Widening Work Planned for Belmont Intersection
The intersection where two state highways enter Belmont will be widened and improved with help from the Belmont County Transportation Improvement District.
Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton, a TID member, visited the Belmont Village Council meeting on Feb. 3. Joining him were A.J. Smith and Patrick Elman of Verdantas, an environmental science, engineering, and consulting services firm with offices across the nation and state, including one in St. Clairsville.
The visitors brought drawings of the proposed work and said they wanted village leaders to review them and provide feedback. They stressed that traffic will be maintained during the project.
Also on hand was Bethesda resident Dave Schafer, a transportation supervisor with the Ohio Department of Transportation who retired Dec. 31. He was then named to fill a vacancy on the TID board and noted that he had served in an advisory capacity while the widening plan was developed.
Schafer also took the opportunity to announce that he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the Belmont County Board of Commissioners seat being vacated by Republican Jerry Echemann when he retires at the end of 2026. Schafer will face Dominic DeFelice of Shadyside and Chuck Probst of Bridgeport in the GOP primary on May 5, when polling locations across Ohio will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
One Democrat, Pultney Township Trustee Frank Shaffer, is also seeking the open seat and will face the winner of that contest in the Nov. 3 general election.
“Mainly, the goal of the project is to widen the intersection … allow for safer turning movements, especially for trucks coming eastbound turning north and coming southbound turning west,” Smith said. “We’re going to be widening the eastbound road coming in. …
“We will be avoiding, not disturbing the pine tree to the south,” he noted, referring to the community Christmas tree planted on a lot just south of the intersection on the west side of Bridge Street.
Dutton pointed out that the project will be paid for with state funding in the form of a grant. Smith added that organizers are on track to bid the work out in April for the summer construction season.
Meanwhile, Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan, a Republican from Bellaire, visited the meeting and announced that he is running to become a Belmont County Common Pleas Court judge. He is seeking the seat that will be vacated by Judge John Vavra, who will leave the bench because he has “aged out” of the ability to seek re-election.
Attorney Michael McCormick, a Republican from Bethesda, will face Flanagan in the May primary, and the winner is expected to be unopposed in the fall.
Council also heard the second reading of an ordinance to raise the water rate from 13.25 cents per 10 gallons to 14.25 cents while also increasing the sewer rate from 14.75 cents to 15.75 cents per 10 gallons. It also would add a monthly fee of $7 to replace failing water meters. The village has about 285 meters with roughly 265 to install over several months. The $7 fee would be eliminated after five years, once that work is completed.
Fiscal Officer Ricky Burkhead said if the increased rates and additional fee are approved, bills for customers who use 1,000 gallons of water per month would increase by $9, while those who use 2,000 gallons would see an increase of $11 per month.
The ordinance will receive its third and final reading at the next council meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. March 4 in the Stanley Sobel Village Offices inside the gym at 209 Brown St.
Incidentally, those offices drew compliments from the various visitors to the meeting last week. They admired the woodwork, cabinets, doors and layout of the facility. Village leaders then explained that most of the materials used to refurbish the space, which for decades served as locker rooms and basement storage space, had been salvaged from the adjacent former school building before it was recently demolished.
On the topic of water, Service Director Kerry Kemp told council the village had produced 81% of its own water from its wells in January, with the remainder purchased from the Belmont County Water & Sewer District. He said production began to decline on Jan. 30 and was down about 11% due to lack of precipitation. He noted that the several inches of snow that fell on the village Jan. 25-26 still has not melted and pointed out that it is only equivalent to about an inch of rain.
Kemp also said eight additional meters in the community had failed. Two had been replaced with five more ordered. He added that there may be a waterline leak beneath East North Street but said it may be frozen and crews are working to determine the problem.
Officials commended Kemp and Street Crew members Dan Schmitt and Ken Orr for their work plowing the streets to make them passable for residents.
Ken Davis, president of the Board of Public Affairs, said an underground waterline had frozen outside the American Legion on Barrister Street, which also houses the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum. Davis also noted that the village purchased two new tires for its dump truck.
Ed Tacosik addressed council on behalf of the Belmont Volunteer Fire Department. He proposed that the village give the VFD its SUV police cruiser, now that the police department has been dissolved after residents declined to approve a levy to fund it. The SUV has only racked up about 20,000 miles worth of travel.
In exchange, the VFD will give the village the fire chief’s SUV, which has higher mileage, and a 6×6 vehicle designed for rugged terrains, deep mud, or sand, which will help village workers reach remote locations and the well site. Tacosik, who owns the Logotek business in Bethesda, said he will take care of changing decals on all of the vehicles.
Council voted unanimously in favor of making the swap.
Tacosik also provided an update on the construction of the community’s new firehouse. He said the cold weather conditions have slowed progress, but the block and brick work on the north side is complete. Once that same work is finished on the south side, the contractor plans to put the structure under roof. The west and east walls will then be blocked and bricked.
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