MANSFIELD — Richland County has utilized nearly $10 million in grant and/or loan funds through the Ohio Public Works Commission over the past decade.
Those funds have helped the county engineer’s office replace 36 bridges and resurface 192 miles of roadway.
“This OPWC grant money and loan money is significantly important to county infrastructure,” Richland County Engineer Adam Gove told county commissioners Tuesday morning.
The OPWC administers the State Capital Improvement Program. On May 6, Ohio voters will decide the fate of State Issue 2. Issue 2 is a constitutional amendment that will allow the state to issue up to $2.5 billion in bonds to pay for infrastructure projects over the next 10 years.
The state needs constitutional approval in order to go into large amounts of debt. If approved, the money would go into SCIP, a solution first established in 1987 to fund expensive projects.
Since SCIP’s inception nearly four decades ago, the county has completed 74 projects which have gone towards improving roads and bridges and 13 projects dealing with storm water, wastewater and water, Gove said.
“Without this grant (and/or) loan money, we would be going back to our patch and chip and seal program,” he said.
Jotika Shetty, executive director of the Richland County Regional Planning Commission, said funds are spread throughout the county.
“Every village, all the cities and many of the townships (in Richland County) have had projects that have been completed using the SCIP money,” Shetty said Tuesday.
Commissioners, local engineers support Issue 2
Gove said one of the most visible projects the county has completed — with OPWC dollars as part of the funding — is the bridge on South Illinois Avenue.
Funding for a planned roundabout project at Lexington-Springmill and Home roads in Troy Township will also include OPWC dollars.
During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners passed a resolution in support of State Issue 2.
Commissioner Cliff Mears said the program is essential to county infrastructure.
“I wouldn’t want to think about the state of the county if this did not pass,” Mears said. “We would regress so significantly, so severely. It’s really essential.”
Mansfield city engineer Bob Bianchi highlighted the program’s efficiency Tuesday. He said the level of overhead is minimal and the process is efficient and streamlined.
“I would love to see other grant funds follow suit,” Bianchi said. “They do such a great job administering.”
Mansfield plans to use OPWC funds next year to replace three traffic signals, he said. The city’s $19.3-million Main Street Corridor Improvement Project is also receiving some funding through OPWC.
LEARN MORE ABOUT STATE ISSUE 2
In other action Tuesday, commissioners:
— approved a contract for bridge load rating services.
— awarded two contracts for asphalt materials.
— approved participation in the Ohio Department of Transportation salt contract.
— approved selling one vehicle and two pieces of equipment from the highway department using GovDeals.
— approved a utility permit for Columbia Gas to replace a service line.