Ironton City Council members awarded a contract for engineering services to Woolpert LLC for the Woodland Cemetery Bridge project at Thursday’s regular meeting.

Friday, May 12, 2000

Ironton City Council members awarded a contract for engineering services to Woolpert LLC for the Woodland Cemetery Bridge project at Thursday’s regular meeting.

Although the contract has to go through the city, Woodland Cemetery Board members have agreed to pay all the costs of the initial phases of the project, except for $10,000 that is already in the city’s budget, with the hope that Issue 2 grant money will be awarded next year, said Jesse Roberts, council member and cemetery board member.

"The cemetery board is putting the money up front," Roberts said. "We applied for Issue 2 grant monies, but didn’t qualify."

The city will reapply for the grant funding again in October, but postponing the engineering studies could delay the project and possibly jeopardize state funding of 80 percent of the construction costs, Roberts added.

"If we do not proceed and the planning does not go ahead, we could lose (Ohio Department of Transportation) funding," he said. "They’ve scraped together as much as they can. With the first $50,000, along with the $10,000 the city has appropriated, we can go forward with this."

The bridge was closed in April 1999 after an inspection by city engineer Joe McCallister.

"I found it unsafe for vehicles," McCallister said. "It’s fine for people to walk across as long as it’s not a group of people."

Replacement of the bridge would cost about $600,000, which the city did not have, so alternate sources of funding were sought, McCallister added.

"We immediately applied to ODOT," he said. "They have a local bridge replacement fund. There’s a waiting list, but the project is planned for the fiscal year 2002."

Through this program, ODOT will pay for 80 percent of the construction costs, but initial engineering and environmental studies, as well as a 20 percent local match, are required, McCallister said.

"The engineering includes the actual plans and specifications to build it so it will be safe and meet federal standards," he said. "The environmental document includes all of the historical, cultural, social and habitat studies."

Although the bridge does not connect two city streets, only a city street with a cemetery, the city is responsible for its replacement, McCallister said.

"All bridges in Ohio are the responsibility of the public entity in which they reside," he said.

This project would not be possible, however, without the cooperation of the Woodland Cemetery Board, McCallister added.

"In our present financial shape, I imagine there would be no bridge," he said. "I think Ironton’s lucky (the cemetery board) stepped up to the plate."

Although the cemetery board will be out money used to keep the cemetery in excellent condition initially, Roberts and McCallister are confident Issue 2 money will be awarded next year.

"Last year we applied for the same amount, maybe a little less," McCallister said. "We didn’t get it because we weren’t under way with the engineering."