WESTOVER — Thrasher Engineering’s Casey Young told members of Westover City Council that the substantial completion date of the city’s Holland Avenue project is June 22.
Of course, that date came with the ubiquitous road-work caveat – “weather permitting.”
According to Young, Blue Gold Development has installed just over one-third of the approximately 3,000 feet of new storm sewer line to be included in the project.
“So, they’re right at the turn at the intersection of West Park [Avenue] and Holland Avenue. Today they went back and they’re starting to lay the sewer line … The plan, as of right now, is to catch the sewer line up to the storm line,” he said, explaining that once work gets beyond the bend, the progress will likely slow down.
“Depending on what they get into, they may go 100 feet on storm, then 100 feet on sewer, because that’s where you get into service lines and drop inlets tied in, criss-crossing things,” he said. “So, not as open as they are on Holland’s lower section.”
Doug Smith, Thrasher’s lead engineer on the project, said he’s continuing to explore how best to achieve the lighting and pedestrian improvements the city wants to put in place at the end of the Holland Avenue work.
Those improvements would be paid for out of the city’s general fund and are not part of the larger project financing.
While the city wanted to be all in at $250,000 for the purchase and installation of a sidewalk handrail with internal illumination as well as some sidewalk work, estimates provided in March indicated the cost of materials alone was trending in the ballpark of $260,000
Smith said Thrasher is working with Blue Gold Development and shopping around the fabrication of the handrail in an effort to bring the cost down.
Further, turning the installation over to Westover’s public works crew is another potential savings being explored.
When pushed for a number, Smith said he could see the project being completed for as little as $125,000 or as much as the original $250,000 estimate depending on the final cost of materials and whether the work can be done in house.
In other business from Monday’s meeting, council restarted the process of approving the city’s PODA, or private outdoor designated area.
A PODA is a defined district in which participating businesses can sell beverages containing alcohol to customers who can carry those beverages in identifiable cups to other participating locations within the district.
Council thought it finalized the city’s PODA during its last meeting, but a stipulation from the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration required the city to alter its PODA boundaries slightly and start the process over. The ordinance creating the district will be up for second reading on May 19.
Lastly, council adopted a change to the city’s fireworks ordinance specifying exactly when seasonal, temporary fireworks vendors can operate within the city.
The clarification was prompted by interest in the former Wells Home Furnishings building from a fireworks retailer looking to establish a permanent store.
