T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Pultney Township Trustee Frank Shaffer, left, Wednesday asks Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton if any resources are available to help efforts to bring broadband internet access to Belmont County.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Upgrades to the Belmont County Courthouse plaza are in the works with plans to put a welcoming new face on the seat of county government.

On Wednesday, the Belmont County Board of Commissioners entered a contract with the WallacePancher Group for a fixed fee of $355,590 for plaza construction documents and engineering services at the courthouse plaza.

Commissioner J.P. Dutton said county leaders have been exploring the possibility of upgrades to the plaza since the completion of a courthouse renovation project six years ago.

“It’s a project we’ve been working on for several years,” he said. “Around that time of course we’ve done a lot of sensitive exterior work on the courthouse. We brought in a lot of cranes at that time that caused a little bit of damage up at the plaza. We talked about first fixing the damage and also looking at maybe updating the courthouse.”

Dutton said it was also found that the plaza, the courthouse and surrounding buildings need to fully comply with accessibility issues according to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The county eventually found a likely grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation.

“We were denied initially. We increased the scope of the project,” Dutton said. “We were successful on the last attempt. This is not just the plaza at this point. This is ADA accessibility for the entire courthouse. So this would be behind the courthouse, entering into the annex building, which is the old church behind the old jail — it’s not ADA– accessible in terms of entering the building — so it’s a pretty significant project.”

Dutton said the total project cost could be in the range of $6 million, but the grant covers 95 percent.

“So 95 percent of construction costs are not coming from Belmont County’s coffers, so that’s a very good thing,” Dutton said.

He added that the county was awarded the grant one year ago, but the grant funding will not be available until July 1, 2024.

“We were kind of sitting and waiting last year. Now with this motion … we’ll be able to do design work leading up to construction, so hopefully next year we’ll be working on design to hopefully kick off the project in July of next year and hopefully have it wrapped up by fall,” Dutton said. “It’s a great project on a variety of fronts and one that’s going to be around for a long time.”

Potential plans include replacing the parking area beside the courthouse for county officials with an extension of the plaza and additional seating for the public.

Pultney Township Frank Shaffer said the upgrades would be welcome.

“I commend you guys for sticking with it,” he said. “Grant fundings, the public doesn’t realize how hard they are to get.”

Commissioner Jerry Echemann said the plaza area project was approved chiefly due to its ties with National Road running in front of the courthouse.

In other matters, the commissioners awarded the bid for a paving project on Deep Run Road, or Belmont County Road 2, to NLS Paving of St. Clairsville for $218,409.25. The other bidders were Shelly & Sands Inc. of Rayland at $240,548 and the Cast and Barn Corp. of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, at $254,699.45. The engineer’s estimate was $235,805.

The commissioners also awarded the bid for slide repairs on Ramsey Ridge Road, or Belmont County Road 5, to Ohio– West Virginia Excavating of Powhatan Point for $316,154. The other bidder was Litman Excavating of New Martinsville, with $362,349.02. The engineer’s estimate was $338,995.

Shaffer also asked if there was any way to expedite the work being done by Ohio GIG/Belmont County GIG to install underground network fiber in many areas where high– speed broadband service is not available.

“Or even help them get some of the funding that’s coming down?” Shaffer said.

Dutton said options are limited for smaller companies.

“There has been a good bit of federal investment on broadband,” he said. “Some of that has gone to bigger companies. … It hasn’t come through as far as entities in Belmont County. … Belmont GIG has been the most active of all entities that I know of in Belmont County when it comes to broadband.”

Dutten added the company is currently working in the western end of Belmont County, where service is more limited.

“They are going where service is needed first, and that’s commendable,” Dutton said.

David Jones of the Belmont County Fair Board also said preparations are underway for the Belmont County Fair, set for Sept. 3– 10.

“We’ve added a few more things — a new scale house for weighing animals, so we don’t have to move the scales. They’re permanent in the building, which will save time and protection.”