Upgrades for nearly seven miles of roadway were approved last week by the Ware County Commission.
Commissioners approved a bid submitted by East Coast Asphalt for work covering 6.973 miles on eight county roads during their monthly meeting Monday evening, August 12 in the Ware County Administration Building. The bid of $2,264,555 was the lowest of three submitted for the work that had been estimated at $2.615 million.
The award was part of the fiscal year 2024 Georgia Department of Transportation Local Maintenance Improvement Grant for roads. The commission also approved a similar project list for FY 2025 totaling $1,119,535 to be submitted to GDOT for OK.
Commissioners approved the purchase of a new E911 radio system as well as one for two new vehicles for the airport.
The commission recognized Jodi Thrift, Airport, Fire Department, and EMA Accounting Clerk as county Employee of the Month for August.
Chairman Elmer Thrift and all commissioners were present for the meeting, which was preceded in the afternoon by a work session and public hearing. The item on the roadway work was tabled at the July 22nd meeting in order to obtain information on the status of a current contract with East Coast Asphalt. A status report from the firm was given to commissioners.
The roads included in the award are:
• Swamp Road from Tazewell Street to Pine Island Road (1.906 miles), reclaim and widen one mile;
• Jamestown Road from Ternest to Sandy Bottom (2.778), level, overlay;
• N. Augusta Avenue from Gilchrist to Albany (0.601), level, overlay;
• S. Augusta Avenue from Albany to Carswell (0.659), level, overlay, old patches;
• S. Augusta Avenue from Carswell to U.S. 82 (0.343), level, overlay;
• Sycamore Street from Memorial Drive to U.S. 82 (0.162), mill, inlay;
• Old Reynolds Street from U.S, 82 to S. City Boulevard, (0.350), mill, level, overlay;
• Winn Clay Drive from Stetson Drive N. to New Section (0.174), mill and overlay.
Bids were accepted for the 2024 LMIG Roadway Improvements Project on July 16, 2024.
The projects for FY 25 were for Gibbs Lane and Thigpen Road.
Purchase of the E911 system, at a cost of $122,605, followed an earlier recommendation by E911 Director Fay Cooper and input from Mike Monroe, owner of Monroe Communications and Ware County’s Public Safety provider for a replacement for the outdated system.
American Rescue Plan Act funds will be used for the expenditure. ARPA funds also will cover the purchase of two Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicles at a cost of $26,930 each at the request of Airport Manager Frank Bartanowitz.
Bartanowitz nominated Thrift for the monthly award, saying, “(Jodi) is a positive soul who consistently performs her job to the best of her abilities and goes above and beyond.
“... she keeps the paperwork flowing, manages our logistical support, and is always available to share her knowledge and experiences that date back 20 plus years with the county. ... Jodi is a solid performer who cares about her job, her fellow employees, and the county.”
