Residents in Lawrence County who may be eyeing the Ironton paving project with envy may soon have their own smooth roads to crow about.

The Lawrence County Commission accepted a grant Thursday from the Ohio Public Works Commission for $500,000 that will used to pave more than 33 miles of county roads.

The work is spread throughout the county, but some of the larger areas include a 7.42-mile stretch of Etna-Waterloo Road and nearly 3 miles of Getaway-Big Branch Road.

Lawrence County Engineer David Lynd said these paving projects are annual, as long as the funding holds out.

"We do some paving every year," Lynd said. "It's just important that we get the grant. Every dollar we can get from OPWC is a dollar that helps us out here locally that we don't have to come up with."

The $500,000 doesn't come without any strings attached however, Lynd said his office will have to come up with matching funds, which he does not expect to be a problem.

Though they have not yet actually received funding for paving, the work has already been put out to bid. The Shelly Company of Thornville has contingently been awarded the job.

With the grant signed, the commission must wait for the grant to be returned to them from the OPWC before work can begin.

A project start date has not been decided. That will soon be announced by Shelly Company depending upon other work the company may have. Lynd said he believed the work was scheduled to be complete by the end of October.

Also during the commission's Thursday meeting:

4The commission received a correspondence from the Board of Elections stating that all polling locations must be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

4Representatives of the Lawrence Soil and Water Conservation District gave the commission a checklist designed for new homeowners and home constructors which listed the appropriate agencies to contact.

4$250,000 was appropriated to county engineer David Lynd for road and bridge repair.

4The commission signed a $45,000 contract with the Lawrence Economic Development Corporation for services such as retention and expansion of existing businesses.