer Chris Young, his department received the grant three years ago.
Young said the remainder of the funds will go toward covering some of the engineering fees associated with the process.
According to Baker, the sidewalk project will contain more than just the sidewalk.
He said the sidewalk will come along County Road 160, where it takes a sharp turn off state Route 62 and will continue along the entirety of the school frontage.
“There is also a small section being done along Parkview Avenue,” Baker said.
That section will lead down toward Winesburg Park.
“There is also going to be a small retaining wall constructed,” Baker said.
Young said the sidewalk along Parkview Avenue is a location parents utilize to drop off their children for school, and they then walk up to school, which is why they want to add that portion of sidewalk.
Young said there is currently no sidewalk located there, calling it a free-for-all walk up to the school.
The Safe Routes to School program provide resources, technical assistance and project funding to encourage and enable students K-12 to walk or ride their bike to school. A comprehensive approach to SRTS includes both infrastructure and noninfrastructure countermeasures and programs.
This program is funded at $5 million annually for projects in five categories: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and evaluation. Funds are available for infrastructure projects within 2 miles of schools serving K-12 students.
ODOT will reimburse up to 100% of eligible costs for all phases including preliminary engineering, detailed design, right-of-way, construction and construction engineering in projects focusing on keeping children safe as they go to and from school.
Baker will go through the process of checking out the Miller & Sons construction proposal to make sure it meets all the requirements before the engineer’s office gives its approval to the commissioners, something Baker said will take place within the week.