BATH TOWNSHIP – Bath Township has completed a number of road improvement projects and a major park project that were on township officials’ to-do list throughout the summer.
Township Trustee Tom Pitstick reported during the Oct. 4 meeting that the milling and repaving of a portion of Kitridge Road had been completed, which nearly wraps up the 2019 road construction season.
Other road improvement projects completed this summer included the milling and repaving of Augusta, Greenbriar, Inverness, Pinehurst and St. Andrews Drives in the Country Club Village subdivision and the west end of Armstrong Road. The township also repaved half of the roads in Byron Cemetery.
According to Bath Township Fiscal Officer Elaine Brown, the total cost of the milling and repaving projects added up to $306,816 with John R. Jurgensen road contractor charging $68,596.52 for the five roads in Country Club Village and Armstrong Road; $95,128.16 for Kitridge Road; and $43,091.32 for the roads in the cemetery.
The township contracted Leader Machinery Company to apply a durapatch pavement spray to potholes on Herr, Mud Run, Haddix, and Lower Valley Roads, which totaled $19,954. Township Road Supervisor Mike Rhoades said the durapatch spray has proven to be the most cost-effective process for repairing potholes.
The township also contracted Pavement Technology to apply a Reclamite asphalt rejuvenator on North and South Byron Road, Clearcreek Trail, and Ravenwood Drive, which were milled and repaved in 2018. Brown said those projects came with a price tag of $45,190.80.
“Bath Road is supposed to be done soon, so that project might bring the total cost for the Reclamite treatments to $53,000,” Brown said.
The township enter into an agreement with the Greene County Engineer’s Office to paint center and edge lines on Bath and Armstrong Roads, as well as a portion of Kitridge Road, for a quoted price of $600 per mile. Brown said the township would receive a final billing for the painting projects from Greene County in the coming weeks.
Bath Township Trustee John Martin stated that the township saw a significant savings this year by participating in the Collective Bid Program that the Green County Engineer Office offers to all government entities in Greene County.
According to Brown, the combined cost of the road improvement projects added up to $336,678.68 plus $43,091.32 for the roads in the cemetery. However, she noted that this total did not include the final bill from the county for the line painting and some additional pothole repairs.
According to Brown, the road improvement projects were paid out of the 2019 road budget which consists of $200,000 in annual property tax revenue generated from a 5-year, 2.2-mill road levy voters approved in November 2016 and approximately $228,000 from a 2.5-mill inside levy.
The township also made substantial improvements during the summer at the township park, located at 1006 Yellow Springs–Fairfield Road. Rhoades reported that the installation of three GameTime commercial playground systems is now completed. However, he pointed out that Greg Hennecke, an Ohio Plan Risk Management representative, found several minor issues during a recent inspection of the playground equipment that needed to be taken care of before the township closes out the purchase order. After examining the pictures that Hennecke submitted to the board of trustees, Township Trustee Steve Ross said he inspected the playground equipment as well.
“There are some issues, such as a loose screw or a slight gap here and there, but overall, the playground equipment looks great,” Ross said.
The new playground systems, which are located in three different areas of the park, are designed to create play and recreation spaces for children of all ages and abilities. Each structure includes an engineered wood fiber playground surface and concrete curbing around the structure. Brown said the total amount paid to GameTime and DWA (Daniel Williams & Associates) Recreation for the three systems was $81,444.79.
In October 2018, township trustees voted to replace the aging playground equipment in the park with three GameTime commercial playground systems. At that time, GameTime, a commercial playground equipment manufacturer, awarded the township $45,403.50 in matching funds towards the purchase cost of the new playground systems. In addition, Greene County Parks & Trails donated $23,500 in grant funding towards the cost of the project, and the Greene County Board of Commissioners contributed $44,587 from a grant fund delegated for permanent public improvement projects.
Brown said the initial payment of $47,694.79 reflected the GameTime Playground Grant plus freight shipping costs. The contract agreement also included a $45,505 installation fee, payable upon completion of the installation.
Ross said that Hennecke would be contacting a representative of DWA Recreation regarding the issues, and the township would withhold one-half of the final payment to DWA Recreation until the issues are rectified.
The Bath Township Board of Trustee meet in regular session at 7 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the township office, 1006 Yellow Springs–Fairfield Road. The trustees also meet in regular session when a fifth Wednesday falls in a month. Township meetings are open to the public.
