T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA A group of stakeholders gathers outside the Belmont County Courthouse on Wednesday to announce details of planned upgrades to the exterior plaza. Shown from left are Cumberland Trail Fire District Capt. Curtis Kyer, American Legion Post 312 members Bob Johnson, Terry Puperi, Andy Wildman, Johnny Waugh, Belmont County Veterans Service Commission Secretary Bob Wallace, Vietnam veteran Kevin West, Belmont County Commissioners Jerry Echemann and Josh Meyer, principal landscape architect and project manager Gabe Hays and Commissioner J.P. Dutton.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Commissioners will honor local residents who have served in the military by naming the area in front of the courthouse the “Belmont County Veterans Plaza.”

“We kind of went back and forth on what to name the plaza, what kind of things we were going to do to commemorate someone or something in Belmont County and after a lot of discussion we thought it’d be right to honor all of our veterans that have served here in the county,” Commissioner Josh Meyer said during the board’s weekly meeting Wednesday. “This is our little way of saying thank you, and we thought with it being so close to Veterans Day that we’d announce it today.”

Commissioner J.P. Dutton added that across Belmont County, there are many villages with a high participation rate in the armed services. He mentioned that the courthouse plaza project has been in the works for over half a decade, adding that when the exterior of the courthouse was renovated several years ago a portion of the plaza was damaged.

“That started the conversation of whether to fix some of that and then it turned into a much larger project that obviously we’re going to be really proud of,” he said. “I think that it’s going to be a major refresh of the entire front of the courthouse and also the former sheriff’s residence, and actually extends beyond that, too,” Dutton said.

The final cost estimate for the project is $3,003,477. A Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation covers 95% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $1,417,714.

“I didn’t even know that ODOT did things like this. I was shocked,” Commissioner Jerry Echemann said. “But, really, it’s the fact that we sit right on National Road with this courthouse. If National Road weren’t right out there, I don’t think we would have been eligible for the grant.”

The estimated time frame for the project will begin April 1 with work to be completed by October 31 of next year.

The project will be led by principal landscape architect and project manager Gabe Hays.

“When you get into a project with Gabe Hays you know, we thought we were just going to replace a few bricks,” Meyer joked. “He’s brought a lot of great ideas to the table to help us through this process, so we do want to thank Gabe for all of his work.”

Hays added that in addition to an aesthetic update, the project also will allow the plaza to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“It will fix the plaza and hit some of the ADA accessibility and fix some of the pavements that are out of whack,” Hays said. “It’ll make a beautiful space for people out of what’s a little bit more harsh right now. It’s going to be a lot more people-friendly, and we’re hoping that folks enjoy it when it’s done here in about a year.”

He added that the project will also allow the courthouse to have the proper parking spaces for people with disabilities as well as bike racks to accommodate multimodal transportation.

Echemann asked Hays if he would be able to touch on the water feature that is displayed on the project’s mock-up right in front of the former sheriff’s residence that now houses the Belmont County Heritage Museum. Hays responded that he originally wanted there to be a larger water feature but had to stay within the project’s budget.

“We tried to do something creative with the stormwater. So when it rains, water will flow through a system of stormwater pipes and then on line with the center of the museum there will be a little overlook and the stormwater will come out the wall in three places to a little basin before it runs out,” Hays said. “And when it’s not raining there will be a pump to circulate water, so it’s trying to work stormwater into the design artistically.”

He added that the plaza will also have a sound system for outdoor events that the city hosts.

Belmont County Veterans Service Commission Secretary Bob Wallace then addressed the commissioners. He thanked the commissioners for recognizing Belmont County veterans past and present who have made sacrifices to not only protect Belmont County, but the entire country.

“We feel this is an important gesture to these veterans, and I thank and applaud you,” Wallace said.

American Legion Post 312 Vice President Johnny Waugh added, “This is another great example of how these commissioners — Josh, J.P. and Jerry — have always put the county and its people first.”