Representatives from numerous county agencies attended the annual Engineer’s Dinner last week in order to catch up on current Clark County projects as well as nominate new officers for the county’s Township Association.
The Clark County Sheriff, County Prosecutor, County Commissioners, the county Auditor, and trustees from each of the county’s townships gathered at the dinner, hosted by the Clark County Engineer at the Hollenbeck-Bayley center in downtown Springfield last Thursday. There, they caught up with each other informally during the event’s meet and greet, and then heard a brief presentation from the County Engineer’s Office before electing new officers.
The Engineer’s Office reported on current and completed county construction projects, saying that the Dayton-Springfield Road widening project from the Village of Enon to County Line Road is now complete. This project cost $5,713,512.90—80 percent of which was federally-funded, with the remaining 20 percent funded by the Ohio Public Works Commission. A separate project on Dayton-Springfield Road, also from Enon to County Line Road, was very recently completed. This “improvement project” cost $2,185,933.15, and was also funded 80 percent on the federal level, and 20 percent by the OPWC.
In New Carlisle, the Engineer’s Office announced completion of the New Carlisle Pike Bridge, saying the project cost $719,166.21, using 95 percent state funds, and five percent local funds. The Lower Valley Pie widening project, which is still ongoing, was also funded by 80 percent federal and 20 percent OPWC funds. The engineers plan to replace the Lower Valley Pike bridge over Minich Creek, located on the west side of the intersection at Enon Road, in 2016, using an 80/20 mix of federal and OPWC dollars.
The county’s Township Association appoints new members each year at the Engineer’s Dinner, with representatives from western Clark County sweeping the board. Mad River Township Trustee Kathy Estep nominated David Farrell of the Green Township Board to serve as President of the Township Association for 2016. Trustee Joe Catanzaro, also of Mad River Township, nominated Bethel Township Trustee David Phares as Vice-President, and outgoing Mad River Townsip Fiscal Officer Maralee Leonard nominated Melanie Cochran as the association’s Treasurer. Cochran currently serves as Bethel Township Fiscal Officer. Estep was also appointed Member-at-Large.
Because of the Transportation Coordinating Committee’s recent restructuring of its board, the number of members will be reduced by nearly half. The change also means that only two township trustees from the county may serve on the board, according to Estep, who said that she and Bethel Trustee Nancy Brown be permitted to maintain their seats on the TCC. A vote was required, and they were both unanimously approved to keep their seats on the board.
Earlier this month, Enon Councilman Elmer Beard explained the TCC’s restructuring, saying that the board was once comprised of nearly 40 members, and that it was extremely difficult to get even half of them to attend meetings. Beard said that the TCC revisits and alters its by-laws every four years, and the decision to reduce the amount of board members will be effective at the beginning of 2016.
