CADIZ — Numerous guardrails throughout Harrison County will be replaced now that the county has secured $300,000 in grant funding for the project.

Harrison County Commissioners Paul Coffland and Don Bethel signed an agreement between the county and the Ohio Department of Transportation during Thursday’s meeting. The meeting was moved from Wednesday to Thursday due to the courthouse being closed in observance of Veterans Day.

County Engineer Doug Bachman said the agreement allows the county to obtain a $300,000 grant through the Federal Highway Administration to install guardrail on three roadways throughout the county. ODOT will act as the administrator for the funding, the agreement states.

The total project cost is estimated at $400,000, Bachman said. The federal grant covers 100 percent of the project cost up to $300,000; the remaining funding will come from the county.

Bachman said the project must still go out to bid once the grant funding is finalized.

“Right now it is not scheduled to go out to bid until February,” he said.

The project will then get underway in March or April, he said.

Commissioners also signed an agreement with an engineering firm to complete the design work and construction on the engineer’s garage expansion project.

The engineer’s office wants to expand its current highway garage facility to hold offices as well as equipment. The engineer’s office currently operates in two different areas, an office located inside the courthouse and the garage facility. Bachman said previously it would be more beneficial to have the entire Harrison County highway staff working from one location as opposed to the two separate locations. The expansion project will allow for additional space for offices at the garage facility.

The agreement is between the county and R.E. Warner & Associates for $99,737.

“This deals with the scope of work clear through drawings, design, bid documents, administration, probable cost estimates, bidding and award, construction, administration, geotechnical investigation and survey of existing conditions,” Coffland said.

The project is being paid for through county funds. A total estimated cost for the project is not yet known and will be determined by the engineering company hired to perform the design work.

In other county news, commissioners awarded grant funding to two additional small businesses through the county’s Small Business Relief Grant Program, bringing the total of grant recipients to 26. The county opted to use some of its excess Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding to help small businesses in the county.

The county awarded a $5,000 grant to each of the small business applicants through the relief program, totalling $130,000 in funding. The funding is meant to alleviate some of the financial burden small businesses have incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic.